CW's Back Yard Water Garden Begins!

[combatwombat]

Ok, I’m on my way to solving my siphon issue w/ the 2” plumbing. I also better understand siphon effect and have figured out that I’ve basically screwed myself by going with bulkhead through bog liner. Oops. Will have to rely on check valves for that one.

Here’s another fun little problem I’ll need to fix. I glued a short stolen of pipe into a tee in my suction pipe to allow me to prime. Plugged it w/ a test plug. Said it’s rated for 17 psi (about 40’ of head) so I thought, “no problem!”

Well, when the pump shuts off from full speed without ramping down, the back pressure pops that test tee right out of the pipe and I get a geyser spewing out of it.

Should have used a threaded fitting. Thought the test plug would be easier to open/close w/o tools. Oops.

Stub is too short to glue a new fitting on, so will either have to use my heat gun to try to remove it or cut the tee out and put in a new one.

 

[GBBUDD]

Yes, I do think I should do a breather in addition to the check valves. All my plumbing is buried now, though. Might be able to do it inside the pump vault.

Won't work there, you'll want to have it at the highest point . or just before the highest point. water in motion, if its at the end the pipe being full of water it will just keep coming and flush the air out. if the flow is minimal it may do the job but rule of thumb is at the high not the low

 

[combatwombat]

Won't work there, you'll want to have it at the highest point . or just before the highest point. water in motion, if its at the end the pipe being full of water it will just keep coming and flush the air out. if the flow is minimal it may do the job but rule of thumb is at the high not the low

Yes, I came to the same conclusion and ruled out that plan. High point is under a big boulder, so might have to move it to install successful anti-siphon.

 

[GBBUDD]

Ok, I’m on my way to solving my siphon issue w/ the 2” plumbing. I also better understand siphon effect and have figured out that I’ve basically screwed myself by going with bulkhead through bog liner. Oops. Will have to rely on check valves for that one.

Here’s another fun little problem I’ll need to fix. I glued a short stolen of pipe into a tee in my suction pipe to allow me to prime. Plugged it w/ a test plug. Said it’s rated for 17 psi (about 40’ of head) so I thought, “no problem!”

Well, when the pump shuts off from full speed without ramping down, the back pressure pops that test tee right out of the pipe and I get a geyser spewing out of it.

Should have used a threaded fitting. Thought the test plug would be easier to open/close w/o tools. Oops.

Stub is too short to glue a new fitting on, so will either have to use my heat gun to try to remove it or cut the tee out and put in a new one.

View attachment 150904

Go with a hose bib outdoor spicket and a 5/8" double female adaptor that way you drag the hose over connect it to the adaptor and open the hose bib and leave it on . turn the water on and your one and done no filling and having to pre prime to do it again and again.
best to cut that into the intake hose before the pump somewhere .

Just remembered you don't have a strainer basket at the pump that could be tricky to prime no wonder your set for a check valve you need every drop of water to get her primed.

I would consider adding a strainer basket if for nothing else but to protect the pump

 

[GBBUDD]

Yes, I came to the same conclusion and ruled out that plan. High point is under a big boulder, so might have to move it to install successful anti-siphon.

just cut in a tee , or is all the pipe under boulders

 

[combatwombat]

Go with a hose bib outdoor spicket and a 5/8" double female adaptor that way you drag the hose over connect it to the adaptor and open the hose bib and leave it on . turn the water on and your one and done no filling and having to pre prime to do it again and again.
best to cut that into the intake hose before the pump somewhere .

Just remembered you don't have a strainer basket at the pump that could be tricky to prime no wonder your set for a check valve you need every drop of water to get her primed.

I would consider adding a strainer basket if for nothing else but to protect the pump

I’m no pump expert, but I think any time you have a pump above water level, you need a check valve to prime it. So far priming is no issue at all as I have a check valve and suction pipe is very short. Only issue is the test plug.

Hose bib is a good idea, but it’s really just a few gallons in the worst case scenario (empty reservoir). Unless bog is also empty, backflow from bog keeps it full.

just cut in a tee , or is all the pipe under boulders

The high point is under boulder. Not the end of the world to move it. Might just take a long drill bit and puncture it. Should achieve the same thing.

 

[combatwombat]

Well, not wanting to lose another 1,500 gallons of water, I went out in the dark with my rain boots, a headlamp and my set of 12" long drill bits. A 3/16" hole stopped the flow almost immediately in 2 out of 3 pipes.

The other one I kept making the hole progressively bigger until I got to 5/8" and threw up my hands in defeat. Went inside to drink away my troubles (root beer!) and checked again a few minutes ago. Flow stopped! Maybe I didn't wait long enough before drilling a bigger hole. Section of pipe over the hump is only about 12' long. Figured it should drain out in a few seconds after siphon is broke.

Put my thumb over the hole for about 30 seconds to see if it would start again, but it didn't. So, I've gotten the result I wanted, but still don't know how or why.

Now, how much of my desired flow am I going to lose through a 5/8" hole in a 2" line? Time will tell...

 

[Rabungalow]

I understand the purpose of the anti siphon breaking the back flow, but I hate the idea of “dirty” water running over the top of the bog as opposed to through it when the anti siphon is teed-off at the top of the bog. I always think it’s just recycling unfiltered water when you do that. Can anyone comment on that portion of it and if it bothers them at all? You would always lose some flow out of the tee I’d imagine.

 

[combatwombat]

You don’t need 100% of your water going through filtration. Depending on the size of your pump, you might actually get less filtering by doing that.

The flow that a bog wants for best efficiency is pretty slow and often doesn’t make for much of a waterfall. If you have a small bog and a big pump, you might NEED to tee it off to give the bog the flow rate it wants.

 

[combatwombat]

A few dumb plumbing mistakes…

 

[Rabungalow]

A few dumb plumbing mistakes…

I appreciated this video, I had trouble understanding the part about the cap that was popping off, but seeing it in video it makes sense to me now. What's your plan for the siphon break since your plumbing is below the rock up at the bog?

 

[GBBUDD]

root beer

Thank God you didn't say saperilla I would have peed myself. Rootbeer was good enough.
Even though I to am not a big dinner but I do got for the hard stuff ice tea with lemon

 

[combatwombat]

Thank God you didn't say saperilla I would have peed myself. Rootbeer was good enough.
Even though I to am not a big dinner but I do got for the hard stuff ice tea with lemon

Gotta be careful with that citric acid.

 

[combatwombat]

I appreciated this video, I had trouble understanding the part about the cap that was popping off, but seeing it in video it makes sense to me now. What's your plan for the siphon break since your plumbing is below the rock up at the bog?

That was nothing. When I wasn’t filming, it blasting totally out of the pipe. Plan for bog siphon is a serviceable check valve just outside the liner.

 

[Rabungalow]

Yu

That was nothing. When I wasn’t filming, it blasting totally out of the pipe. Plan for bog siphon is a serviceable check valve just outside the liner.

I believe it. Well this has somehow weirdly convinced me to add a siphon break now.... good job lol. Adding it to the to do list for the weekend. However, it my plumbing comes from above so its just a quick cut and adding a tee with a ball valve.