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#1
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Rain Water Barrels....
Well from reading this form I think it is safe to say that I should not top
off my pond with the garden hose due to chlorine problems. I was thinking of using a 45gal plastic (PVC?) barrel that I can get from work. I want to add a valve of some sort and a regular garden hose fitting so I can use an old garden hose to feed the pond. My question is, since I am new to plumbing and all that, is how to I fix the pipe to the barrel? Do I need some kind of flange? If any of you have done something similar with a barrel filter what did you use? Keep in mind I think I want to use 3/4" copper pipe, but if you guys have a better suggestion for material let me know. Mike |
#2
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Rain Water Barrels....
"Mike" wrote:
Well from reading this form I think it is safe to say that I should not top off my pond with the garden hose due to chlorine problems. I was thinking of using a 45gal plastic (PVC?) barrel that I can get from work. I want to add a valve of some sort and a regular garden hose fitting so I can use an old garden hose to feed the pond. My question is, since I am new to plumbing and all that, is how to I fix the pipe to the barrel? Do I need some kind of flange? If any of you have done something similar with a barrel filter what did you use? Keep in mind I think I want to use 3/4" copper pipe, but if you guys have a better suggestion for material let me know. PVC is the preferred material. Don't use metal. You can get a hose bib (the thing you connect a hose to, with a valve) in PVC at your local hardware or home center. Yes, some kind of flange is needed, unless the barrel has a drain fitting. A standard 3/4" PVC flange, a short piece of pipe, a female IPS fitting, and a 3/4" hose bib. Some PVC glue, and some "GOOP" adhesive - to stick the PVC to non-PVC plastic like the barrel. |
#3
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Rain Water Barrels....
Mike,
The water from the hose with chlorine can be treated with a dechlorinator, such as sodium thiosulfate or Amquel or similar. Rain water is very soft, does not have any buffering to help hold the pH constant, does not have any of the calcium or magnesium for the fish bones or for plants. Rain water may be a good supplement, but I think that I would use mostly the water from the hose. If you have the barrels, and the water is treated with chlorine only, then you could fill the barrel with tap water, leave it for a day or two with an air stone running and the chlorine will evaporate, thereby not requiring the chemical dechlorinators, but I would use a chlorine test kit to be sure that it has all evaporated before adding it to the pond. The barrels, unless treated with mosquito dunks will be a good place to raise mosquitoes. Copper is toxic to fish, so do not use copper piping for this rain barrel connection. Use PVC. They make bulkhead fittings for going through liners, filters, and would work for your barrel. They can be had at some pond stores, or over the internet. Aquatic Eco has them. -- RichToyBox http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html "Mike" wrote in message .. . Well from reading this form I think it is safe to say that I should not top off my pond with the garden hose due to chlorine problems. I was thinking of using a 45gal plastic (PVC?) barrel that I can get from work. I want to add a valve of some sort and a regular garden hose fitting so I can use an old garden hose to feed the pond. My question is, since I am new to plumbing and all that, is how to I fix the pipe to the barrel? Do I need some kind of flange? If any of you have done something similar with a barrel filter what did you use? Keep in mind I think I want to use 3/4" copper pipe, but if you guys have a better suggestion for material let me know. Mike |
#4
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Rain Water Barrels....
Thanks for the info. Learning a whole whack of stuff here.
Mike "RichToyBox" wrote in message news:nPfVa.479$uu5.368@sccrnsc04... Mike, The water from the hose with chlorine can be treated with a dechlorinator, such as sodium thiosulfate or Amquel or similar. Rain water is very soft, does not have any buffering to help hold the pH constant, does not have any of the calcium or magnesium for the fish bones or for plants. Rain water may be a good supplement, but I think that I would use mostly the water from the hose. If you have the barrels, and the water is treated with chlorine only, then you could fill the barrel with tap water, leave it for a day or two with an air stone running and the chlorine will evaporate, thereby not requiring the chemical dechlorinators, but I would use a chlorine test kit to be sure that it has all evaporated before adding it to the pond. The barrels, unless treated with mosquito dunks will be a good place to raise mosquitoes. Copper is toxic to fish, so do not use copper piping for this rain barrel connection. Use PVC. They make bulkhead fittings for going through liners, filters, and would work for your barrel. They can be had at some pond stores, or over the internet. Aquatic Eco has them. -- RichToyBox http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html "Mike" wrote in message .. . Well from reading this form I think it is safe to say that I should not top off my pond with the garden hose due to chlorine problems. I was thinking of using a 45gal plastic (PVC?) barrel that I can get from work. I want to add a valve of some sort and a regular garden hose fitting so I can use an old garden hose to feed the pond. My question is, since I am new to plumbing and all that, is how to I fix the pipe to the barrel? Do I need some kind of flange? If any of you have done something similar with a barrel filter what did you use? Keep in mind I think I want to use 3/4" copper pipe, but if you guys have a better suggestion for material let me know. Mike |
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