Commercial Plumbing (connecting beds)

[Ryan D]

Hey all! I have been an aquapon for the past 2 years and wanting to design a commercial system. Right now I have a question in regards to plumbing. I would like to connect a media filled bed to a DWC bed. How would you suggest to plumb this so that gravity will do the work and piping would be out of the way as much as possible?

I have a quick sketch to give you an idea. If the input to the DWC bed is lower than that of the main line running from the media bed, will this work?

Thank you! 

[R.K. Castillo]

We have a commercial farm here in Hawaii that has media beds that auto siphon to dwc beds.  They have their pipes going from the bottom of their media beds across the ground and up to the dwc beds.  The height of the dwc sets the level to the media beds (actually they use flexible pvc pipe to set the level)  Here's a picture.  

If you look at the picture the bell siphon comes up into the DWC and the pipe going up from the bed and then down from the DWC is the air break.

[ellaweiss]

Designing a gravity-fed commercial aquaponics system can be a great move for efficiency, but the plumbing setup needs to be spot on. If your DWC bed input is lower than the media bed’s output, gravity should do the work, as long as your flow path doesn’t have unnecessary resistance. Using a bell siphon on the media bed and running the outlet piping low along the ground before gently rising into the DWC is a common approach. This keeps the system clean and helps maintain consistent flow.

Flexible PVC works well in these cases, it lets you adjust levels easily during testing and installation. I’ve seen systems where adjusting just a few inches made a big difference in flow balance.

If you’re working with limited space or want to keep the plumbing as invisible as possible, consider getting advice from a plumbing professional familiar with custom setups. I once consulted with Plumber Singapore for a greenhouse water system, and they provided a smart, low-profile piping layout that worked perfectly with gravity-fed circulation. They’re worth checking out if you're planning a neat and effective installation.

Would love to see your sketch too, happy to give more feedback based on your layout.