Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there All,

Just trying to get my plumbing sorted out and looks like the easiest (for a variety of reasons) is going to be push-fit pipe & fittings. This is PP rather than ABS - is that any problem for the little fishies?

Thanks

Andrew

I use this on some of my system.
I dislike it because once you get to decent pipe sizes > 1 inch it starts getting expensive.

1 inch is a little to small for me as a delivery pipe, and WAY too small as a drain.

Plain old PVC is pretty easy and for much of my system, I didn't bother gluing (I only glue where there is pressure, where the pipes are buried or where they insist on leaking.)

On all but the smallest systems, I strongly recommend larger pipes.

1-2 inch pipes for pumps and 3-4 inch pipes for combined gravity drains or SLO drains.

The challenge I'm finding here is getting a good, cheap fitting that'll hold the standpipe, and form a good seal at the bottom of the growbeds. The best solution I have found is a push-fit 40mm tank connector. Thereby giving me 40mm PP pipe for the return line.

I'm not combining many growbeds for the return lines (several of them drain directly into the sumps) so hopefully this'll be ok. I think it'd be cheaper for me to run two drain lines than to upgrade to larger pipe. so may do this if the 40mm isn't coping.


I've been looking at the standard (ABS?) pipe for the SLO, but have found that as soon as you go above 50mm pipe, the cost of the fittings (tank "bulkhead" connector, ball valves) trebles. My plan is to use three 50mm lines - one feeding each row of growbeds. And I think that if I need more drain it'll be cheaper to add another 50mm line, rather than upgrade the pipe diameter. Not ideal (I'd rather just use 3x100mm, but the cost of valves alone would be ridiculous (I have 15 growbeds).

hmm, Maybe I could use one valve for each pair of growbeds? with a y-connector then feeding both beds. hmm. maybe.