by Joseph Gatt
Avoiding metal fittings
7:50 pm in Uncategorized by Joseph Gatt
Hi All!
Great site! Love the enthusiasm! You are all striving for a good cause.
I was very impressed with the idea of using an air pump to lift the water. All my hydro attempts so far have used a miniature water pump, which tends to heat the water too much in summer, and, more significantly, produces a water flow that may be too fast for the roots. The air pump should produce a more suitable flow rate and should also consume less electricity.
What I am not happy about are the metal fittings. I read a book on hydroponics, and it was dead set against there being any metal parts touching the water. Metal, in contact with well oxygenated, continuously flowing, water, is a blatant invitation to corrosion. If you’re operating at the recommended pH range from 5.8 to 6.5, which is acidic, then probably, even stainless steel doesn’t stand a chance. I myself had a galvanised iron handle on the plastic bucket I was using earlier. This handle was barely touching the water, but soon the area around it developed a gritty feel.
My suggestion is to have all the metal parts replaced with plastic/rubber or ceramics/glass.
Keep up the good work.
Regards
Joseph
Hi, Joseph, you can use the T-Joint method with plastic fittings.
This is an interesting concern. I have a copper line as my main line lifting the nutrient to the top plants. Should I be concerned with corrosion of the copper line?
HI Brian. I agree about those t-joints, my father used to have them around his aquariums.
Hi Tony. Copper is less reactive than iron so the corrosion might stop under a layer of oxide. But the plants only need copper in trace amounts so I’d watch out for signs of copper poisoning.
I noticed this while I was testing out my system. I have the air pump tube going through a check valve going to the inflation needle that is stuck in the water tube. After a couple of days when I pulled it out of the reservoir, it was already rusty. I ended up by passing the inflation needle and managed to shove the end of the check valve directly into the water tube and it looks like it’s working fine now.