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 all seven totes with new ones and completely replace all plumbing connecting them.
Design considerations
- Use flexible hoses instead of PVC with glue, for easy replacement, more flexibity, and less likely to break
- Pump requires 1" diameter inflow
- Shutoff valves everywhere for safety and quick repairs
New plumbing configuration:
| A | IBC tote with 2" Camlock |
| B | 2" Camlock to 3/4" Male Garden Hose adapter |
| C | 3/4" Garden Hose Shutoff Valve (Male to Female) |
| D | 2' long 3/4" Garden Hose (get some 1' as well to minimize slop) |
| E |
3/4" GHT Female x 1" Male NPT adapter (maybe find a better supplier than this Amazon link) |
| F |
1" Female x 1" Female x 1" Male NPT tee pipe (make sure to get actual NPT) |
| G |
5' Aeromixer Hose, 1" diameter (1" NPT male to female) |
| H |
1" NPT Ball Valve (Female x Male) |
| I / K |
50' Aeromixer Hose, 1" diameter (1" NPT male to female) |
| J / L |
Holes in floor |
| M |
To well pump |
Shopping:
| 7 |
Rebottled or new IBC totes 330 gallon |
The Cary Company EST104097 |
To ship to Empire |
list incomplete
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.
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 tubingThere ispoly tubing available in 50' lengthsand also50' copper. This will certainly be long enough.Thisandthisare probably the valves we need to hook it up to the supply side.Get some extracompression fittings.
With all this in hand we should be able to replace the supply line to the swamp cooler.
Shopping:
| 1 | 1/4 in. x 1/8 in. Evaporative Cooler Angle Needle Valve | Home Depot (link) | |
| 50 feet | 1/4 in. Evaporative Cooler Copper Tube | Home Depot (link) | |
| 1 | 3/4 in. Evaporative Cooler FGH x MGH Sill Cock | Home Depot (link) | |
| 1 | 1/4 in. x 1/8 in. Evaporative Cooler CC and MPT Male Union | Home Depot (link) | spare part |
| 1 | 1/4 in. Compression Brass Nut Fitting | Home Depot (link) | spare part |
| 1 | Mini Copper Tubing Cutter | Home Depot (link) | tool |
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.