Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I remember your ute Steve, drool
We have a $$$ target and I don't think I have made it yet Grrr But keep looking, will probaly be looking for a walking frame by the time I make the target anyway!!! But, you know, a girl can still dream.

Sent an email off yestarday to a hydroponic shop in perth, I managed to get a price list then fired off the below e-mail.

"I was looking into the nft piping but can’t fathom why it costs so much? I can get a 6m length of 90mm stormwater pipe at $12.00 wholesale, drill holes in it and use them for nft.
Either way, thank-you for your follow up."

Response

" Hi gnash, ours is commercial and food grade and doesn’t use lead as a UV stabilizer (uses organic acid type stabilizer) as does the standard storm water type pipe. Plus freight is a huge part of the cost. It has removable lids for convenient cleaning and sits on a flat surface. Plus it performs better on young plants in preventing water logging as thin film of nutrient hence NFT nutrient film technique. Come inspect for yourself. Regards"

SO....I've never heard of using lead in pvc pipe as a UV stabilizer (doesn't mean it's not true) and has anyone else heard or know of this??????

Lead is utilised to stabilise PVC - but its use in PVC depends on its end user application.

Look here.

Pressure pipe or pipe designated for potable use would be fine, but best check your pipe manufacturers msds' - particularly for waste water pipe - ie. 90mm.

BTx

Thanks BT

Gnash, I must say the real tubes I have with the removable tops are nice to clean out root masses from, better than the rectangular downpipe I also use. Guess I was just lucky finding a few lengths on roadside chuckout

I know they are a good thing but $160 per length is just not in my budget considering I would like 6 them

As said elsewhere lead isnt used in PVC manufacture in Australia, certainly not for UV??
Was used for lubrication during manufacture, now they use a Calcium/Zinc product. They use TiO2 for UV protection. Some PVC pipes dont include this and must be painted or buried or they will become very brittle in time.

Thanks for that jet...where did you find the info?

Iplex website.
Also we handle large quanities of PVC in my work, so we are kept up to date with this sort of info.

Cool

Lead was used, until recently in electrical conduit and stormwater pipping... as above, most manufacturers have, or are phasing it out...

Some of the newer stormwater pipe has a foam sandwich construction that is a bit suspect...

Search the forum.... it's all been discussed before... and there's various links available...

Was discussed in this thread.
PVC is not safe

Thanks Priv......

it's not like I'm going to get all fussy over it, I'm still using pvc pipe for my system....It's more like I didn't believe the dude from the hydro shop and thought he was just angling for a big sale...lets face it, he's prolly only selling small hydro systems that fit in your cupboard for some reason

Gnash, you home tomoorow afternoon/evening around 6 ish? Will be driving past

Dude your timing sucks....will be in Katanning...when are you going back?

I will be home Sunday arvo and Monday