Linear piston air pump

[Atitagain]

On 8/22/2021 at 8:34 PM, Jimmy said:

If I’m running 30 lines on it, will I need to have a blow off valve?

I think no you won’t, when I first set mine up I only had 14 drops I added a blow off valve and never used it. But I was in 2-60G 2-55G then had a few long stretches of about 8’ I only have 18 now in my new room and didn’t even add a blow off valve.

If I remember right it’s all 20s and 10s in your room won’t be as much pressure from the water. So with that all being said maybe? Lol

[lefty o]

On 8/23/2021 at 5:24 PM, Jimmy said:

Ok cool. I’m really going to crank the air up I bet the pump will be the least of my worries. I don’t have anywhere convenient to put it. I might put some thought into installing it on the exterior of the room. 
side note im panicking that I will get bored with ONLY 27 aquariums lol. 

if you put a divider in each tank, you'll have twice as many!🤪

[Jimmy]

On 8/23/2021 at 3:25 PM, Atitagain said:

I think no you won’t, when I first set mine up I only had 14 drops I added a blow off valve and never used it. But I was in 2-60G 2-55G then had a few long stretches of about 8’ I only have 18 now in my new room and didn’t even add a blow off valve.

If I remember right it’s all 20s and 10s in your room won’t be as much pressure from the water. So with that all being said maybe? Lol

I will figure it out I suppose LOL. I’m gonna drop probably at least 30 lines

[Jimmy]

On 8/23/2021 at 3:26 PM, lefty o said:

if you put a divider in each tank, you'll have twice as many!🤪

That’s pretty funny. Inevitably I will have a muck bucket pond in 2 spots and probably breeder boxes.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/22/2021 at 7:34 PM, Jimmy said:

If I’m running 30 lines on it, will I need to have a blow off valve?

Here was my rational for putting one in: a blow off valve costs next to nothing to put in, but if I have too much back pressure replacing the pump would be expensive.  I'm running far fewer drops than you though.  Still, I put in anything I felt I would need to properly maintain the line.  I'd rather over build and then find out later I don't need the extra $3 in plumbing.

[ARMYVET]

On 8/23/2021 at 6:24 PM, Jimmy said:

Ok cool. I’m really going to crank the air up I bet the pump will be the least of my worries. I don’t have anywhere convenient to put it. I might put some thought into installing it on the exterior of the room. 
side note im panicking that I will get bored with ONLY 27 aquariums lol. 

I also have my air pump connected to a KASA smart plug.  I can turn on and off the pump from my phone.  I like to shut down the sir when I feed so the sponge filters don’t just get gunked up as fast.  I also have it set to turn itself back on after a certain period of time in case I forget🙄Don’t ask 😵‍💫

[Jimmy]

On 8/24/2021 at 4:47 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Here was my rational for putting one in: a blow off valve costs next to nothing to put in, but if I have too much back pressure replacing the pump would be expensive.  I'm running far fewer drops than you though.  Still, I put in anything I felt I would need to properly maintain the line.  I'd rather over build and then find out later I don't need the extra $3 in plumbing.

Do they make pvc blow off valves? I’m just starting a parts list for my loop hoping to run to THD today

[ARMYVET]

On 8/24/2021 at 8:01 AM, ARMYVET said:

get bored with ONLY 27 aquariums

Well I can tell you that no matter how many you have....YOU WILL ALWAYS WANT MORE!!  NEED MORE! GOTTA HAVE MORE!!

And when you get more....ITS NOT ENOUGH!!! 

 

Just sayin🤷‍♂️

[Jimmy]

On 8/24/2021 at 5:01 AM, ARMYVET said:

I also have my air pump connected to a KASA smart plug.  I can turn on and off the pump from my phone.  I like to shut down the sir when I feed so the sponge filters don’t just get gunked up as fast.  I also have it set to turn itself back on after a certain period of time in case I forget🙄Don’t ask 😵‍💫

I like to turn my flow off too. So when people call it a loop is it a literal loop? Do you connect the barb fitting to the air pump to vinyl tubing then to a T? So that way the pvc wraps the room and comes back to the T?

randy used 3/4 in his room but Cory suggest 1 inch. Any thoughts on that?

ive already asked but I will be using no less than 30 drops, will i need a blow off? If so where in the system would you install it?

lastly since I will be fastening the loop to the very top of the wall there should be no way for the water to backfill the pump correct? In that case does the pump absolutely have to be installed high up?

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 5:34 AM, ARMYVET said:

Well I can tell you that no matter how many you have....YOU WILL ALWAYS WANT MORE!!  NEED MORE! GOTTA HAVE MORE!!

And when you get more....ITS NOT ENOUGH!!! 

 

Just sayin🤷‍♂️

Oh trust me I’ve stood out there and gone if I had done it this way I could of got more. It wasn’t til two days ago that I realized If I had put my door in the middle of the room I could of ran 2 full racks. Not sure how I ended up with my layout LOL. But it’s still a lot to play with.

[ARMYVET]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:35 AM, Jimmy said:

I like to turn my flow off too. So when people call it a loop is it a literal loop? Do you connect the barb fitting to the air pump to vinyl tubing then to a T? So that way the pvc wraps the room and comes back to the T?

randy used 3/4 in his room but Cory suggest 1 inch. Any thoughts on that?

ive already asked but I will be using no less than 30 drops, will i need a blow off? If so where in the system would you install it?

lastly since I will be fastening the loop to the very top of the wall there should be no way for the water to backfill the pump correct? In that case does the pump absolutely have to be installed high up?

Yes it is a literal loop.  just picture a pipe running around all 4 walls of your room with a T to where the pump attaches.  I used vinyl tubing to attach the pump to the T.  

I was going to use 3/4 but after asking a few people they all suggested 1" so that is what I used. 

I did not install a blow off valve.  I installed 2 air drop valves for ever tank....you may be saying to yourself ..."WHY such a waste" yes and no.  Every tank has a drop for the sponge filter.  I wanted a second drop because if I have fry i wanted to be able to have a breeder box w/ air stone so having the extra drop avail was me foreseeing a need.  So since I have so many drops avail I just opened some of the extra valves to bleed off air as needed so no blowoff valve was needed. When I need to add a drop I close off one extra valve. 

Since the air loop is at the ceiling then no water cannot backflow up.  You can mount the pump on the floor if you want.  I mounted mine on a shelf near the ceiling so it was out of my way lol

Let me know if you have any other questions bro!

[ARMYVET]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:37 AM, Jimmy said:

If I had put my door in the middle of the room I could of ran 2 full racks

Id be moving that door in a heart beat if that is the case.  Anything I could do to get more tanks I would because I am like a crack fiend with aquariums.  My wife actually googled if there was an aquarium annomyous to send me to.  Its all I talk about. 

From the min I come in the door  at night that's where I am. My day off is all spent in "The room"   In fact my daughter wanted my wife and I to meet her boyfriends family so they planned a "lunch" this past Sunday....The entire Time I was there I was secretly looking at the live feed camera I have setup in the fish room.  

SO yeah if a door was standing in my way.....watch out as I turn into "Tim the Toolman Taylor" and break out the saw...ARR ARRA ARR ARR

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 6:26 AM, ARMYVET said:

Yes it is a literal loop.  just picture a pipe running around all 4 walls of your room with a T to where the pump attaches.  I used vinyl tubing to attach the pump to the T.  

I was going to use 3/4 but after asking a few people they all suggested 1" so that is what I used. 

I did not install a blow off valve.  I installed 2 air drop valves for ever tank....you may be saying to yourself ..."WHY such a waste" yes and no.  Every tank has a drop for the sponge filter.  I wanted a second drop because if I have fry i wanted to be able to have a breeder box w/ air stone so having the extra drop avail was me foreseeing a need.  So since I have so many drops avail I just opened some of the extra valves to bleed off air as needed so no blowoff valve was needed. When I need to add a drop I close off one extra valve. 

Since the air loop is at the ceiling then no water cannot backflow up.  You can mount the pump on the floor if you want.  I mounted mine on a shelf near the ceiling so it was out of my way lol

Let me know if you have any other questions bro!

Thanks as always. I’m going to fill a shopping cart at THD of fittings and just return what I don’t use.

 

I see a lot of people connecting to vinyl first but I think hard plumb to pvc is fine for my purposes. 
 

so 3/4 inch barb to 1 inch pvc, some elbows, 1 inch connectors, pipe straps. Does that sound right? Not too complicated.

the coop valves need 3/16 bit then you screw them in simply. I believe there’s a video of dean doing it.

im probably going to tap in 40 valves

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 6:32 AM, ARMYVET said:

Id be moving that door in a heart beat if that is the case.  Anything I could do to get more tanks I would because I am like a crack fiend with aquariums.  My wife actually googled if there was an aquarium annomyous to send me to.  Its all I talk about. 

From the min I come in the door  at night that's where I am. My day off is all spent in "The room"   In fact my daughter wanted my wife and I to meet her boyfriends family so they planned a "lunch" this past Sunday....The entire Time I was there I was secretly looking at the live feed camera I have setup in the fish room.  

SO yeah if a door was standing in my way.....watch out as I turn into "Tim the Toolman Taylor" and break out the saw...ARR ARRA ARR ARR

My middle child wants to go to the fish room. All three kids love it LOL. Unfortunately it’s too late in the game but honestly the layout is really nice for the space. I need to put videos up in YouTube and link so you guys get a better perspective.

my wife eye rolls but I plan on them being out there with me regularly for the quality time and to give my wife a break. My oldest really loves helping and was excited about the idea getting his own aquarium. Not going to lie I will try to heavily influence him in getting something along the lines I want to keep but I will let him explore.  We live in a small home and have a 4th kid on the way.

[lefty o]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:41 AM, Jimmy said:

Thanks as always. I’m going to fill a shopping cart at THD of fittings and just return what I don’t use.

 

I see a lot of people connecting to vinyl first but I think hard plumb to pvc is fine for my purposes. 
 

so 3/4 inch barb to 1 inch pvc, some elbows, 1 inch connectors, pipe straps. Does that sound right? Not too complicated.

the coop valves need 3/16 bit then you screw them in simply. I believe there’s a video of dean doing it.

im probably going to tap in 40 valves

yup, there's a couple video's of dean showing how. worth watching again just to see how to get them lined up straight, instead of up and down.

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 6:50 AM, lefty o said:

yup, there's a couple video's of dean showing how. worth watching again just to see how to get them lined up straight, instead of up and down.

You know I don’t like things too flush LOL. It wouldn’t be me

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/25/2021 at 7:30 AM, Jimmy said:

Do they make pvc blow off valves?

Not specifically, that I am aware of.  I used a ball valve in my 1" PVC line dropping down on a T from the loop.  Then put a muffler piece like this on it.  I used a ball valve because I knew it would be air tight.  A gate valve would have given me much more control though.  I have to be very careful with the ball valve because small adjustments can really change the pressure!  The gauge is nice so I can see it when that happens and now I can aim for a target psi.  But if I had to do it again, I'd use a PVC gate valve. 

[lefty o]

On 8/25/2021 at 9:20 AM, Jimmy said:

You know I don’t like things too flush LOL. It wouldn’t be me

you can always give the oldest kid the drill, and say put one here, here, and here.😈

[gardenman]

Regarding the air pump placement, I might worry about condensation affecting the pump longterm if I kept it too low. Your loop is essentially a lower pressure compressed air system like those used in commercial garages and some woodworking shops. Those systems are prone to moisture issues. Some use water traps to catch any internal condensaton while other systems use complicated air driers. If your pump is the lowest thing in the sytem guess where the condensation will go? Inside the pump. If you want to research this more, look up "pressure dew point" and you can find lots of interesting information. A fish room will be a pretty humid place to start with and pressurizing the air will wring that moisture out and it will condense on the inside walls of your PVC loop and then get pulled downward by gravity. If your air pump is the lowest thing in the system, that condensation will accumulate there. It could be a problem over the long term and shorten the life of your pump. Compressor manufacturers have lots of information out there on how air pressure and temperature affect the dew point. You'll be keeping your fish room at a pretty warm temp with pretty humid air, so the pressure dew point in your loop system will almost certianly generate substantial condensate over the longterm. It's got to go someplace and if your pump is the lowest point in the system that's where it'll go. It's safer to keep the pump high so the condensation gets pushed into the tanks instead of into the pump.

[lefty o]

gardenman brings up a good point. if the pump is the lowest part of the system, moisture buildup is a possibility. if you are running hard line down to the pump, at the bottom where it turns in towards the pump you can just add a T, and cap off the bottom as a moisture trap. add a standard fish tank air valve to the cap to use as a drain. sort of like a sediment trap on gas lines, except with a valve added.

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:12 AM, gardenman said:

Regarding the air pump placement, I might worry about condensation affecting the pump longterm if I kept it too low. Your loop is essentially a lower pressure compressed air system like those used in commercial garages and some woodworking shops. Those systems are prone to moisture issues. Some use water traps to catch any internal condensaton while other systems use complicated air driers. If your pump is the lowest thing in the sytem guess where the condensation will go? Inside the pump. If you want to research this more, look up "pressure dew point" and you can find lots of interesting information. A fish room will be a pretty humid place to start with and pressurizing the air will wring that moisture out and it will condense on the inside walls of your PVC loop and then get pulled downward by gravity. If your air pump is the lowest thing in the system, that condensation will accumulate there. It could be a problem over the long term and shorten the life of your pump. Compressor manufacturers have lots of information out there on how air pressure and temperature affect the dew point. You'll be keeping your fish room at a pretty warm temp with pretty humid air, so the pressure dew point in your loop system will almost certianly generate substantial condensate over the longterm. It's got to go someplace and if your pump is the lowest point in the system that's where it'll go. It's safer to keep the pump high so the condensation gets pushed into the tanks instead of into the pump.

This is great information! Thank you. 

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:17 AM, lefty o said:

gardenman brings up a good point. if the pump is the lowest part of the system, moisture buildup is a possibility. if you are running hard line down to the pump, at the bottom where it turns in towards the pump you can just add a T, and cap off the bottom as a moisture trap. add a standard fish tank air valve to the cap to use as a drain. sort of like a sediment trap on gas lines, except with a valve added.

I didn’t think of it in these terms this is very insightful.

 

On 8/25/2021 at 8:10 AM, lefty o said:

you can always give the oldest kid the drill, and say put one here, here, and here.😈

He still needs a lot of assistance not the most steady hand but I will include him when I can

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 7:36 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Not specifically, that I am aware of.  I used a ball valve in my 1" PVC line dropping down on a T from the loop.  Then put a muffler piece like this on it.  I used a ball valve because I knew it would be air tight.  A gate valve would have given me much more control though.  I have to be very careful with the ball valve because small adjustments can really change the pressure!  The gauge is nice so I can see it when that happens and now I can aim for a target psi.  But if I had to do it again, I'd use a PVC gate valve. 

Can you get that muffler piece from Home Depot? I will install this as part of my system but from what everyone is saying I think I will be ok without one but why not collect good information and have it in line if it’s not hurting anything 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/25/2021 at 10:34 AM, Jimmy said:

Can you get that muffler piece from Home Depot?

I believe I am not supposed to point you directly to a retailer for this item on this particular forum.  But a search online for these "Threaded Bleed Exhaust or Air Diffusers" should get you there.  Sorry.  Trying to follow the rules.

On 8/25/2021 at 10:34 AM, Jimmy said:

I will install this as part of my system but from what everyone is saying I think I will be ok without one but why not collect good information and have it in line if it’s not hurting anything

I think the folks who are telling you that you probably won't need one are quite likely to be correct.  I'm running way fewer drops than you are right new as I wait on my install for a DIY 20gal MBBR, which will use much more air than the rest of my needs.  In the meantime, it has been really helpful to have.  For me, in my current situation, at least.  Again, I over build.  It's a problem, and one of the many reasons why I would never make it as an engineer.  I put in the blow-off in case I needed it - and I probably do at the moment.  Then I put in the gauge so I could tell if I needed to open the valve.  It's part of a system of being over built.  😁 

I won't be offended even if you decide "dude, that's a stupid idea!".  I am still happy to freely offer my stupid ideas here.  😝 

[Jimmy]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:53 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

I believe I am not supposed to point you directly to a retailer for this item on this particular forum.  But a search online for these "Threaded Bleed Exhaust or Air Diffusers" should get you there.  Sorry.  Trying to follow the rules.

I think the folks who are telling you that you probably won't need one are quite likely to be correct.  I'm running way fewer drops than you are right new as I wait on my install for a DIY 20gal MBBR, which will use much more air than the rest of my needs.  In the meantime, it has been really helpful to have.  For me, in my current situation, at least.  Again, I over build.  It's a problem, and one of the many reasons why I would never make it as an engineer.  I put in the blow-off in case I needed it - and I probably do at the moment.  Then I put in the gauge so I could tell if I needed to open the valve.  It's part of a system of being over built.  😁 

I won't be offended even if you decide "dude, that's a stupid idea!".  I am still happy to freely offer my stupid ideas here.  😝 

I appreciate the feedback regardless. Great information. Sadly I’m back at work/between jobs and can’t make the lighting fast progress I made the two weeks prior LOL. Thankfully I’m done with all the loud ground work so now I can work in the night when my kids and wife are sleeping