Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Now, If someone has posted this technique before, feel free to let me know.

I have found a way to install stand pipes in plastic drums or tanks, as GBs, using standard PVC plumbing bits.

This is scalable and can be used for any size GB. You are limited only by the size of PVC available to you.

I was making a GB from half 200 litre drums (AKA Barrel-ponics GBs) and needed to add a standpipe drain.
I had heard of putting in a bath or handbasin drain and using a plug, modified to allow a pvc pipe to sit in the plug hole, sealed by the plug.

This required a relatively large hole, for which I didn't have a hole saw.

I searched in my PVC bits collection and came up with a 3/4" PVC - 3/4" BSP male adaptor and a 3/4" BSP female - 3/4" PVC 90° Elbow adaptor.

I located a spade bit to suit and drilled a hole in the Blue poly drum.
I applied liquid Teflon thread seal to the male thread, put it into the freshly drilled hole from inside the drum and screwed the elbow onto the thread.
I tightened the thread as tight as I could, using hand pressure only (I didn't want to break the fittings).

This gave me a 3/4" PVC - 3/4" PVC through, 90° angle adaptor.
My standpipe is a section of 3/4" PVC Pipe with a small hole (1/8") just above the fitting, and the GB flood depth was set by drilling multiple holes around the pipe, at and above the desired depth. The pipe is longer than the flood depth by around 2" to facilitate easy removal and replacement.
As usual, I used rain water pipe as a surround to keep the hydrotron from falling into the adaptor when I remove the standpipe for cleaning / modification.

Here are some photos of one using 1/2" PVC and fittings.

May as well add these keep them all in the same section

Interestng idea.

So youve drilled the hole at the bottom and top of the smaller pipe but used an elbow joint to allow the water to get out of the barrel.

What about water sitting at the bottom of the tank permamently?

Do you still place a large PVC pipe around it to keep rock away...

Any pictures on in action shots?

Hope you can make sense of this the 90 mm pipe slips over the vertical pipe and theres a 6mm hole in the bottom of the elbow

While there will be some water which does not drain, the hourly refill will mix with this water and dilute it so that the water below the drain level will still be oxygenated.
With my GBs, my flood water is supplied to the GB at the opposite end of the GB to the drain, resulting in a greater "flushing" of this water during flood cycles.
An additional benefit, if there is a power failure, is that the plant roots should be able to draw water from this level and not suffer overly unless the temperature or wind cause more rapid water loss than can be maintained in these conditions.

F&F, same ideas, different implementation. Good work

They always say great minds think alike

Hey I love the Idea... Flood and drain beats most other things for me!

Now... what about cost... How much are all the fittings for 1 1/2 blue barrel

Depends where you buy i get trade at the irrigation shop i would say average $ 5.00 per 1/2 barrel

Yes, around the same, giver or take a $1.
If you are draining a larger GB, you could use a larger pipe size, like 1". 1 1/2" or 2". Just scale up the fittongs for a larger GB.

This would also work for syphons, without the small hole at the bottom, and cut to suit the max depth of fill. The Bell would be slipped over the standpipe.

Lots of ideas, Limited time.

Hey. Sorry for been a abit slow at this because i´m only new to AP but can someone please explain how this works. Any info will help.

pump runs, growbeds fill up, overflow down standpipe. Pump stops growbeds drain to the bottom of standpipe (6mm drain hole)

Hey guys, i'm new at this and currently setting up 2 systems. I only found out about AP 2 weeks ago and i'm totally addicted! Very impressive stuff!!! Great site

Anyway, i'm going for this sort of setup, but does enyone see any problems with drilling the hole through the fitting to let more water drain?

You cant quite see it but i have a 6 mm hole in the bottom of the fitting

Cool, thanks

I'm just so excited by this whole concept!

Does the 3/4" pipe fit into the stand pipe? It is really confusing me with the pictures you've posted and the short descriptions.

Is the standpipe being used as a way to expedite water to the drain pipe? I'm a foggy.