My feeder has a bottomless pit...

[kcan2]

So, I finally made a pvc gravity feeder and was patting myself on the back for about 5 minutes. But, trapped in the neverending cycle of continuous chicken improvement, I would like to seal off the bottom 3-4 inches or so, so pellets don't end up in the bottomless pit and never get touched (or moldy). Has anyone had any success with blocking off the bottom portion on an apparatus like this - other than filling the bottom with cement?
*Edited to show part I would like to block off circled in red

 

[R2elk]

So, I finally made a pvc gravity feeder and was patting myself on the back for about 5 minutes. But, trapped in the never ending cycle of continuous chicken improvement, I would like to seal off the bottom 3-4 inches or so, so pellets don't end up in the bottomless pit and never get touched (or moldy). Has anyone had any success with blocking off the bottom portion on an apparatus like this - other than filling the bottom with cement?
*Edited to show part I would like to block off circled in red
View attachment 2105880

I got a pvc test cap of the appropriate diameter for my set up. If I remember correctly, I sanded down the outside rim just enough so that it fit the inner diameter of the pvc fitting and glued it in place.
PVC Test Cap

 

[kcan2]

I got a pvc test cap of the appropriate diameter for my set up. If I remember correctly, I sanded down the outside rim just enough so that it fit the inner diameter of the pvc fitting and glued it in place.
PVC Test Cap

Awesome, for 45¢, I will give it a shot. Thanks for the tip!

 

[kcan2]

I got a pvc test cap of the appropriate diameter for my set up. If I remember correctly, I sanded down the outside rim just enough so that it fit the inner diameter of the pvc fitting and glued it in place.
PVC Test Cap

@R2elk do you recall what kind of glue you used?

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk do you recall what kind of glue you used?

PVC glue. I use purple cleaner and then the pvc glue just the same as the other joints.

 

[Al Gerhart]

How about just filling it with grit, oyster shell, or some pebbles? Should flow fine over a rough surface anyway. I would drill a few drain holes in the very bottom after doing that just in case.

 

[kcan2]

I'm not sure what I did, but somehow the test cap that I bought created a perfect seal without having to sand or glue it. I think the parts I used on the bottom made that possible. You can see the test cap down inside. 72¢ fix! Thanks to everyone's help, the bottomless pit and pellet waste is much reduced!

 

[Criticalicious]

I used the test cap like previous poster. If you can't find them at Lowe's (Sometimes they are out), you can also use a metal canning lid. It seems to fit down in there perfectly.

 

[kcan2]

I used the test cap like previous poster. If you can't find them at Lowe's (Sometimes they are out), you can also use a metal canning lid. It seems to fit down in there perfectly.

When I tried a canning lid on my 3" PVC, it was too small and fell through . I recently discovered there were two kinds of PVC; I think I bought the larger diameter one.

 

[Criticalicious]

There's also 2 sizes of canning lids - regular and wide mouth.