Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Ecoplus 7???

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.