U Siphon

[syazwan]

Hey guys, I am currently building my second aquaponics system and I am planing to experiment with 'U' Siphon, have anyone tried this? Any hints? I am using Barrels for my grow bed actually. Appreciate the help 

[Jonathan Kadish NYC AA Chair]

It is essentially the same as a loop siphon and it will work well after some tinkering. Doing it with PVC (which is usually what a U siphon is done with) means that it is a little harder to adjust than a flexible hose (loop siphon). Here is my video explaining my system's plumbing http://youtu.be/nDuwVyHKu_Y where i set up the loop siphon. It is not a barrel but all the same none the less. I have found that the main issue with these types of siphons is that the water level in the fish tank varies the pressure at the point of where pump intake is, this in turn varies the rate at which water is pumped from it. Depending on your design your water level can cause your siphon to A) Never stop gurgling & slurping at the end of draining because the water flow is too great or B) Never start because the water flow is to little. So there is a happy medium in the middle which you will find with some tinkering. Good luck!

[syazwan]

Hey Jonathan, Thanks for the useful tips. I will try it soon. I hope there wouldn't be any problem using U siphon compared to other type of siphon. I hope they will give the same quality of output. Thanks for the video

Jonathan Kadish said:

It is essentially the same as a loop siphon and it will work well after some tinkering. Doing it with PVC (which is usually what a U siphon is done with) means that it is a little harder to adjust than a flexible hose (loop siphon). Here is my video explaining my system's plumbing http://youtu.be/nDuwVyHKu_Y where i set up the loop siphon. It is not a barrel but all the same none the less. I have found that the main issue with these types of siphons is that the water level in the fish tank varies the pressure at the point of where pump intake is, this in turn varies the rate at which water is pumped from it. Depending on your design your water level can cause your siphon to A) Never stop gurgling & slurping at the end of draining because the water flow is too great or B) Never start because the water flow is to little. So there is a happy medium in the middle which you will find with some tinkering. Good luck!

[RupertofOZ]

A PVC U-siphon... is a pretty expensive way to set up a loop siphon for the sake of draining barrels...

 

And has some restrictions... in terms of flood height adjustment etc...

 

Why bother???... just use some "soft" PVC tubing... cheap as chips and works like a charm...

[Vlad Jovanovic]

ehmm...or you could use some poly hose if you care about the issues with toxic pthalates that leach from flexible (American) PVC 

Whatever you use (should you decide to go with the loop siphon), it would seem like getting a hose with a thicker wall would do some good in preventing the loop from collapsing and kinking over time...of coarse there are other ways to get around this too...coiling a wire around the hose etc...

[RupertofOZ]

Haven't had any problems with "kinking" with the "soft" tubing... (hydro stores)... and mine have been running for over six years...

 

[Vlad Jovanovic]

Very cool. I don't know what hose the gentleman who had that problem used, or the geometry or how/if he supported the hose, but thought I'd mention it...Mine were only up for a number of months and was a "bubble gum and duct tape" set up, all very slipshod, but worked like a charm for what I needed with no problems of any kind...

[syazwan]

That is a nice looking system, thanks for your advice, will keep in mind.

RupertofOZ said:

Haven't had any problems with "kinking" with the "soft" tubing... (hydro stores)... and mine have been running for over six years...