Mass Drip system for 20 aquariums

[Cichlids]

I got all the 1/2" lines mocked up and ready
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I got almost all the lines to have their brackets behind the PEX manifold I had a few on the outside of the manifold
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I went with U bolts instead of P clamps to mount the regulator and gate valve it is much more secure
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I will have to trim down the bolts and maybe use Acorn nuts to make it more appealing.
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I got the right gauges for the right job this time
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[Cichlids]

I was a little over eager to get this project moving and I decided to take the roller bearing on the router bit off to make my groove for the gauge. The reason why I did that is because I had ordered 50 bits at my local store and they were supposed to ship it overnight but it didn't happen so I will probably get them on Monday. This is the result of me not waiting until Monday.

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I used the mounting gauge plate as guide as to how much I need to remove on the side of the panel

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It is now a step down because the shaft that the bearing sat on held it back from being able to complete the task Doh!

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Still need to take some off the edge to allow the gauge plate to fit correctly

I figured if that had to wait that I would start to sand and stain pieces and be productive. I sanded it down to 240 grit and began staining
This is prestained with a coat to allow the stain to penetrate evenly
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This what it looks like after the first coat
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[Cichlids]

Well I got a phone call today to tell me my router bits had arrived early so I picked them up before work so I could get the rest of the prep work done

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When I got home I wanted to get one of the gauge holes completed and with the proper bit I can finish the main board off.

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[Cichlids]

Well I have been up to the details of the main board and this is what I have been able to do in the last few days.

I routed out both sides of the board to prevent pinching of the lines
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I know that there was a couple of pieces of wood that chipped off but this is on the back side not seen
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I notched out a small section to allow the regulator and shut off valve to sit flush with the board making it more stable.
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I went through with a flapper wheel to really smooth out any edges on the holes
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I was able to cut the extra length of the U bolt to be flush. However I may still go with the acorn nuts to make it look a bit better.
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This is where the steady hand had to come in. No caffeine before doing this set, I wood burned all the labels to make things more user friendly
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I just need to go over the board one last time with a good sanding then I will begin to stain the main board/panel and reassemble it for the install at my friends house. Then I can work on the secondary panels

[Neptune]

Wow a lot of work for gauges...but impressive.
i have an offer for you!

I have a laser at work. I can burn plaques for you if you want an exact lettering and a little graphic for your gauges, switches etc..
A little strip of wood with a little routed edge with laser engraved letters, then a little graphic?

No charge, willing to help out if you want something like that.

Or black acrylic with engraved lettering....that would look sharp!

[Cichlids]

Wow a lot of work for gauges...but impressive.
i have an offer for you!

I have a laser at work. I can burn plaques for you if you want an exact lettering and a little graphic for your gauges, switches etc..
A little strip of wood with a little routed edge with laser engraved letters, then a little graphic?

No charge, willing to help out if you want something like that.

Or black acrylic with engraved lettering....that would look sharp!

I may take that offer up soon. I have another project I will be doing for myself with some other features (more tech involved) and I may need some labelled gauges.

[Cichlids]

Began staining the main panel today but I had to get a few parts because I miscalculated the WP from the city water before it gets to the second regulator I am putting in series. I bought some polyurethane that had a ID of 7/16" to fit the PEX fitting but when I realized that the max PSI was 38 PSI I realized this wasn't going to work. I went and got a larger sized barb fitting for the gauges so I could run a food grade reinforced hose at 1/2" with a WP of 200 PSI which is over double what the city water supplies. Anything after the regulator of 20 PSI is not an issue. This is the chart I went by from the hose supplier here in town.
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With this system I am running 3 different sizes 3/4" 5/8" and 1/2" with temperature ratings of -5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) as the ID gets larger the pressure rating goes down but at 150 PSI at 3/4" its safe to say the hose will not burst

I prestained the panel before work today
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once I got home tonight I did the first stain. I hope to have the second one done tomorrow morning so I can sand it down and begin the final assembly

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On a side note I ordered a diamond drill bit through amazon (45mm) back in October and it was lost in the mail and they refunded me but it arrived today after 2 months. I got some other bits in the mean time but at least I will have a couple bits to work with once we begin the drainage side of the system.

[Neptune]

I may take that offer up soon. I have another project I will be doing for myself with some other features (more tech involved) and I may need some labelled gauges.

Offer is always on the table, let me know!

[Cichlids]

I got the panel done tonight just had a few hiccups but I got them figured out and now its ready to install. I can now work on the secondary panels now

These lines are good for 200psi
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Went with the acorn nuts for a better look on the finish
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My mistake for not taking a pic before I took it apart. This took me an hour to figure out my plumbing and brackets!
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Figured out and installed
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Plumbing all done on the back panel
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Completed on the front side
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[Neptune]

Are you worried about that vinyl tubing kinking

[Cichlids]

No its not kinked I made sure that they were not as I ran them and I also blew air through all of them just to make sure there was no kinks. The flow rate through the lines will be minimal they will be going to a line of 3/16" to the other manifolds/aquariums. I can pass some heat on them to make sure they stay in the proper shape.

[Cichlids]

Dropped the panel off on Saturday and will install it on Wednesday. In the mean time I finished prepping the other panels for the secondary manifolds.

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Now I can focus on the sawdust clean up!

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The stuff in that box are for my own project I plan to set up for my fish room!

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I had been looking around for a good low flow meter to take the guess work out of how much water is being used on a 24hr period and I found this to be the best selection with a 1/4 hookup

http://www.tds-mall.com/_p/prd1/2103...-4-or-3-8-inch

[Cichlids]

Just finished putting together the secondary panels I hope to get most of the install done tomorrow night at my friends house.

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[Cichlids]

Well I was able to get the main panel up and was it ever a pain to get right. I thought by bolting up the back panel first then connecting the brackets it would be easier. Turns out that wasn't the case. The next idea was to unbolt the brackets from the backboard and connect the arms to the main board. Well it looked promising until the gap between the 2 boards was massive at the top and small at the bottom. I said forget it and took the main and back boards off and reassembled it on the floor and bolted the back board up and it worked. I wish I had done that in the first place to begin with!

I went every 6" apart for more support. This is how I was able to calculate the board weight and what the brackets could hold

Width " × height " ÷ 144 = sq/ft
30" x 30 " ÷ 144 = 6.25 sq/ft
27.5 " × 9" ÷ 144 = ~ 1.75 sq/ft x 2 = 3.5 sq/ft
30 " × 9" ÷ 144 x 2 = 3.5 sq/ft

3.5 + 3.5 + 6.25 = 13.25 sq/ft @ 3/4" × 2.5 (weight factor per sq/ft) = ~ 33.5 lbs

If we add the back panel to the overall weight then

30" × 30" ÷ 144 = 6.25 sq/ft × 2.5 = 15.75 lbs

15.75 lbs + 33.5 lbs = 49.25 lbs

We could say all the extra fittings and valves come to 10 lbs which brings us to around 60 lbs now the chart recommends for 60 lbs you run around 4. I ran them ~ 5 to 5 1/2" apart to space out the load.

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Counter sank and predrilled the holes a little smaller for the wood screws I used 2 1/2" long ones

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Board and panel finally together just had to move his gate valve (bottom right) over a tad to allow for opening and closing of the panel door

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Put the other auxiliary panel on the back side of his one row of aquariums the lighting is a tad dark didn't want to freak out his stock

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Now we just have to put the other 2 panels up and plumb the system then it is off to drilling holes in the sump for the drain. He was thankful for the time but I was more thankful because I got to view all this inventory from his last shipment and this is what the system will be used for.

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[Cichlids]

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