Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I think EB means no glue on the pipe connections that are actually in the grow beds. I believe the point is if they do come apart, there's no harm done. All other connections should be glued, yeah?

[/quote) No glue on the pipe connections that are actually in the grow beds. All other connections should be glued, yeah?[/quote]

Correct!

Damn I glued my pipes already

No matter have to redo when they block up.

Do folks glue the drain return back to the tank? My drain line is partially immersed all the time as it returns below the water line but virtually no pressure. I have glued them but doing a re-shake tomorow.

Do the roots aver enter the drain line on flood and drain systems? I have the standard BYAP GB setup.

Definately secure the drain line Frosty boy. You want to make sure that if something came loose you would not lose water out of the system.
Regular maintenance involves giving the stand pipe surround a twist to sever any roots. There are times when tomato roots have gotten in to the line and what gets pulled out is similar to an old mans beard, as much as a metre long lol. There are photos on the forum, somewhere.

AP dreads... I've had a few of those but mainly in the drain lines..



what is amazing is how a tiny root can expand into a huge root mass like that... We should have a 'most impressive AP dread thread'

Roots stuck in a pipe sound nice compared to what i pulled out of my pump Thurs evening. I found my pump had stopped, so upon investigating, what i thought to be roots in the pump turned out to be 25 cms of a 1 metre long red bellied black snake. I didn't realise that i could squeal like a girl, but.... :-/ Scary part is, only half an hour prior to this, my son and i were fishing out frogs from the sump tank. Guess the snake had a similar idea.

They can even clog 4' wide pipes

Holy crap Ryan!

viewtopic.php?p=311834#p311834

This is all I could muster

Now that is a serious dread Ryan!

I just got one last week as well. I was away for 2 nights and came back to 4in of water in the FT.
The blockage was in one of the GB standpipes. when I got home it had stopped overflowing but there was just enough water in the FT for the pump to keep circulating a little bit. Probably the only thing that kept the SP alive... Im glad the pump didnt throw the towel in pumping so much air.

So close... so close..

How did your fill line get roots in them? I don't get that. I see how the drains could, but not the line the water flows in.

Easily... The pipe sits on the surface of the media and the roots tend to go two ways, following the water flow (down the drain), and heading the the water/nutrient source (the irrigation pipe). They get in there with just a tiny root then that branches into many many roots once inside the dark pipe with great water/nutrient source.

Oh, my pipes are above the media.

Yep...

The invention of the PVC union is brilliant!


~Jtk07