Bleeding 10mm pipe for drinkers

[scotslad]

Alright folks

 

Just wondering if there is an easy way to bleed plastic 10mm pipe?? Header tank is prob about 1-1.3m )(3-4 ft) so not massively high but similar to other pens

 

1 pen in paticular is alway a real ******, possibly to long a length prob 50m, but other pens with a 30m length fill the end drinker no prob's, with no sucking .

Stripped the pipe of a few drinkers and sucking for ages, getting mouthfuls of water but not running proper.

Got sick of it today so walked away and left it possibly it just needs more time, birds aren't coming till later in week, so not desperate yet.

 

I mind as a kid turning the washer on a bike pump round so it sucks instead of blows, can u still do that?? Would it work in the situ i've described??

Or can u buy cheap suction pumps?

 

Think next year might replace some with alky to get into the middle of en and run a few smaller runs on 10mm, unless someone comes up with a good idea

 

Cheers

[shoot and be safe]

If you have air lock then sucking is the only option.

 

If you can lay the pipe so the water flows, let the air run out or run back to the tank.

Shouldn't make much difference with the length of pipe, although the longer the length the lower the flow

[webber]

I suspect that you've run 50 of the 10mm tube and then teed off this to feed each drinker?

 

If so the problem is 3 fold.

1. the head is low, but opperable.

2. each tee in the chain reduces flow, and so on down the chain.

3. there will also be frictional losses on that length of tube which only add to the equation.

 

 

Have you cleaned out your system with Virkon S or similar product?

You could easily have some debris trapped in one of the runs, try stripping each run down and blowing through each shorter piece.

A better way to do the job would be to run a length of the blue 20 or 25 mm water pipe down the length of the pen and then tee off that with the special saddles that you can buy.

This will immediately increase the flow, and allow you to isolate one of the drinkers in the event of a leak or other problem with a drinker in the system.

 

webbber

[Paul223]

I've always found water will flow no problems as long as there is head, are you sure the tank is higher than the end of the pipe, sounds like you can pull water through by sucking but it then flows back, if so you've not enough head, simples!

[scotslad]

Cheers folks

 

Will probably go down the alky route for next season, and probably should of this year forgot wot a ****** it is to get going.

 

Definately the pipe is lower than the header tank althou more head would obviously help, but hard to get muh more hieght/head as the ibc is already 6ft of the ground at the bottom (which is high enough for 1T of water) and then u have ur header tank which is feeding it.

 

With a bit of luck it might be working today hopefuly it has just needed time to push the air out, or possibly just wishfull thinking

 

Would a adjusted bike pump help, doing a hell off a sucking and not really getting there.

[rich1985]

You would be better to use a larger pipe then t off to your drinkers, or raise tank.

[B725]

As you are using gravatiy to push the water to the outlet and at 50m if the pipe does not fall all the way you will struggle to get any flow 50m is a long way to see by eye if it is falling.The lower the head of water the worse it will be.

[malantone]

 

Change for the 50mm Blue alky and Tee off with 10mm, it will only take a couple of hours and you`ll be ready for the birds coming.

[Paul223]

Changing the pipe will make no difference, in day gone by they used to use a pipe full of water to find a level over a distance, simple an easy if it don't flow you've not got head

[scotslad]

when i laboured on building sites in OZ they still used that to check levels and that was only 20 years ago. Was quickier than getting the laser level or in those days more like a thoedolite.

 

There is absolutely no doubt that the pipe is running down hill as it does always flow just bad to get going initially. No way i can lift the IBC at min so no way can lift the header tank below it

Due to the way i have ran it or type of drinkers i must be creating air locks somehow or just the friction of the small bore.

 

I will re jig it next year not got time to do it this year and not got the parts/saddles etc.

 

Was just hoping to find an old school trick to make the intial suction easier, but will persevre this avo. Cheers for the replies

[TIDES EDGE]

I suspect that you've run 50 of the 10mm tube and then teed off this to feed each drinker?

 

If so the problem is 3 fold.

1. the head is low, but opperable.

2. each tee in the chain reduces flow, and so on down the chain.

3. there will also be frictional losses on that length of tube which only add to the equation.

 

 

Have you cleaned out your system with Virkon S or similar product?

You could easily have some debris trapped in one of the runs, try stripping each run down and blowing through each shorter piece.

A better way to do the job would be to run a length of the blue 20 or 25 mm water pipe down the length of the pen and then tee off that with the special saddles that you can buy.

This will immediately increase the flow, and allow you to isolate one of the drinkers in the event of a leak or other problem with a drinker in the system.

 

webbber

The blue pipe option is your best solution