First time I've been the first to post on a topic, how exciting!
This afternoon I ordered a replacement pipe coupler, I've gone for a different material, it's called Tough resin, which I think is very appropriate. We should have it by Tuesday (6th), hopefully early enough for us to install so we can continue our commissioning and testing of the plumbing on Thursday.
Penri
Water butt plumbing
Re: Water butt plumbing
Hello all
I've now got all the bits needed to connect the return flow from the water butts to the sump. Will attempt a dry fit at the next opportunity and if everything goes OK we'll gum it together.
We have the water supply side, i.e. sump to butts, connected and commissioned. We've filled the barrels to around one quarter / one third full by manually operating the Karcher pump, and Hamish has been looking for and sorting any leaks, which have been more like weeping joints than anything else. The prototype restive probe has been trialled in one of the stand-pipes, successfully, in a stand alone configuration i.e. leds showing the water level.
Penri
I've now got all the bits needed to connect the return flow from the water butts to the sump. Will attempt a dry fit at the next opportunity and if everything goes OK we'll gum it together.
We have the water supply side, i.e. sump to butts, connected and commissioned. We've filled the barrels to around one quarter / one third full by manually operating the Karcher pump, and Hamish has been looking for and sorting any leaks, which have been more like weeping joints than anything else. The prototype restive probe has been trialled in one of the stand-pipes, successfully, in a stand alone configuration i.e. leds showing the water level.
Penri
Re: Water butt plumbing
The return side is now plumbed in and has been tested. Water started to flow back from the sump through both return pipes but then water flow stopped in one pipe, cause unknown and needs investigation.
The flow rate as seen at the sump was ok for a gravity fed system, given the water head was limited, but it would take quite some time to fill the sump if that was all the flow rate we could expect. It will be interesting to see if we can deal with that rate of flow in our control algorithms or if a pump will become a necessity, interesting stuff!
The flow rate as seen at the sump was ok for a gravity fed system, given the water head was limited, but it would take quite some time to fill the sump if that was all the flow rate we could expect. It will be interesting to see if we can deal with that rate of flow in our control algorithms or if a pump will become a necessity, interesting stuff!
Re: Water butt plumbing
Water flow in the single pipe is confirmed working again, but I'm not sure why it stopped.
We can probably deal with it, the system will just have to try and predict what will happen an hour before it does
Hamish
We can probably deal with it, the system will just have to try and predict what will happen an hour before it does
Hamish
Hamish
Re: Water butt plumbing
Hello all
First the bad news, the reducer coupler I designed and installed that routes water back from the butts to the sump has failed, see photo. Fortunately it's after the in-line stop cock so we haven't lost any water. I'm working with Jack, the 3D print supplier, who made the part for me and through him with the 3D printer and material manufacturer, to work out what went wrong as the material is said to be able to withstand stress and strain.
The good news is that WMT have bought more olive barrels, 20 (yes twenty) of them!
Just stating the obvious, but just in case, please don't turn on the stop cock at the base of the water butts!
Hwyl
Penri
First the bad news, the reducer coupler I designed and installed that routes water back from the butts to the sump has failed, see photo. Fortunately it's after the in-line stop cock so we haven't lost any water. I'm working with Jack, the 3D print supplier, who made the part for me and through him with the 3D printer and material manufacturer, to work out what went wrong as the material is said to be able to withstand stress and strain.
- IMG_1234.jpg (1.66 MiB) Viewed 1412 times
Just stating the obvious, but just in case, please don't turn on the stop cock at the base of the water butts!
Hwyl
Penri
Re: Water butt plumbing
I thought you guys could virtualise them!
I'll find places, there are lots of "dead" / unused areas around WMT especially behind the buildings.
I'll find places, there are lots of "dead" / unused areas around WMT especially behind the buildings.
Re: Water butt plumbing
Hello
I've updated the design for the splitter and had it printed, this time in a more durable material, at least that's what the material is called!
This morning I fitted the new splitter and replaced the detachable screw coupling with one that has an integral rubber o-ring seal, so avoiding the need for Plumbers Mait and hopefully curing the leak we've seen from that coupling.
Penri
I've updated the design for the splitter and had it printed, this time in a more durable material, at least that's what the material is called!
This morning I fitted the new splitter and replaced the detachable screw coupling with one that has an integral rubber o-ring seal, so avoiding the need for Plumbers Mait and hopefully curing the leak we've seen from that coupling.
Penri
Re: Water butt plumbing
Hello
Did a small bit of pipe re-arrangement in the sump today and cut the two return pipes, from the butts, to equal lengths, trimming them to around where maximum (overflow) water level would be. I then opened the value and ran some water back from the barrels, lo and behold both return pipes delivered water equally.
I surmise that the issue Hamish and I saw a little while ago of only one pipe delivering water, was down to one of the return pipes being longer and often below water level causing an air lock to form in that pipe, which the water head in the barrels could not overcome.
Anyway everything was fine today after my fiddling, let's hope it stays like that.
Hwyl
Penri
Did a small bit of pipe re-arrangement in the sump today and cut the two return pipes, from the butts, to equal lengths, trimming them to around where maximum (overflow) water level would be. I then opened the value and ran some water back from the barrels, lo and behold both return pipes delivered water equally.
I surmise that the issue Hamish and I saw a little while ago of only one pipe delivering water, was down to one of the return pipes being longer and often below water level causing an air lock to form in that pipe, which the water head in the barrels could not overcome.
Anyway everything was fine today after my fiddling, let's hope it stays like that.
Hwyl
Penri