water piping question

[SE18]

here's the situation, I extended my waterway by 20 feet and it now requires about 50 feet and rise is about 8 feet and pump is 2100 gallons per.

Would 1" corrugated line handle OK? Could PVC be used instead?

thanks

Dave

 

[sissy]

Pvc could be used but it is very ridgid and all the glueing and elbows you may need will not be worth it .Plus pvc cannot withstand the cold and heat very well and may become brittle and crack .My neighbor did use a piece of the outside water lines like I used on my hrdrants I installed for his and just used clamps and T fittings .He used the one inch black line like I did for my hydrants and the roll I bought at lowes was less than 30 dollars .But it is still rather ridged and you would have to use elbows to turn corners .I used a sump pump hose for my water line for the waterfall and just covered it with pipe insulation to protect it from freeze and heat of the summer .Some of it is buried but I still wrapped it in the insulatin to protect it .

 

[SE18]

thanks; I'll try the 1" corregated then; stuff is pretty pricey

 

[DrCase]

I would use sch 40 pvc over any corrugated pipe. I would run 1 1/2" pipe for volume just my thinking

 

[taherrmann4]

I used sch 40 for all my lines and have had no problems. I would go with a thicker pipe than 1" like Dr case has suggested. I have 2" pipe that feeds my 25 foot creek.

 

[koiguy1969]

I WOULD GO BIGGER DIAMETER...1&1/2" maybe with that distance and head heigth... 50' horizontal is equal to 5' of verticle. plus the 8' of heigth = 13' of head its alot of head...you might consider a bigger pump.

 

[fishin4cars]

Agree, Go bigger and get the max of what you can from the pump. Also in the long run PVC is cheaper. Try and avoid using 90's if possible, slow turns such as using a 45 then small straight then 45, or bending the pipe. ( SEE Waterbugs post on this!,,, I'll try and find the link to that thread) The slow sweeping allows for less restriction which means more water return. I think I have one piece of flexible tubing in my present systems, That will be removed and done away with and all sch. 40 from here on.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I used 2" pipe for EACH of my 2900gph pumps... gets much better flow than I ever got with 1" pipe, and I didn't have any issues this Summer with algae in the lines restricting the flow.

When making turns, use 'sweep' elbows (found alongside the regular elbows in most plumbing sections). They have a much larger radius than normal elbows, and are made to ensure minimal restrictions through the turns. If you bury your pipes, then you won't have any stress on the joints caused by the pipes moving around, however it does make maintenance more difficult. I added a couple of access ports through the length of my pipes so I can unscrew a cap and feed a wire through the pipe to clear any debris.

You mentioned you have an 8' rise now... Is this the actual difference between where the pump sits, and where the water exits the pipe? Or are you going 8" over the top of something, then coming back down again? This makes a big difference in the final performance of the pump. How much rise did you previously have? If you actually have an 8' difference between the pumps and the exit point of the pipe, you are going to lose a LOT of your water flow, and may possibly need to invest in a high-quality pump that can handle that kind of load without burning itself out.

 

[SE18]

thanks for all the advice; I think they call them contractor elbows; seen em in big box stores.

Shdwdrgn, Straight up.

I will try 1.5 PVC; no harm done if it doesn't work. I'm planning on painting the PVC rust color and running it above ground through scavanged concrete from round iron posts (they have holes in them that should fit 1.5" I think). The intention is to model an above ground pipe system and showcase the pipe as part of my outside garden train empire. I know this sounds strange! I'll be sure to get pictures when it happens. The paint will also UV protect the piping. I know that grey pipe is made for outside but I'll see how this works.

Thanks so much for all the advice!

 

[koiguy1969]

the sweeping elboes spoke of are called "STREET" elboes...the are designed to carry solid wastes (human fecal matter) out to the sewage lines.

 

[SE18]

oh, btw, I did do a quick flow test over said rise/run and 2100 gph is adequate for what I need

 

[taherrmann4]

I had about 8 feet of my pipe above ground and painted it with the paint that adheres to plastic and it has held up quite well. I painted mine black and then laid an old tree abut 12' long in front of it so you can't see it all, it just looks like a tree fell there.

 

[HARO]

the sweeping elboes spoke of are called "STREET" elboes...the are designed to carry solid wastes (human fecal matter) out to the sewage lines.

Sorry, Koiguy, but I have to correct you on this one. A street elbow is one that goes from a female end to a male end!
John

 

[Waterbug]

You can also make your own sweeps and fittings. Heat sand to about 250-275F. Simple camp fire is penty and an big old steel pot. Push end of PVC into the sand for a minute or two until soft. Pull out and use a piece of wood to flare the end. Then work a short piece of PVC into the flare. Let cool and remove the short pipe. It forms a bell end like you see in the store. Ready to glue to another PVC pipe.

For sweeps cut a length of pipe, say 3'. Seal one end with duct tape. Fill the pipe with the hot sand and let sit until pipe is like putty. Bend into a sweep with the sand still inside. The sand keeps the pipe round. Dump some water on the pipe and dump out the sand. Form bell end as described above. Allows you to create the exact sweep you need for almost nothing. I can make them faster than I can find them in Home Depot.

You can also heat long lengths of pipe this way and lay them in the tench to cool. They will conform to any shape tench. The benefits of flexible pipe with the strength and cost savings of rigid pipe.

Here's some guys heating pvc for snowshoes. Works fine on larger diameter pipe too.

BTW, corrugated pipe would have lost a lot to friction.

 

[koiguy1969]

Sorry, Koiguy, but I have to correct you on this one. A street elbow is one that goes from a female end to a male end!
John

youre right in the union joints but i'm pretty sure theyre still for wastes...we'll check with Dr.Case...hes a plumber... you ever notice how "street" angles are far more swept and gradual?...i had a plumber tell me what they were at Lowes, maybe i misunderstood. but it makes sense.