Comment

Comment by matthew ferrell on September 20, 2011 at 2:16pm

I just cleared out a bunch of roots that didn't mind the slots.  Beware in the long term of root intrustion.

Comment by Jon Chaiton on September 16, 2011 at 7:35am

Kobus,

Hi. In answer to your questions:  1).  The bell siphon is glued onto a 2" male adapter that threads onto the female threads of the 2" PVC threaded "top middle" Tee.  Be sure to use teflon tape so that the bell can be removed whenever you need to do so.  2) I did not draw it into the schematic but I do use a root guard for both the bulkhead fitting and the siphon break.  I like to use fine slotted 1.5" PVC that extends above the bed and about 6 inches into the air.  In that way there is plenty of room between the guard and the siphon break.  Roots have a harder time penetrating the slots, as compared to perferations.  As far as the bulkhead goes, I actually use a plastic vegetable collander that is placed upside down over the bulkhead.  Again, this leaves plenty of room between this guard and the bulkhead.  With this, I have never had any roots get into the drain system, even after years of growth.

Best Regards,

Jon Chaiton

Comment by Jonathan Farrand on September 15, 2011 at 2:26pm

Got any pictures of the real deal?

Comment by Kobus Jooste on September 13, 2011 at 12:14pm

I like the design, especially in terms of removing clutter from inside a grow bed, but have one question: It appears as if it is going to be tricky to get the siphon break out of the outside standpipe unless you use some sort of leak proof coupling between the siphon and the standpipe that is not indicated in the diagram, or do you use silicone and break the seal if you want to open it up? Also, what do you do to protect the siphon break and the bulkhead fitting from gravel or root intrusion? It appears as if there are now two areas to manage in stead of just the central guard pipe area of the internal design.