Piston air pump installed without "loop"

[Godzilla68]

All of the discussions and instructions about installing a linear piston air pump suggest that it is necessary to make the air line into a "loop" with 3/4 to 1" pvc and to avoid "dead end" connections.   

Being a bit contrarian and willing to make a mistake, I tried installing mine with segments of 3/4" pvc containing the valves connected by flexible 3/4" ID vinyl tubing.  Two of my manifold pipes end in "dead ends" and there is no loop.  FYI, it works just fine for me, but I have only a few sponge filters and other air accessories running off of it.  Perhaps my success is due to the relatively low load on the system.  

The advantage of this installation is that it is much easier to connect the manifold segments with flexible tubing than it would be to make rigid pvc connections around the room.  Second, having "dead end" manifolds reduces the length of tubing needed by at least 1/2.  Third, even with just a few tanks running, the cost of this system is little more than individual air pumps for each tank/device; the convenience is HUGE and the noise is almost non-existent.  

I would post a video showing my installation, but my video is mp4 and that format isn't accepted by the forum tab here.

[Guppysnail]

I had asked a similar question a while back but I wasn’t sure of the solution just if there was a way to avoid the loop. I would love to see how you did it. If you go to YouTube there’s a plus button and if you hit the plus button you can upload your videos to YouTube it’s super simple takes 10 seconds and then it’ll upload it and then you can share the YouTube link

[Godzilla68]

 

 

Brief video showing the air line around the room

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I think that the term loop can be used loosely or literally. For some folks the loop is a necessity due to their physical space. Others need something modified like this. A loop allows for use of pressure release valves and other ways to regulate the flow. Modified setups like this where you’re pushing air farther afield you need all the pressure you can get. All good. 

[Godzilla68]

Hi Billygoat.  All the videos and descriptions that I could find including the one linked from Aquarium Co-op's sale page show a circular "loop" with a "T" at the pump.  I couldn't find anything that suggested that my double blind end "string" would actually work, but I couldn't think of a reason that it would fail, so I tried it.  I just wanted to post this here so that others might be encouraged to break the "party line".  :)

 

G

[Patrick_G]

@Godzilla68, nice fish room, and nice thinking out of the box!