Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

very nice! Can't wait to see how it progresses. What's your market?

What is your trick for putting the pipe thru the uniseal and liner?
I've been cutting slits in the end of the PVC, then shaving it down with a utility knife. The liner is backed by a piece of 1/4" plywood in which I drill the hole for the uniseal. I put supporting 2x4s as close to the hole as I can.

Yet even with soap to lubricate, I need mechanical help to get the pipe through. I've successfully done one of three. Of the other two, one had the plywood break, and with the other, I literally pulled the uniseal through the hole along with the pipe!

I'm about to give up and spring for bulkheads...

I haven't had too many problems putting uniseals and pipe through stock tank walls, it's just the fracking (duraskrim) liner that I mess up.

(ETA: I'm using 3" uniseals, and drilling 4" holes)

The bigger uniseals are harder to push thought.

I seem to do better with a plastic backing and the 1 1/2" uniseals with the liner. This time I used a couple of vinyl fence post covers (once used for some NFT experiment) that had the right size holes so I cut off and placed them under the liner. cut slits in the liner just smaller than the hole and put the uniseal in place. Then using a T as a handle on the end of the piece of pipe I was able to push it through. I've only once successfully managed a 3" uniseal through a liner with wood backing and I think I went through a couple pieces of wood. And I won't use wood under liner in the ground here anymore.

very nice

This is for Karen, sorry for the temporary hi-jack TCL.

1. Use dishwashing liquid
2. Bevel the end where it starts into the uniseal. Spliting the end as you have helps as well.
3. I've also had luck using my knee to push

Better still make a jig to pull the pipe in and force it through the hole. You would just need a threaded rod with a plywood disc and two nuts jammed together behind the disc on one end of the rod = this would push the pipe as you tightened a nut with a U shaped standoff that held the uniseal in place on the other end of the threaded rod and braced against the side of whatever your putting the uniseal through (I'm assuming you have plywood or something backing up the durascrim). Make certain the threaded rod is centered in the pipe. Hope this makes sense.

No worries about a hi-jack.

However, I discourage use of any "soaps/detergents" for this purpose since they are generally bad things for fish and can be really difficult to ensure you completely rinse away in a trough type situation.
Aquatic Eco Systems recommended instead of windex or soap, to use rubbing alcohol since it will evaporate away and not be dangerous to fish.

I generally use a plumbing T of the appropriate size as a handle when pushing uniseals through but this does get harder with the larger sizes.

For a very stubborn situation putting a 3" pipe through a uniseal in a difficult spot... Now I have done something where I cut a bunch of small slits (like 1/2") around the end of a 3" pipe and then I put a pipe clamp around it and heated it with a heat gun as I tightened the pipe clamp to get the end of the pipe a bit smaller to make it easy to get started into the uniseal without pushing the uniseal through the backing.
Once the pipe cools you can take the clamp off and it gives a pretty good end to get started with. Just gotta make sure you will still be able to seal that back end of the pipe well enough into the fitting below the trough.

I think getting a sturdy but thinner than plywood plastic backing will help alot too.

Hi Scotty435;

Yup, I've done all that. I've been using a wood clamp to force the pipe through, but I've been breaking the plywood, or pulling the uniseal through the hole along with the pipe (this pic is the one I've done successfully):


(here's a link to the image if you want to zoom in to see the bevels, etc: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/s ... directlink)

Regarding dish soap, I've been using Dawn (that's the blue residue you can see in the pipe teeth), but I'm going to switch to KY instead (non-toxic, edible...). Do you suppose I can get the 5 gal buckets they talk about in that wikipedia article?

I do need to make something to put against the back of the pipe to make sure I'm exerting the pressure equally. I think unequal pressure may be the reason I pulled the seal through the hole on my last attempt.


Bwahahahahaaaa! Sorry. I'm waaaaay past any amount of pressure a normal human can exert.

TCLynx:
Oh, I'll try the pipe clamp/heat gun trick next. Thanks!
Also, I wonder if pieces of the tops of the IBCs that I cut off would be a good plastic backing? I wonder if it would be strong enough? I'll look for plastic cutting boards, too.

1/8" HDPE works well as a backing but you may have issues with it giving quite a bit as you push. I'm not sure if the IBC plastic is really sturdy enough.

Perhaps cut open a PVC fence post cover, the 6" rectangular kind and that should give you several pieces of sturdy plastic backing.

Or you do the plywood but with a bigger hole and the thinner plastic cut to the right size hole for the uniseal. The plastic makes the seal with the liner and uniseal while the plywood backing gives you something sturdy to push against (could even be thicker plywood so you won't break it and then you might be able to move the plywood from push to push even since it will be big enough that the you can slide it away from the uniseal and use it for the next one.)

Just went back to read the Uniseal problem thread, Scotty, and it looks like I got the idea for using woodworking clamps from you! Thanks (and sorry for my exhaustion-induced snark)!

Mods, I wonder if this hi-jack should be appended to that thread?

Looks like the threaded rod bit is already in there. The important part is centering the clamping force so the pipe stays put goes in the right way. You should be able to work something out for your pipe clamp similar to what I described fro the threaded rod. How many of these do you have to do? How many inches do you want the pipe to push through (I have an idea I'm considering which if I made a prototype I might as well set the depth if I can)?

I've successfully installed two 3" (75mm) uniseals in the last few days. So I think I have a fairly reliable method, which is basically: slit the end, bevel the end, the method that Scotty435 suggested, and the addition of KY. I've taken pictures, and hopefully later this week I'll have a video. I'll put all of this over in the Uniseal problem thread when I get a few minutes to download pics etc.

Yay collaboration!

Ok this is a repeat post but I felt I should make the post in each of my primary system threads.

Well my systems got a lot of attention this past weekend when the Farm Tours for the Aquaponics Association Conference happened. Lots of people came to see.

I must admit having a group of over 250 people gathered together that were all excited about aquaponics was a really energizing experience. Even if the association isn't able to do much more than organize a conference every year or so, that is enough for me for now for the dues. Picking a different city/location that has some places to tour and setting up speakers to give presentations to provide education and a chance to see some new things is worth it even if they don't manage much more than that.

However, I expect that more will be done and educational materials will be made available online and as chapters and branches manage to fill out more local gatherings and training will become available.

Anyway, many people came and saw and it was fun.

The expansion is well underway. The towers arrived today.

Looks like the shipping company bashed up the shippment and their re-packing of the pallet wasn't very impressive. But no Zipgrow towers were harmed so it will be ok.

The vines have been pulled off the tunnel and there are now 30 towers hanging and filtering for the tower system. Not all of them planted yet, Still trying to get enough seedlings going to put in them. I stuck cuttings of basil and mint in some of the new towers. Will see how they do.

I've been having some issues with germination on some things and last night the squirrels were into the peat pellets again!!!!! Argh.

Can we get some pics?

Yea, it was too dark last night by the time I stopped so they have to wait for this morning.