Gayflower: Spring 2025 Plan

Reference Photo:

0. Plywood backing

Get a fairly large piece of plywood to serve as backing for all the gear that is mounted on the rear wall here - the spider box, the control box, the electronic things, and, in the future, the plumbing stack for the pump outlet.

Shopping:

1	3/4" Plywood 24" x 48" panels	Home Depot in Reno	They sell precut 24x48 pieces or buy 4'x8' pieces and cut in four   Consider buying an extra 14 to replace crappy shelves in Empire Fort
20	Wood-to-metal self-driving screws #10 diameter 1 1/2"	Home Depot in Reno (link)	We might have them in the tool fort

1. IBC Tote Replacement

Replace

Newall seven totes willwith benew orderedones fromand Thecompletely Caryreplace Companyall forplumbing deliveryconnecting tothem. Empire

Design considerations

• TheUse existingflexible PVC-basedhoses connectioninstead betweenof thePVC toteswith glue, for easy replacement, more flexibity, and theless pumplikely into the front is too fragile.break
• ThePump connection in the back is too thin, since the harbor freight pump wantsrequires 1" diameter intake.inflow

Shutoff valves everywhere for safety and quick repairs

Here's

a sketch of my current thinking for new

New plumbing between the totes:

configuration:

Each

 

A IBC tote comes with a 2" camlockCamlock valve. OurtoteB vendor,2" Cary, can provide an adapterCamlock to 3/4" gardenMale hoses.Garden

At thisHose adapter

we installanC extra3/4" inlineGarden valveHose Shutoff Valve so it's easy(Male to turnFemale) on andoff.D

We

2' use short, standard,long 3/4" gardenGarden hosesHose (1' -5'E depending on situation) - readily available from Amazon.

The3/4" "tee"GHT connectionFemale is designed to combine two hoses as onex 1" NPT.Male ItNPT wouldadapter combine:(maybe find a better supplier than this Amazon link)

a F

1" Female x 1" Female x 1" Male NPT tee pipe (make sure to get actual NPT)

with two G

5' 3/4"Aeromixer GHTHose, 1" diameter

H

1" NPT Ball Valve (Female x Male)

I / K

50' Aeromixer Hose, 1" Malediameter

NPT adapters J / L

Holes in floor

M

To well pump

 

 

 

Shopping:

7

Rebottled or new IBC totes

330 gallon
2" Camlock Valve

The Cary Company
EST104097 To ship to Empire

   

 

 

Because the intake for the pump wants 1", and each tote is constrained via a garden hose fitting to only 3/4 of an inch, we need to open at least two totes at a time to provide enough water flow.

Once everything is scaled up to 1" NPT, we'll use Aeromixer 1" hoses. These have the benefit of handling a lot of water flow and being highly flexible. 

2. Evaporative Cooler Supply Rerouting

The water supply line for the evaporative cooler should be rerouted so it does not interfere with that IBC tote. Also, it might be responsible for the leak at the top of the pump.

• The existing line is almost certainly 1/4" copper tubing
• There is poly tubing available in 50' lengths and also 50' copper. This will certainly be long enough.
• This and this are probably the valves we need to hook it up to the supply side.
• Get some extra compression fittings.

With all this in hand we should be able to replace the supply line to the swamp cooler.

3. Make pump easily replaceable

Currently the pump is plumbed with PVC and glue for both input and output.

• Once we complete step 1 (replacing the IBC totes), the input will be coming from a 1" NPT hose that can screw directly into the pump with just some teflon tape, so this side can be easily replaced.

Need to figure out how to change the output side so it too is using an easily replaceable NPT hose, or maybe sharkbite fittings.