Under Pressure...

[Hotspurious]

My water pressure is straight off the main and tends to regularly blow sprinkler heads.

Has anyone stepped down water pressure to an automatic water tank valve and float? I'm considering hooking that arrangement up to my water distribution system down to the chicken nipples; in effect making an automated watering network.

If you've run this race before, I'd love to understand what issues you've run into - especially wrt the pressure problem.

Thanks in advance!

Hotspurious
Walnut Creek, CA

 

[Mahonri]

I had to get a pressure flow regulator for my automatic waterer... you can get them at Home Depot.

 

[Hotspurious]

Thx Mahonri! Here's my concept sketch. Tough to be accurate on an iPad with my kids drawing program, but you'll get the gist. Look to be solid conceptually? Any other issue to be aware of?

 

[DanEP]

You might try a toilet tank float valve It's cheap and will handle the pressure.

 

[Hotspurious]

Very interesting! You're causing me to consider some upgrades to my initial design. Thx!

Hotspurious
Walnut Creek, CA

 

[Rich386]

Just some thing to mull over.
This tank holds about 3 1/2 gal. WHY!! it is always full! If I were starting again I would use a 2 gal. insulated water jug 1/2 full. I would use one of those short toilet flush valves. With less water in reserve if you wanted to add a SMALL heater like for a bird bath heater. That might work?? What I have changed was to add a circulation pump after it froze. I used a small fountain pump came out where the handle is into the end of the run. The water flows from the end and back to the tank. On the other hand if I had to buy the parts it would not get done!!! LOLI just happened to have or found most of the things to build this.
Good luck keep me posted I love great ideas they come from great thinkers.
I almost forgot to tell you that by using a toilet float valve you don't need a pressure regulator. The pressure is on the valve not on the nipples. You also might consider coming into the end rather than the middle. That way if you want to add a pump you can.

 

[Hotspurious]

Great info and insights! Very much appreciated, indeed. Love the reuse on the tank. Ingenious.

I was originally going to simply cement the nipples into a 1 1/2" PVC line, but I liked your design much
better. Here's a modified version after looking through my plumbing gear: Inset chicken nipples!

PVC parts...



Nipple inserted into 1" inset cap...



Completed 'nipple assembly'...




I figure this way the nipple will be very difficult to get fouled (fowled?) from the outside; even though I know
cleaning and regular testing will still be necessary. I plan to have 3 sets of 2 nipple assemblies as follows:

• Inside the exterior run,
• Inside the coop itself, and
• Inside the 'lido deck' (the 'outside' portion of the coop thats completely caged-in and off of the ground)

Given ~10 birds, surely 6 nipple assemblies will suffice. (Thoughts?)

Btw, I "tested" the inset design by holding it over my chicks who're already accustomed to a small bucket
waterer with chicken nipples on the bottom. They immediately came over and started pecking the steel so
I'll assume that there won't be much of a transition from the exposed nipples to partially shrouded nipples.

I also like your idea of a recirculating system. That'd really help to cut down algae and other potential growth.
Scratching my head as to how I'd incorporate that given my current design(s). My initial design included a
coy pond horse tank, but I've scrubbed that plan; actually my better 3/4s scrubbed it for me.

Do you ever find a need to drain the system? I'm considering a valve for that as well, but to be honest I
haven't come up with a good rational for doing so. I just like the idea that I could drain it if I ever needed
to.

Hotspurious
Walnut Creek, CA

 

[Rich386]

You saw the pictures in the article including the inside of the tank. Those were taken for the article so the thing was that clean after two years of service. Let me ask you this. Have you ever had to dismantle your toilet plumbing in your house to clean the mold? I rest my case! When I first did it I had concerns about that to. That is why you see the caps on the end of the pipe.

 

[Hotspurious]

Great points. I've only had to drain the toilet to install replacement tank parts.

 

[chfite]

If the nipples are recessed into the fitting, will the chickens still be able to use them?

The nipples on my water line simply protrude from the piping. They haven't gotten dirty or fouled in the two years they have been in use.

I put a hose bib on the end of my line with the nipples to that I could drain out air or whatever might be in there. It seemed simpler to install it at the time of construction rather than to have to add it later.

Chris