Meatsmoker
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Can anyone post pics of using 5 gal buckets hooked to 1/2” pvc? Every sealant I try has leaked so far, not sure what fittings are best to use....
Help needed with automatic watering system w/ 5 gal bucket and 1/2” pvc
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Meatsmoker
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What fittings are best to use to hook to 5 gal pail.....
The best thing to do get a bulkhead fitting.
The next best thing to do is simply tap threads in the bucket. You would use a 1/2" NPT tap. Drill a 7/16 or 13/32 hole in the bucket, then run the tap. Use a little PTFE tape on the threads of a male adaptor and go to town with the rest of your PVC pipe.
If you can't get a tap, then you can make one using a 1/2" pipe nipple. Use a hack saw or a dremel disc to cut through the threads along the long axis of the nipple. Make at least 5 cuts spaced fairly evenly. That will tap threads in plastic and wood.
The next best thing to do is simply tap threads in the bucket. You would use a 1/2" NPT tap. Drill a 7/16 or 13/32 hole in the bucket, then run the tap. Use a little PTFE tape on the threads of a male adaptor and go to town with the rest of your PVC pipe.
If you can't get a tap, then you can make one using a 1/2" pipe nipple. Use a hack saw or a dremel disc to cut through the threads along the long axis of the nipple. Make at least 5 cuts spaced fairly evenly. That will tap threads in plastic and wood.
What kind of winter temps do you expect your system to be exposed to? I am intrigued by your premise, but I have to deal with freezing. Currently I use 1 qt heated bottles. I am loathe to spend the money on pipe cable so I can plumb the hutches from the house.
Some Google-Fu later....
So the inexpensive answer seems to be a continuous flow system. It seems moving water will not freeze until the entire volume gets to well below 32 F . Rather than heat the pipe simply run a return line and have a circulating pump. Pump and pex for 100 ft would be about $75. Pump runs on 12V so very little power consumption.
Some Google-Fu later....
So the inexpensive answer seems to be a continuous flow system. It seems moving water will not freeze until the entire volume gets to well below 32 F . Rather than heat the pipe simply run a return line and have a circulating pump. Pump and pex for 100 ft would be about $75. Pump runs on 12V so very little power consumption.
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Here are pics of my system internal and external I used O rings on my system, I have two different systems this one is ten gallons and used Electrical fitting Myers hub, Other system I used plastic 1/2 inch electrical nut on a male to female adapter with o ring on outside. You can get bulkhead fittings on Amazon or most hardware storesMeatsmoker
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Thank you both! Bulk heads ordered!!!
Bass Equipment have some nice brass water nipples for rabbits. WATER VALVE We use those valves which thread into a standard 1/2" PVC fitting. It's 1/2" PVC with a 1/8" tee off the side. For the first system, I had an old bulkhead fitting from my boat, for the second water system, we used a half inch threaded PVC fitting set through a hole in the side of a square plastic bucket and sealed with an O-ring. The flat sided bucket made it easy to construct, although the bottom of a five gallon bucket is flat, so it could easily be installed there, too.
To fill the bucket, there's a stock tank float valve which has a standard garden hose attached to it. We don't worry about freeze here, though, you may have to do something different if it's cold in your area.
To fill the bucket, there's a stock tank float valve which has a standard garden hose attached to it. We don't worry about freeze here, though, you may have to do something different if it's cold in your area.
Meatsmoker
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Thank you everyone, I’ll be installing bulk heads this weekend and that should fix my problems!!!
Thanks for that link, the system I am envisioning will likely be low pressure. All the nipples I find on amazon require pressure to keep from leaking. Do you know what the max pressure is for the DD valve? I saw on the Bass website at least one valve that was listed for on 1-5 PSI. I don't want to add expense by putting a regulator in the system.
Voltage has little to do with power consumption, actually, the ac-dc converter eats up quite some energy if it's an old style transformer.
EDIT:Ah, never mind, just bothered to read the description, it is brushless and 30000h should last a few years,
[Also, this is a DC motor - I don't think a fancy electronic one but a cheap, simple brushed motor. Brushes last quite some time, but they wear out eventually. I need a new cordless drill every other year because of that issue. I would look for aquarium or indoor fountain pumps that run on 110 or 220V AC too if this would be a an option.]
Yep, 30,000 hours is 3.4 years, if I ran it non stop. At $0.13/KwH I'm looking at $2 or so. But, It will only be the 60 to 70 days of freeze that I will run it. I plan to do a bypass, and let the system be pressurized the rest of the time.
Hence the pressure rating for the valves is a question will 70psi be too much or 5 psi too low? I'll write Bass an find out.
Hence the pressure rating for the valves is a question will 70psi be too much or 5 psi too low? I'll write Bass an find out.
70 psi is higher than most houses use! I think most houses run at about half that psi. The Bass water valves are for really low pressure or no pressure systems. The one we have here is gravity fed and the bucket feeding the system is maybe two feet above the water nipples that the rabbits drink from. Isn't it one psi per foot of elevation? That would make this a one psi or less system and it works a treat.
Instead of a regulator, we just used a bucket to hold water at zero pressure and that feeds the water nipple valves. A stock tank filler fills the bucket with pressurized water, although you could probably rig up a toilet tank filler valve to possibly work. That's also good for pressurized water.
Instead of a regulator, we just used a bucket to hold water at zero pressure and that feeds the water nipple valves. A stock tank filler fills the bucket with pressurized water, although you could probably rig up a toilet tank filler valve to possibly work. That's also good for pressurized water.
70 PSI is pretty high, but google results report a low of 30 and a high of 80 with 50 being considered normal.
