Siphon Starter

thingiverse

Update: September 19, 2019: The Siphon starter performs well... But unlike the hacked PVC one, it works too effectively at redirecting water flow. Water exits with such force that it sprays in a large circular pattern due to the fillet in the bottom, completely missing the IBC Sump. A deflector has been added which will be uploaded once testing is complete. The Aeration is fantastic though. The Head does not function well at all. It appears that the curved shape causes water to hug the pipe wall and therefore requires a significant inflow to get the water seal to work as per Affnan's research. The large water in-flow does not allow the siphon to break. The 32mm pipe may be contributing to the issue. (The previous hacked PVC one was a 25mm pipe.) More information will follow... I have experienced trouble getting the bell siphon in my chop and flip IBC aquaponics setup to function reliably. It regularly failed to start, and then when I cranked up the water flow, it never stopped. I came across a YouTube video by Glenn Martinez of Olomana Gardens in which he shows his take on a siphon starter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeKODBAZ74E). I built one using PVC pieces, and it worked flawlessly for about two years. Now that I have a 3D printer, and am expanding the unit, I designed and printed one to be used with a 32mm OD PVC pipe. It requires better design work as the bottom chamfer makes for a rough print. It also needs supports for the center piece. A flange to stop the pipe from going all the way through would also be nice. September 29, 2015: Added pictures showing complete bell siphon inner tube with head for better flow. Scaled-down version of https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3665523 to fit 32mm PVC pipe. Also showing https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3745803 remixed to fit 32mm pipe through the lid of a 1000-liter IBC.