Plumbing Questions - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-28T23:27:45Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/plumbing-questions?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A313997&feed=yes&xn_auth=noPex doesn't stand up to UV so…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-08-21:4778851:Comment:5071462013-08-21T12:56:33.935ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>Pex doesn't stand up to UV so you have to protect it from the light. And in my experience most easily available PEX isn't going to be big enough for anything but the smallest of systems and definitely not big enough for gravity flow plumbing.</p>
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<p>Pex doesn't stand up to UV so you have to protect it from the light. And in my experience most easily available PEX isn't going to be big enough for anything but the smallest of systems and definitely not big enough for gravity flow plumbing.</p>
<p></p> Hey Bob,
I love the idea of P…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-08-21:4778851:Comment:5069872013-08-21T11:07:48.498ZMark Hallhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/MarkHall
<p>Hey Bob,</p>
<p>I love the idea of PEX. I have used it on new homes for the last 10 years and think it's an amazing product. I assume you use a large diameter. I actually use Wirsbo and the flaring tool only goes up to 1". How is the pex working out for you after 1 year?<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Bob Rogers aka The White Lion said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/plumbing-questions#4778851Comment411204"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I would…</p>
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<p>Hey Bob,</p>
<p>I love the idea of PEX. I have used it on new homes for the last 10 years and think it's an amazing product. I assume you use a large diameter. I actually use Wirsbo and the flaring tool only goes up to 1". How is the pex working out for you after 1 year?<br/> <br/> <cite>Bob Rogers aka The White Lion said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/plumbing-questions#4778851Comment411204"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I would also look into using PEX Pipe for plumbing your system. It is very flexible and the fittings do not use any glue. Once you have made your connections and tightened the fittings, you will never experience any leaks. You can also use the different colors to distinguish your different water flows. One color for the outflow and one color for the inflow or return line. Its great stuff to use and very easy to work with, with the added plus of not having any potential contaminates. </p>
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</blockquote> While most aquaponics set ups…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-11:4778851:Comment:4377262013-02-11T00:54:23.143ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>While most aquaponics set ups may use only minimal pressure so often tapping them tight may be enough to avoid things coming apart, I've seen blow outs that managed to loose a lot of water from a system in a very short time so I'm cautious about telling people not to glue things. There are dangers in non-glued plumbing.</p>
<p>While most aquaponics set ups may use only minimal pressure so often tapping them tight may be enough to avoid things coming apart, I've seen blow outs that managed to loose a lot of water from a system in a very short time so I'm cautious about telling people not to glue things. There are dangers in non-glued plumbing.</p> If you pump water into a clos…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-11:4778851:Comment:4376202013-02-11T00:31:42.455ZAuthor Charles L. Sargenthttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/AuthorCharlesLSargent
<p>If you pump water into a closed ended pipe the pressure would build up and blow out your joints. Hower you are not useing that type system and the water keeps flowing and there is no presure to be concerned with. Just tap them tight and go.</p>
<p>Good luck charles Sargent</p>
<p>If you pump water into a closed ended pipe the pressure would build up and blow out your joints. Hower you are not useing that type system and the water keeps flowing and there is no presure to be concerned with. Just tap them tight and go.</p>
<p>Good luck charles Sargent</p> Except that Pex needs to be p…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-25:4778851:Comment:4110882012-10-25T13:03:32.743ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>Except that Pex needs to be protected from sunlight and other UV light or it degrades. There is a reason they don't use Pex for irrigation.</p>
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<p>Many of the fittings require special tools.</p>
<p><br></br>Also, Pex is rather expensive when you get into the Large sizes. I don't think I've ever seen anything bigger than 1" at Lowes around here and it is usually far smaller. My AP systems generally use mostly larger than 1" pipe and only go smaller to send sprays into the towers. Now…</p>
<p>Except that Pex needs to be protected from sunlight and other UV light or it degrades. There is a reason they don't use Pex for irrigation.</p>
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<p>Many of the fittings require special tools.</p>
<p><br/>Also, Pex is rather expensive when you get into the Large sizes. I don't think I've ever seen anything bigger than 1" at Lowes around here and it is usually far smaller. My AP systems generally use mostly larger than 1" pipe and only go smaller to send sprays into the towers. Now if you could show me that 1 1/2" and 3" and 4" pex will work with uniseals and the cost of the Pex, fittings and something to protect the Pex from the sun wouldn't cost more than say 4X as much as the PVC, then maybe it would be worth looking into.</p>
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<p>As to the potential contaminates, There have been cases of contaminates leaching from PEX and if you are using new regular white rigid PVC for plumbing then the risks of contamination from that is about the same as PEX. </p>
<p>Where PVC is a NASTY has to do with it's manufacturing and it's disposal. The manufacturing of PVC uses lots of chlorine and can produce pollution, some nasty pollution. And if you are burning your pipes for some odd reason, then I don't recommend using PVC since if you burn it at the wrong temperatures you can be giving off some nasty stuff then too. However I don't think most of us are setting flame to our plastic plumbing in order to heat our system water nor burning it to heat the greenhouse.</p>
<p>That said, it is the flexible PVC that contains plasticizers that can leach not so savory stuff into our systems. So I don't recommend the heavy use of the flexible PVC hoses or vinyl liners even though some of them are "potable water or food grade" they still leach some of those plasticizers that have been linked to hormone disruption and other things. </p> I would also look into using…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-10-25:4778851:Comment:4112042012-10-25T03:10:48.426ZBob Rogers aka The White Lionhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BobRogers
<p>I would also look into using PEX Pipe for plumbing your system. It is very flexible and the fittings do not use any glue. Once you have made your connections and tightened the fittings, you will never experience any leaks. You can also use the different colors to distinguish your different water flows. One color for the outflow and one color for the inflow or return line. Its great stuff to use and very easy to work with, with the added plus of not having any potential contaminates. </p>
<p>I would also look into using PEX Pipe for plumbing your system. It is very flexible and the fittings do not use any glue. Once you have made your connections and tightened the fittings, you will never experience any leaks. You can also use the different colors to distinguish your different water flows. One color for the outflow and one color for the inflow or return line. Its great stuff to use and very easy to work with, with the added plus of not having any potential contaminates. </p> If your ammonia is at 4 ppm
D…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-10:4778851:Comment:3329262012-05-10T01:58:57.682ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>If your ammonia is at 4 ppm</p>
<p>DON'T add any more till you see the ammonia start to fall down below 1 ppm. Otherwise you will have sky high ammonia levels that will probably stall out the bacteria that take care of converting the nitrite to nitrate.</p>
<p>And for future doses I would probably recommend smaller doses than your initial dose. Dosing to between 1-2 ppm of ammonia is adequate for cycling up. More is not necessarily better.</p>
<p>If your ammonia is at 4 ppm</p>
<p>DON'T add any more till you see the ammonia start to fall down below 1 ppm. Otherwise you will have sky high ammonia levels that will probably stall out the bacteria that take care of converting the nitrite to nitrate.</p>
<p>And for future doses I would probably recommend smaller doses than your initial dose. Dosing to between 1-2 ppm of ammonia is adequate for cycling up. More is not necessarily better.</p> Here's my update. I followed…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-10:4778851:Comment:3327582012-05-10T00:03:07.604ZJohn Wilsonhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JohnWilson
<p>Here's my update. I followed your suggestion with regard to piping except for the 18 foot run in the front part of my GH.</p>
<p>Just finished over lunch and turned the system back on. It looks like all systems are go except I'm still a little disappointed in the amount of flow. I have a branch off of my back run which I was hoping to use but I'm skeptical if I'll have enough flow. While the current runs are roughly at 2 or 3 foot head, extra run of ten feet is up another couple of…</p>
<p>Here's my update. I followed your suggestion with regard to piping except for the 18 foot run in the front part of my GH.</p>
<p>Just finished over lunch and turned the system back on. It looks like all systems are go except I'm still a little disappointed in the amount of flow. I have a branch off of my back run which I was hoping to use but I'm skeptical if I'll have enough flow. While the current runs are roughly at 2 or 3 foot head, extra run of ten feet is up another couple of feet. However, all and all, it's looking good. I've got 12 of my 13 bell siphons working. I just added ammonia earlier this evening for the first time using an online calculator and a guess on my total water volume. I guessed 800 gallons and I put in 3 5/8 fluid ounces of ammonia from ACE. Ran double checks on my ammonia levels and both times it read 4ppp. Thrilled with that. My PH, which I tested at roughly 7.6 when I had only water and no solite, just tested still at 7.6. So I think things are looking up. I plan on continuing to add ammonia each day until I see my nitrites starting to show up. Thanks for your help. I'll try to take some pictures this week.<br/> <br/> <cite>TCLynx said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/plumbing-questions?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A331280#4778851Comment331512"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I would probably do 1 1/2" from the pump up to the first branch and then I would probably do 1" for the long horizontal run and just drop to 3/4" at each grow bed.</p>
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<p>A 90 degree sweep or two 45 is better than a hard 90 degree elbow.</p>
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</blockquote> I would probably do 1 1/2" fr…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-07:4778851:Comment:3315122012-05-07T02:08:33.994ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>I would probably do 1 1/2" from the pump up to the first branch and then I would probably do 1" for the long horizontal run and just drop to 3/4" at each grow bed.</p>
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<p>A 90 degree sweep or two 45 is better than a hard 90 degree elbow.</p>
<p>I would probably do 1 1/2" from the pump up to the first branch and then I would probably do 1" for the long horizontal run and just drop to 3/4" at each grow bed.</p>
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<p>A 90 degree sweep or two 45 is better than a hard 90 degree elbow.</p> Right, 50 was supposed to be…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-07:4778851:Comment:3312802012-05-07T02:06:05.700ZJohn Wilsonhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JohnWilson
<p>Right, 50 was supposed to be followed by horizontal and not vertical although roof top GB's could be the start of something interesting.<a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Smile.gif"></img></a> Would you think that 1" would take care of the situation. Also, do you have any strong opinions on 90 degree elbows versus two 45's?<br></br> <br></br> <cite>TCLynx said:…</cite></p>
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<p>Right, 50 was supposed to be followed by horizontal and not vertical although roof top GB's could be the start of something interesting.<a style="cursor: pointer;"><img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Smile.gif"/></a> Would you think that 1" would take care of the situation. Also, do you have any strong opinions on 90 degree elbows versus two 45's?<br/> <br/> <cite>TCLynx said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/plumbing-questions#4778851Comment331424"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>50 Vertical feet? as in you are trying to pump 50 feet up? Are your grow beds on the roof or something?</p>
<p>I didn't even thing that pump would pump that high? I'm hoping you actually mean 50 horizontal feet.</p>
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<p>Upsize the pipe from the pump up to at least your first Branch. 3/4" pipe is the minimum size pipe you should connect to that pump and you can get some more flow by using larger pipe for at least some of the run. I think up sizing the pipe will help greatly in getting enough flow to your beds.</p>
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