Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Why does everyone keep using PVC when it is not safe!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PEX and PVC are very different, but PVC is very, very, worrisome.
http://www.chej.org/BESAFE/pvc/

OR google search pvc safe

????

Oils ain't oils Afrokey... and PVC and plastics take many forms...

The products used are "food grade" UV stabilised HDPE plastics... which even Greenpeace (begrudgingly) rates as the least toxic of plastics...

What would you recommend... fibreglass.... just as many concerns as PVC.... isn't there...

After spending yesterday putting a bit more PVC pipe into my system, I thought this one was interesting.

Reading the site you linked to, there seems to be a lot of emotive language but the facts are hard to find. I do seem to see
they mainly don't like softened PVC because of the inclusion of Phthalates but other links seem to reject the claim and point to studies
which suggest that Phthalates does not cause cancer. ( http://www.phthalates.com/ )

As most PVC is classified safe for drinking water, I am guessing we are safe.

This page give some good info as an alternative link: http://www.pvc.org/FAQ

There has been many-a-concern on this forum about the safety of PVC. Not so much about using it just for piping etc, but when you start drilling holes in it and stuff. The concern was that PVC with a lower pressure rating (i.e. DWV) only needs a certain amount of PVC and the rest can be filler. We also noticed that some PVC's have a foam sandwich between the layers as a filler. So, for the least chance of getting "contaminants" you should use pressure pipe.

Also, back then I raised the point the point that you need to put things in perspective - i.e. if you were to get all worried about PVC poisoning you and go and have a smoke and think about it...

Damn that link you posted rupe is pretty scathing. The only organic style alternative to PVC that I can think of is bamboo...

Yer, this is the kind of link you see a lot of, where they want to say PVC is bad but they fail to put anything concrete in there about it harming you during it's use. There is some validity in the problems with plastics disposal but that goes across a wide range of products we use and is a different subject.

Dr Karl did a good podcast on this kind of thing a while back: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ ... 501916.htm

I know over here and in england the standard is PEX (polyethelene) and has been for quite some time (for drinking water that is). Part of the whole reason I am getting into Aquaponics is to control what is put into my food, so personally I want to be as sure as I can I keep everything as "poison free" as possible.....
Just "food" for thought....

I am not sure there is a viable alternative to PVC for us. PEX seems to be in small sizes only (not that I have ever seen it sold locally). I also wonder what effect positive or negative that biofilm in our systems has.

PEX is great for install inside the house of use with drinking water, however, I have never seen 1 1/2" PEX and the PEX I have seen is not UV stable. My big system uses 1 1/2" pipe and I personally don't recommend using anything smaller than 1" unless it is a micro sized aquarium system.

As for using PVC plumbing with Aquaponics. My understanding is PVC with plasticizers to make it flexible are the less healthy materials for use, so using vinyl liners might be far more questionable than using the ridged PVC drinking water pipe.

I have to wonder afrokeys, if you think PVC is unacceptable for an Aquaponics system, what do you suggest using to build an aquaponics system instead?

Someone told me a while back that they felt PVC pipe was going to be the asbestos of 2020 when people finally found out how bad it was for you. I did a lot of research but couldn't find any information that was particularly alarming, in fact I couldn't really find anything worrying in the researching I'd done.

hm......tclynx.......I found pex in 1.5 and 2 inch sizes, but it isnt cheap.
This isnt too bad though:
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/Produc ... ?SKU=41757
polyethelene drinking water pipe....1.5 inch, 100 feet.....

But again, you would have to protect both from UV exposure.
I guess there is no alternative except for not using flex pvc for now.
I researched for about 4 hours today to try and find a viable alternative, but I cant find one.
I also find a lot of discrepencies between the safety of rigid PVC
I guess if you had to you could run HDPE inside of any kind of rigid enclosure, but thats alot more work than I had hoped for.

I'll keep searching....But if you would question using PVC for your home drinking water, wouldn't you question using it for aquaponics??

Afrokeys, I guess there are a few points that would need to be clarified about the use of PVC pipe first before you worry too much. Firstly getting some decent facts about whether it is harmful has got to be most important, I still haven't found any studies that show there's any harmful leasing from pvc water pipes harmful.

Secondly IF something does does leach from the PVC, would it get into the plants and fish, and then correspondingly into the humans consuming them. Remembering that you would not be drinking the water directly.

+1

I never realised it was even under question. Am I a victim of a system that puts products out there and hopes no one asks too many questions, or do I chose not to look too hard into every nook and cranny for evidence of something that might give me cancer in 80 years?

What about poly?

Just saw a system with a big tank and 4 growbeds, ALL piped in 40mm STAINLESS. Niiiice, but the piping cost over $1000 plus labour to weld it all up.