Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Ecoplus 7???

What is the maximum distance this can be placed from diffuser?

Distance wise you be ok for several hundred yards , my pump struggles alil when my depths hit 12 ft plus.

Not really sure on Max distance Jokar? I have one and it's about 80 feet from mine, but as Cody says you can go quite a ways with them. Remember running air through a line really doesn't take much toll on a pump. It's pushing the air upwards from at a certain depth in the water is where your pump comes into play.

These Eco 7 pumps are good for about 10 foot like Cody says above around that 12 foot mark it will start to struggle some.

RC

Ok how about this. My house to the pond is about 400 ft. But the elevation from house to pond is about 50 ft( pond sits lower). Will this have an effect on the push of the ecoplus 7? The depth at which the diffuser will sit is at 10 foot. Just trying to figure out a aeration solution. Thanks everyone.

I recently learned something about the Eco7 pumps. An air flow guage was hooked up to an Eco 7. At open air flow, no back pressure resistance, the pump did great, even excellent producing 5-6cfm which is a very good impressive amount of air flow. Then the air flow was restricted to simulate water depth, as the resistance approached 2psi (4ft depth)the air flow volume dropped way down to 1-2 cfm. As more restriction toward 4 to 5psi was applied and the air flow dropped noticably below 1cfm. A call to the manufacturer and they said they do not have a flow rate chart for the various depths because they make this pump only for aquarium - aquaponics applications where depths are usually 12" to 16" and rarely exceed 2 ft. Greater depths put excessive resistance to the pump's mechanics/hardware. If one would see the size of the boil from an Eco7 and a pump with adequate pressure at 8 to 16 ft deep there is a dramatic difference in the size of the boil and amount of water moved resulting from the upwelling water and surface boil.

Thanks for posting this Bill.

That is exactly what I figured. To make something that cheap it can't be that effective. Personally, I don't see the value in those pumps for aerating anything except maybe a very small ornamental pond. Even the manufacturer says it is for aquarium and aquaponics use not pond aeration.

So then why does it work like a champ on my 1 acre pond??? 8 to 9 foot deep? I got 3 / 9 inch fine bubble fusers pushing bubbles like crazy! Heck it even pushes my 14 foot flat bottom boat away I can't even stay next to it while oaring??

Here is a pic you cant tell me this isn't working? Not trying to start anyting here but this picture don't lie.

I with RC you can try to hate the pump all ya want, at the end of the day it's still a great pump. My pump runs 24/7 all year long got flooded twice and still runs like a champ.

I stated only what I witnessed. I have no vested interest in this contoversy. There may be more than one model of the Eco7 compressor available on the internet and possibly cheap knock offs could be available. Several possibilities. The Eco7 that I saw tested looked like the "standard" pictures of the Eco7 pump. For the one I saw tested, there is no way it could produce the type of bubbles in your picture at 8ft deep. Buyer beware. Another possiblity is the Eco7 that I saw tested was brand new and new models may be different than models 1-2-3 years old. It always depends. They are made in China so as I know it, manufacturing standards or specs in China can change without official notice to consumers.

I don't know if this would be a helpful approach, but if water depth is going to reduce pump performance by too much then you might think about an "air lift" pump rather than just a diffuser alone. Injecting air at reasonable depth into a vertical pipe would allow you to place an "intake" deeper in the pond and only have to pump air down a few feet. I haven't seen a discussion of that method on PB and I've only seen it in a tanks system, so I'd be curious if anybody has any experience/opinions around as it applies to a pond setting.

Here are two diagrams. One is open ended and the other draws water through a gravel-filter intake.
http://www.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/AirliftPumps.pdf
http://toddecological.com/PDFs/100623.casestudy.fourseasons.pdf

Hey Bill like you I too have no vested interest here with this pump. It just was one I picked out and ran the numbers best I could and it seems to work well for me and others as well. Maybe the next one I buy won't be worth a thing?? You never know. And of course with anything your buying being aware of what your getting is just good practice.

RC

Phytomike -thanks for that airlift information. It will be helpful to others. The basic concept was used back in the 1970's for hypolimnetic aeration where only the deep stratified colder water was moved and aerated. Big difference was addition of a vent pipe to the surface to discharge the air from the bubbles.

I just recently bought an Eco 7 and after a couple of days I must say I am with Bill on this one. It certainly is pumping nothing like RC51's video.
I have it attached to two 9" diffusers which at first were placed so that one was at about 4 feet and the other at 6. I would estimate that 90% of the bubbles were coming from the shallower one. I'm going to do a little more experimenting but at this point kind of disappointed in the Eco7.

Bullhead just FYI I only have 1 main line running to my 2 fusers in that video. Not sure if your branching off with a valve or something to run both of yours but that could be your problem? All / most of your air is going to first fuser maybe?

RC

There are a lot of variables.
I have 25' of 5/8" plastic tubing that goes from the pump to about 30' of 5/8" weight hose. The weight hose meets a 3/4" PVC "T". The 90% part of that diffuser goes to one diffuser. The straight through end of the T connects to about 4' of PVC pipe then hits an elbow on which the other diffuser is connected. To make things even more interesting, one diffuser has been used a year while the other is new.
We're getting some much needed rain today, but as soon as conditions allow I'm going to go do some more experimenting to see what's going on.

If the tubing going to the diffusers is a different length, different diameter, or if the diffusers are placed at different depths in the pond, each diffuser has to have an air regulating device attached to it's line (like a ball valve). That's the only way to ensure the air is distributed evenly between them.

There is a permanent gremlin called a pressure drop, then temp, density of the air, atmospheric pressure, elevation...

Well all this talk about the ecoplus 7 make me nervous but I just can't afford the other options. I can't locate a dealer that will ship to Canada so I'm ordering one next week and having it shipped to UPS in new York state then I will drive over and pick it up.

Hooking it up to 2 nine inch diffusers. Power right near the water so the air line will only be 30 feet out. Small 1/3 acre pond and it will only be 5 feet deep.

Fingers crossed!

EcoPlus7 Commercial should work okay in a 5 ft deep pond. Those pumps can be rebuilt with a new homemade diaphragm (Youtube). There are other similar priced options but you do not have a lot invested in this one so give it a try and keep up informed as to how it is performing over the next 3-5yrs. Thanks.

The electromagnetic principle they use in these, like many other types of devices of this nature should last quite a few years. Someone on here had one that died. He ripped it apart and found a lead wire that had come loose. He soldered it back on, and it's making bubbles. I would think it was a vibration issue. I've used a lot of these types on bowl feeders and such.

Over time, the motor materials for these will degrade and get weaker, but that's a long, long time!

You'll run into more physical and mechanical issues as Bill has stated, but that would be about the same for any of these types of devices.

RC51 has had two. One lasted for 4 years, the 2nd, not so long. Don't know what caused them to croak tho.

Jay you will be very suprised at how well that pump will work in 5 feet of water! I had my first pump in 8 feet of water with 3 nine inch fusers for 4 years. That pump just got tired and it would not produce very good air anymore at 8 feet. At 6 feet it was fine. My second pump I got was a test subject from Ted Lea (God Rest His Soul) he gave it to me and wanted me to test it with my fusers. It ran fine also about the 7 foot mark but did not push as hard as my first pump did. Course I was not using Vertex fusers either and that's what Ted was testing with. I was using 9 inch fine bubble fusers from diffuser express.

Keep in mind Vertex fusers are great, but there one downfall in combination with a Eco 7 pump is they have a LOT more slits in them versus the diffuser express fusers so in turn it's harder for the Eco 7 pump to push enough air through all those extra slits at a certain depth. I still keep my Eco 7 I got from Ted as a backup, but I have sence moved on to a GAST 1/3 hp 0523 that Mr. Cody helped me get setup. I have to admit the GAST is a awesome pump! But what you can afford is what your can afford.

I get it that you can't afford it. That's why I got the Eco 7 myself at first. I now have tooooo many fish and tooo much invested in my pond so I wanted to make sure I was pushing enough water in my pond for my fish. On your 1/3 acre pond it's a great starter pump though and in 5 feet of water I would say it will run like a champ! I ran my one for 10 hours a day for 4 years ( except in winter here November through Feb.) and at the price of those pumps you can afford to have an extra one on the shelf if need be. Hey good luck and let us know how it works once you have it setup I am sure you will be happy.

RC

Thanks everyone I will get some pictures once I get set up.

J

Hey Jay,

If you're on a tight budget, I could send you two Vertex diffusers I bought from esshup. Sue shipped them to me. I have 4, but will keep two.

I kinda jumped the gun for my application without solidifying the egg head stuff with the appropriate engineers. My bad!

Anyway, the diffusers are way to large, and the bubbles are way to fine to make it work properly. Yeah, we don't need to go into that tho.

PM me your specifics, and I should be able to get them shipped out next week some time.

Free!

Pm'd you! Man this place rocks!

Well the pump came today! No thanks to UPS!!!!
Purchase price 120
Shipping 40
Converted to Canadian dollars 180
UPS blood sucker idiots 62.67 brokerage?!?!? What the heck is that about???

So a 120 pump costs me 260?

Anyway, can't wait to get this system hooked up water is getting pretty warm in the pond.

Ouch! That pump is ok but not sure if its worth all that. I hope it works well for you Jay! It should at the depth you want to put it. I would sure figure out how to repair them though at those prices!!

RC

Yeah, USPS is almost 60 bucks to shoot the fusers across the bridge. No need to worry tho, I have piles of spare change laying around for such purposes.

They will be heading out this Wednesday, and I tossed in a few packs of Stubby Steve's to fill the voids in the box.

I've always been screwed getting stuff out of Canada, never getting it in.

PM me your email so I can shoot you a bank deposit! I am pumped to get thisall set up. I was out in the pond today and noticed my new sunfish have been preparing beds! Never heard of stubby Steve's but I just checked there website, fishing bait! Haha awesome.

I thought all Canadians kept a mailbox across the border for just this purpose. Then take a Sunday afternoon drive to fetch it, but only after stopping in Niagara Falls to win gas money on the slots. Gotta get with the program!

PS: If there's any border patrol/customs folks lurking here, I'm just joshing...sorta.

Haha so an update on that, since I missed the UPS guy and just got the notice and bill on my door I was required to attend the local UPS store and pay them. I did a little research because I was frustrated, found out that I could tell UPS to shove it.

I called them and told them I didn't give my consent for them to act as a broker for me. They had to reverse the 65.00 fee. I attended the customs office today (since I'm off with ankle surgery I have some free time) and filled out a B15 self declaration form. I then paid the tax (18.00) and faxed the form back to UPS.

Now UPS has to re deliver the pump within 48 hours with no additional fees. All in all it only saved me 45 bucks (minus the gas to drive 20 minutes), but its nice to know there's a way around UPS crazy fees. If you don't mind wasting an hour of your time. Also might add that the customs officer wasn't thrilled I was exercising this option. He was very ignorant, and told me if I want to get around the fees I should just buy everything in Canada. Guess he hasn't realized Canada doesn't offer the same products that USA does... but maybe he was having a bad day.

As for the mail box in the states, my friends brother lives just across in Watertown NY, I just hate to bother him often, and I just had a tractor part sent there last month so I didn't want to push my favors.

On another note, I see sunfish making nests all over already and I only put them in a week or so ago!!! Excited!!

Hey Jason,

Fusers are probably at the border by now. Went USPS Priority International and I filled out the customs stuff as a gift.

Man, you guy's are getting as bad as sending something to England. Let me know when it shows up!

There is no tracking once a package crosses the border and I have it return to sender if something goes wrong.

Hopefully you will see it soon and hope you don't have to pay anything extra on your end. It sounded like USPS covered those fees in the price when I sent it out.

The diffusers must have got stopped by some pesky border guys! Waiting for the day I come home and the USPS note is on my door lol box is all built for the ecoplus motor and everything is set up. Heavy rains here so I think there should be lots of DO. Water is crawling with minnows!

They said 6-10 days when I sent them out from the USPS in Spring Lake, MI. One day to get to the border from here, then it's all handled by your people on that end, so don't ship live fish

I actually sent an item out once to someone that's only about 50 or so miles from me on FedEx and they needed it the next day. Well, this had to go on a Jet and routed thru a terminal/processing center that was quite a bit away. Then shoved on another Jet to another center in GR, then tossed on a truck to it's destination and they had it on schedule.

I asked the gal when I dropped the package off if they just couldn't put it on one of the many trucks about for local delivery. She kinda said that we need to burn Jet Fuel

Bahaha that's to funny. Well no rush here just keeping you updated I'll write when its here!

Well look what came today!!!! Can't wait to get the air line and hook this baby up! I finished the box to house the motor today.

Question, Is it really worth getting the weighted line? I only need 50 feet and the price difference is 10$ vs 120$

I was thinking I would bury it the 10 feet on land and then weight it down in the water with some scrap Steel.


J

I thought the same as you. After 2 years I bought the weighted line for in the pond and wondered why I was so stupid in the beginning........

Hrmmm... With testimony like that I guess I'd be stupid not to go for it. Are the pretty much all the same? I'm just trying to find a place in Canada to avoid all the extra fees.

Glad you got them!

Sure I can't send u something in return???

PS thanks for the bait, never seen them before. Going to take the kayak out tomorrow and try it out!

Sorry to spam this post but with these diffusers should I use 1\2 inch or 3\8 line?

Don't worry about it. It's a gift.

Thanks again JKB. Next time I'm in Michigan I'll bring you some beer haha. Its only about 7 hours to the border from here lol.

I'd go with schedule 80 for your manifold there at your diffuser that irrigation line will bow and make problems

Unless your planning on putting them in a poured concrete base for weight and stability

I was going to use 2 inch angle iron to make a cradle box then zip tie it to it. Then add some flat bar underneath for more weight. It will be all welded up. You think that will work OK? Or should I pour concrete. Just have some scrap steel laying around so thought it would work.

I agree! You only buy it once, get the weighted line. It's easier to pull up when you need to and less to get snagged on.

Done. Just ordered 50 feet from home depot of all places. Free shipping. Total cost 107$

If its not what I wanted I can get full return.

I went with the half inch. It said there was less psi loss due to friction. Wasn't much more compared to 3/8.

Home Depot carries floats for docks and dock hardware too, I bought both from them. You can't beat the free shipping especially on those heavy or bulky items!

I wish I posted this sooner, you can get almost 100' here for what you paid for 50. I bought my tubing here.

http://www.cleanponds.com/product_info.php?products_id=144

You may be able to cancel your order if you act quickly (and want to).

The "over the border" shipping might bring the price up over what he can get it for up there.....

I'd make little risers to get the diffusers about 10"-12" up and off the pond bottom. Also, do a test with them in shallow enough water so you can see the diffusers. Just to check to see if you have enough weight to hold them down once they are full of air..... The Vertex diffuser box holds close to 50# of pea gravel.......

That could be a chunk for anything with weight and bulk. I checked out shipping options for the fusers...

Ahhh....I didn't notice he was from Canada.

I guess you need to pay attention to whats up!

You're right, but I'm sick (ill ) at the moment and not on my game. Did you not pay attention to my 'mood' to the right of my name?

Haha you guys are all great, thanks for looking out for me. I'll make sure there is 50 pounds of weight on it.

Steel will rust and I would think the air from the diffusers will just quicken that process.. should last for years though..

Yes your right the steel will rust. But I just figured I'd use what I had around. Its about 50 pounds of steel welded up and painted. The plate on the bottom is 1/4 inch and the rest is solid steel. I think it will be a few years before it rusts out.... Hopefully

As for the little housing for my pump, do u think I need a small fan in the box? Maybe a CPU fan? It is open on both ends, 16 inches by 3 inches under the roof hang over.

Jay. I used some old 1" galvanized water pipe as weight on my cheap plastic tubing. I did so because I THOUGHT that I would never pull the tubing out again, but that if I did, the tubing run through the pipe would not snag, so it would be easy to pull out...WRONG! It didn't snag, but every section of plastic tubing kinked between the pipes and I found out that my savings on cheap, versus weighted tubing was disappearing fast because I either had to repair or replace every time I moved it.

My fault. That was actually a mood? Boy do I have a lot to learn!

Hope you get well soon!

Thanks for the advice rainman, I ordered the weighted tubing last week. For now I hooked it up to a garden hose to test it out and I have a great boil going. Although it is only in two feet of water right now.

Once I get the weighted tubing I'll put it in a deeper part. And yes I am only running aeration according of the settling in period I read on here haha.

Those look like disc spools.

Looks like something I would do.

Pretty pond. My wife would like the rock to sit on.

I would put some screen material in the open part you left for ventilation. Mice or other critters might decide to make your pump housing their home otherwise.

Bag of concrete is 4 bucks.. get a pan larger than your manifold pour 3 inches of soupy concrete in it push your manifold down in it to the screw in nipples of the diffusers vibrate or shake to settle it in.. wait 24 hrs pop out of pan.. done for good..

PS I love the housing unit looks good.. If you do use fans get thr small ones with Hugh com can't think of the name or examples but they do use them in cc machines.. anyways mount them in the bottom sucking air in and out the overhangs..

Shrub, thats a good eye!!! I had an old farm disk I got for parts to fix my other one. Had lots of extras so I through them in. Worked perfect to get the diffusers about 10 inches off the ground.

Also, I thought about the screen but I left it open because I wired two outlets and in the winter I plan to plug in my hockey lights and a pump to flood the rink. I'll keep a close eye on varmints haha

Blue gill killer, the concrete sounds good and simple. If and when this needs replacing I'll probably do that.

Shoot some decent epoxy on the steel and let it cure properly, then toss it into the drink. 20 years later it will still look new. With plastic NPT (National Pipe Taper) threads you will not want to use any sealants or Teflon tape. It changes the coefficient of friction that locks this type of thread up and could come loose over time. Just crank it down raw. Some of this stuff will eat plastic so it's best to do it dry.

Can't say that I've ever heard that about plastic NPT ( National Pipe Thread).. I've heard don't use tape and don't over crank because of warpage.. Learn something new everyday

Same thing (torque) with lb/ft settings for tightening up nuts/bolts. Verify the specs - most are spec'd. dry and putting any type of oil or anti-sieze on the threads can cause the torque to be too great and the fastner will fail. Even a spec that is for steel to steel interface will change if the bolt is galvanized (either hot dip or electro galv.)

What you are measuring with the torque wrench is resistance to turning when what you really should be measuring is how much the fastner stretched. But, in most instances that is impossible to do, so that's why you have the lb/ft spec.

The "T" actually stands for taper and not thread.

Learn something new every day

I scratched my head when JKB said the "T" is for Taper and not to use sealants on PVC pipe...it ran counter to all I ever remembered, but the reason given sounded good (But LASCO Fittings Inc says otherwise). I did know to make sure any liquid sealant is PVC or ABS safe...So I'm bored and like to educate myself and satisfy my personal curiosity. Plus, I'd hate to get a really weird look asking someone at a Menards where they stock the National Pipe Taper at. I did find one engineering blog post using taper for the T, I also found a few places saying National Pipe Taper Thread Here are the best two I found...



From the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Definition of Pipe Thread Acronyms...



Definition of pipe thread acronyms
NPT National Pipe Thread (tapered)
FPT Female Pipe Thread (interchangeable with NPT)
FIP Female Iron Pipe (interchangeable with NPT)
MPT Male Pipe Thread (interchangeable with NPT)
MIP Male Iron Pipe (interchangeable with NPT)
IPS Iron pipe size (interchangeable with NPT)
PTF SAE short taper pipe thread
NPTF National Pipe Thread Fine (American National taper pipe thread for dryseal pressure-tight joints)
NPSM National Pipe Straight Mechanical (American National straight pipe thread for mechanical joints)
NPSI American National straight intermediate pipe thread
GHT Garden Hose thread
NST National Standard Thread (Fire Hose thread)
BSPT British Standard taper pipe thread (metric dimensions)



All pipe thread types used in plumbing are specified by the American National Standard for pipe as accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
NPT tapered pipe thread

National Pipe Threads (NPT) have tapered threads. These are the most common threads used for general purposes. NPT threads are designed with a 60 degree thread angle, and are used for joining and sealing pipe to fittings in low pressure air or liquids and also mechanical applications. The tapered thread is 3/4" over one foot of length. Tapered threads are deeper at the end of the pipe and are increasingly shallower the further they are from the end of the pipe. The taper on the pipe only allows the pipe to screw inside the fitting until it is forced to stop because of the taper. The distance the pipe can be screwed into the fitting is specified by the ANSI standard. After tightening with a wrench the threads may have slight spaces between the pipe and fitting which could cause a leak so a pipe sealant must be used to ensure any gaps are filled.

The Dry-seal thread (NPTF) also have tapered threads. NPTF threads are used when the application is such that pipe sealing compounds may fail due to higher heat or pressure than normal NPT threads can withstand. The threads are designed to seal mechanically by slightly, but sufficiently, crushing the threads when tightened with a wrench. This allows for joining the pipe and fitting without sealants.

The NPT and NPTF threads can be interchanged if sealants such as PTFE tape or suitable pipe joint compounds are used. None of the other thread standards are fully interchangeable. Female NPT threads can be designated as "FPT" or "FIP" and male NPT threads can be designated as "MPT" or "MIP".

National Standard Free-Fitting Straight Mechanical Pipe Threads (NPSM) have straight threads which are only used for joining. A washer or gasket is needed to seal this type of threaded connection.

There are also three less common thread types used in the plumbing industry. The Garden Hose Thread (GHT) and the Fire Hose Thread (NST) have coarse threads. The seal is made with a gasket or washer and are used mainly for attaching (joining) hoses to valves quickly, without the use of a wrench. The British Standard Taper Pipe Thread (BSPT) has a 55 degree thread angle (NPT are 60 degree) and is used internationally as a standard thread for joining steel pipes.


Also from LASCO Fittings Inc (PVC Pipe manufacturer's Fitting DO's and Dont's page...note the manufactures says DO use a sealant, but not to use it just take up gaps or as a lubricant [on bad threads}......

The "Do's and Don'ts" of Assembling Threaded Plastic Fittings

Today, there are millions of miles of plastic piping with threaded fittings, providing reliable, leak-free service. However, a tiny percentage of those threaded plastic fittings may leak or break. The reason for this is improper assembly of threaded joints.

Here are some of the Do's and Don'ts of PVC joint assembly:
•Don't over-tighten joints by giving them "one more turn to be sure. "Do finger tighten plus one or two turns - No More.
•Don't wrap Teflon tape or Teflon paste or pipe dope to add bulk to or to lubricate the joint. Do use a sealant for threaded joints.
•Don't use "stronger" Schedule 80 threaded fittings on the assumption that they may solve the problem of splitting through over-tightening.
•Do use only Schedule 40 threaded fittings with Schedule 40 pipe and fittings.
•Don't over-tighten.
•Do finger tighten plus one or two turns.

On threaded male PVC fittings each successive thread is slightly larger in diameter than the one before it. Female threads get successively smaller. This is called taper and the amount of taper is specified (1¾ degrees) in the American National Standard B2.1. All pipe manufacturers voluntarily follow these standards to assure their customers they are receiving quality materials.

Because the threads are tapered, additional turns cause the female part to stretch or undergo "strain." This will split the female fitting just as a wedge, driven by a sledgehammer, will split a tree stump.

The amount of strain increases as the size of the pipe decreases. Therefore it is easier to split smaller diameter threaded joints than larger ones. It is also easier to over-torque smaller diameter fittings because their resistance to torque is less. Table 1 gives Strain and Tensile Stress levels according to pipe diameter.

"Stress" (tensile stress) is the force exerted by the strain of the male thread multiplied by the resistance of the PVC. The resistance of PVC is 400,000 pounds per square inch (psi). The strain per turn past finger tight for one-inch PVC pipe is .00447, so the stress per turn is 1,788 psi. Thus, a one-inch threaded PVC joint that is tightened four turns past finger tight will develop a tensile stress of 7,152 psi. The joint is bound to fail since the stress exceeds the 7,000 psi tensile strength of PVC, without even adding the tensile stress caused by the pressure inside the irrigation system (up to a maximum of 2,000 psi).

Sorry for hijacking the thread on that last post. It does kind of relate though to overall pond management in that the little things really matter and one forgotten, seemingly insignificant mistake could ruin a lot of work in pond management...

A common heard (not commonly happening) and perfect example is a new pond stocking of fatheads with a goal of having a trophy pond and only specific species. If we don't check a load of Minnows to see if it's contaminated with bullhead catfish, it could ruin the entire plan. No reputable fish farm would intentionally sell contaminated fish...not only would it ruin a reputation, it also violates the Lacey act on False Labeling (intentionally or unintentionally). Still, it does happen and being complacent can hurt.

Same way using advice on a plastic water pipe fitting that is unintentionally wrong could bust and do $1000's in property damage

Gotta' love PondBoss. Where even the simple act of screwing two threaded pieces together can be overthought and overcomplicated!

If we're designing something that needs to function on a lunar mission, or inside a nuclear reactor, then okay. Otherwise, I tend to remember the old adage that Dennis taught me:

"Son, every job you take on requires you to do your best, but not every job requires your best work....there's a difference there, and you need to learn how to tell em' apart"

Your wrong.. this is what I do

OK. This is fairly accurate information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_pipe_thread

The machinery's handbook would be a good investment. The older ones are much better tho.

Well it had a sticker on the diffusers that said hand tighten only and do not use thread sealer....so that's what I did lol.

You did it correctly.

Lol. The plastic pipe I put together with some PVC cement only because there are no threads. I just pushed them together. Its a couple bucks worth of 90's and 3/4 pipe so if it doesn't hold its and easy repair. Works great so far can't wait for the weighted line so I can try it in deeper water.

JKB and BGK, you're picking nits. Actually according to ANSI/ASME you are both wrong. NPT stands for "American National Standard Taper Threads"

Look up ANSI/ASME B1.20.1 specification and tell me what it says after "Basic Dimensions Of".

Enough of the nit picking. Will it matter in the grand scheme of things if someone calls NPT National Pipe Thread or National Pipe Taper? No. Both terms are understood to mean the same thing, although they are both not technically 100% correct.

You hit the correct mark with TAPER

edit: Not according to ANSI/ASME. It's Taper Threads Both words are used in the title of the link that I provided above.

Don't really matter tho.

edit: You are correct. It doesn't matter if someone says National Pipe Taper or National Pipe Thread. Both terms are clear enough to know that the person is talking about the end of a pipe that is processed.

You are 100% correct. Just 10 yrs in machine work in a natural gas/ propane storage field that uses almost all NPT fittings I've never heard it called a taper. Thanks for straightening that out..

Don't forget fire hose thread NPSH or NST ...... can actually vary by municipality! Great.

Just an update.... Pump and diffusers working amazing. I have the timer set from 8pm to 1am for now. Not sure if that's to long or to short but I lost about 18 inches so far from evaporation and the water gets pretty warm and still.

I'll have to run it 24/7 in the winter to avoid freezing.

Special thanks to JKB and all others for the advice.

Loving my new pond! Just wish I had a 4 season stream to feed it!

Glad things are cool!

Just another big shout out to JKB and everyone that helped my dream come true. Pond has been full for over a year and a half now, bubbler system works well, maybe too well, it has kept about a 100 foot hole in the pond that eliminates my skating rink. But this is better then the alternative.

Here is an updated photo of the full pond with grass taken this fall.

J

Jay that is one good looking pond.

That sure is a nice pond! Congratulations!