I usually wash for 5 min for both RC and fiber base (after a 5 min hypo-clear for the fiber based) The Kodak tray siphon was a common item, I think other companies have copied it. I won't stir-up discussion if fixer goes to the bottom or is diffused throughout the water (PE covered that already).
One thing I did notice, I was looking at some RC paper from 1986 and it had some brown spots. I remember the project and I think if one is washing like 20 prints in a row, it might be a good idea to do a complete exchange of water occasionally. I believe the Kodak tray siphon can be overwhelmed if you run too many prints through in a given time.