can you plumb all 8 lines of 1 air pump into 1 line?

[disfunktional]

i was thinking of takeing an eco plus 8 and plimbing all 8 of the airlines into 1 larger line to supply the DWC res with air. my thoughts are that i could use the larger line as an air header for multiple air stones. is is possible to do this? and if so what would be the ideal size for the header? i work with pipe and tubeing for work,but im no engineer, so the parts should be relatively easy to obtain. also do they make an airstone with a male thread connection? any input or advice is greatly appreciated so thanx in advance.

 

[disfunktional]

thought: may need to add a check valve or backflow preventer to each line off of the air pump. any thoughts on that?

 

[kcbudz31]

I wouldn't just use a bunch of tees, you may run into pressure inequalities with the low individual flow.

How about making a manifold out of some big PVC with end caps, maybe 6 to 8 inch diameter and a foot or so long, with a bunch of hose barbs down the length, then take your big line off a fitting in one of the end caps

 

[Me2]

It depends on the output of the pump and the length of the line but a ring manifold made of 1/2"-3/4" bore pipe would be plenty for the header. Use the 1/2"-3/4" tube to carry the air close to where its needed which reduces the small 1/4" bore tube length and its losses.

 

[yeah]

I did this once and it worked well for supplying multiple buckets with air. Used 2 pumps and made a u shaped manifold with 1/2 PVC and used T's with sprinkler drip adapters that reduced the 1/2 pvc to two 1/4" hoses. I found that when I used only one pump I wasnt getting even pressure so this may be remedied by going with 3/4" pvc but I figured I would just add another pump instead and double my air output. This set up was to put a stone in multiple buckets. But it sounds like you just want to add air to your resi though. In that case why even bother with a manifold just put your pump next to your res and run the lines and stones to your res. Also GH makes a great air pump that has only 4 outlets but puts out as much air as the eco 16.

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

dude all you need to do is put alittle hose on maybe 3 inches and plug it... do that to all but one... pretty simple good luck

 

[disfunktional]

I wouldn't just use a bunch of tees, you may run into pressure inequalities with the low individual flow.

How about making a manifold out of some big PVC with end caps, maybe 6 to 8 inch diameter and a foot or so long, with a bunch of hose barbs down the length, then take your big line off a fitting in one of the end caps

It depends on the output of the pump and the length of the line but a ring manifold made of 1/2"-3/4" bore pipe would be plenty for the header. Use the 1/2"-3/4" tube to carry the air close to where its needed which reduces the small 1/4" bore tube length and its losses.

kcbudz and me2 thanx an accumulator tank sounds like a great idea.

I did this once and it worked well for supplying multiple buckets with air. Used 2 pumps and made a u shaped manifold with 1/2 PVC and used T's with sprinkler drip adapters that reduced the 1/2 pvc to two 1/4" hoses. I found that when I used only one pump I wasnt getting even pressure so this may be remedied by going with 3/4" pvc but I figured I would just add another pump instead and double my air output. This set up was to put a stone in multiple buckets. But it sounds like you just want to add air to your resi though. In that case why even bother with a manifold just put your pump next to your res and run the lines and stones to your res. Also GH makes a great air pump that has only 4 outlets but puts out as much air as the eco 16.

hey yeah thanx i like the accumulator/manifold idea. i dont have the option of puttting the airpump near the res so i may sway towards the manifold. is the GH air pump a stealthy low noise pump? im trying to keep this as stealthy as possible.

dude all you need to do is put alittle hose on maybe 3 inches and plug it... do that to all but one... pretty simple good luck

im not sure that would be a good idea. would all of the air pressure that was going to all 8 ports be sent to the 1 port?

thanx for all the feedback guys

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

im not sure that would be a good idea. would all of the air pressure that was going to all 8 ports be sent to the 1 port?

thanx for all the feedback guys

well of course it would... it has no where else to go....

 

[yeah]

The gh pumps were just as loud as the eco air pumps. but to silence it further i took a cooler with a removable lid and weather stripped the lid and base. this allowed the 1/4 tubing to come out of the cooler but the cooler still stayed sealed. Just remember you need an air intake. This can be either the water drain on the side of most coolers or you can put a bulk head into the lid. There will be some vibration noise from the hole so i ran tubing from the bulkhead to a small box with backing peanuts. By doing this I eliminated most of the pump noise but noticed there is also a lot of noise coming from the vibration of the airstones. I have tried many different airstones and found that the more quiet they air the less air they circulate. I ended up using just a normal airstone. Hope this helps

 

[desert fox]

I dont think it will work if the pump is made up of 8 smaller diaphragm. It would create to much fighting amongst them. Also if one diaphragm goes out...all of your outputs would fail leaving you with no air. The commercial ones are designed like a single piston they will work for your application using a manifold. Im not sure what the guts of an eco pumps look like, but I would guess they have 8 diaphragm design.

 

[Carboy]

dude all you need to do is put alittle hose on maybe 3 inches and plug it... do that to all but one... pretty simple good luck

Think that would put too much back pressure on your pump ---- probably not a good thing.

CB

 

[disfunktional]

il have to do some looking around for the GH pumps then so i can do a comparison with the eco plus. thanx guys.

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

Think that would put too much back pressure on your pump ---- probably not a good thing.

CB

i really cant understand you guys maybe its just the eco pumps but i run commercial pumps the sunleaves ones i think they are the strongest pumps on the market they come with a plastic peice with 4-8- or 12 places for hoses or you can buy the nicer peice that the valves actually have a shutoff for them... shutting off the valve and clogging a valve so it runs to one is the same thing...

Ive been doing it for years... you buy the peices for extra money to have the shutoffs... its not going to do anything to your pump...

 

[mrred]

i say buy 8 air stones at walmart @ $1.22 for 2