"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

[Kiwi Pete]

Also never seen those fittings before. So do you just drill the hole and fit the saddle over it?
I see how it could be more secure than a normal T fitting underground.

Yep, me and Mr Milwaukee just put a 24mm hole in the pipe after setting the saddle up (clean the pipe, so the rubber seal part is perfect on the pipe)

 

[martian]

Been moling pipes in Groundswell field, mainly to keep Earthworm Arms watered...

 

[som farmer]

Two schools of thought on tees vs tapping saddles.
I have never used the saddles before but they are simply great bits of kit - adjust it to where you want it, then drill the pipe and screw the fitting in and you're done.
Not that these are buried deep, but you can get the pipe going in square as opposed to cutting the main and then trying to gauge how much to remove to allow for the tee, which can be tricky on larger diameter pipe, buried deep!

As you can probably tell, I just peeled the turf back and then excavated by hand (answers to Jack Russell).

l expect all of us have struggled with water fittings, especially T's on buried pipe. As we have changed our system of farming, w tanks have been moved/added etc. We are getting better, we only bury pipe when we cultivate where they are. The only saddle fitting l have seen used, was on a 12inch high pressure water main, that contained the drill, as well. I shall have to look up the philmac catalogue.

 

[Gulli]

Also never seen those fittings before. So do you just drill the hole and fit the saddle over it?
I see how it could be more secure than a normal T fitting underground.

Very common in NZ, I could never get on with them though always found they started leaking after a while compared with a t
Much quicker to fit though

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Very common in NZ, I could never get on with them though always found they started leaking after a while compared with a t
Much quicker to fit though

Yep I have always heard that they seal a lot better if you shave the pipe clean with a razorblade, gets rid of that shiny surface coating and lets the rubber (many use orings, which is why we use the Philmac ones) grip the pipe - like a tyre tread on a grippy surface vs a slick one

I just wanted something to handle the water hammer from these micros going off

 

[Karliboy]

Speaking of groundswell hands up who’s going this year. I’m still contemplating it as I have a lot on the week previous and week after.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

I'm going

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Been moling pipes in Groundswell field, mainly to keep Earthworm Arms watered...View attachment 954771

Looks like great conditions for it too!

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I'm in and so's my wife.....

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Me too. And daughter Amy, who will hopefully be helping, eh John @martian

 

[Karliboy]

I'm in and so's my wife.....

were you not down as a speaker HC I’m sure I seen you on the old list

 

[Kiwi Pete]

l expect all of us have struggled with water fittings, especially T's on buried pipe. As we have changed our system of farming, w tanks have been moved/added etc. We are getting better, we only bury pipe when we cultivate where they are. The only saddle fitting l have seen used, was on a 12inch high pressure water main, that contained the drill, as well. I shall have to look up the philmac catalogue.

We have only buried the water main and the other lines are laid on top

unless they are in a traffic area, in which case I've laid them in, not deep though.
There will be a micro approximately every 39 ½ metres down each line, I want to put out ¼ of the cross fences this weekend so I get things lined up properly (the wire never lies)

 

[Henarar]

Will you let them grow in Pete

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Yes. This winter will be interesting because I expect them to get a bit frozen while they sit on top, but the sun will thaw them out faster too.

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Yes. This winter will be interesting because I expect them to get a bit frozen while they sit on top, but the sun will thaw them out faster too.

is there a hazard of the water getting hot with surface pipes?

 

[Rob Garrett]

Just been out seeing what leaks and getting the air out of the ends of the lines - if we didn't have much water flow before, boy do we have it now [emoji3]

Really pleased I went for a 40mm main instead of a 32

Any ideas how to stop a gravity fed pipe from airlocking? We have just put a new 50mm pipe in 350 meters from two 5000 ltr field tanks down to a 5000ltr header tank at the buildings. The field tanks are constant fed by ram pump which keeps them between 1/2 and full. There are stop taps either end of the pipe but no T's. The new pipe flow reduces to a trickle about every two weeks, just like the old pipe we replaced!

 

[Whitewalker]

We have only buried the water main and the other lines are laid on topView attachment 954795
unless they are in a traffic area, in which case I've laid them in, not deep though.
There will be a micro approximately every 39 ½ metres down each line, I want to put out ¼ of the cross fences this weekend so I get things lined up properly (the wire never lies)

Forgive me for being thick but how is your grazing system working now ?

 

[onesiedale]

Any ideas how to stop a gravity fed pipe from airlocking? We have just put a new 50mm pipe in 350 meters from two 5000 ltr field tanks down to a 5000ltr header tank at the buildings. The field tanks are constant fed by ram pump which keeps them between 1/2 and full. There are stop taps either end of the pipe but no T's. The new pipe flow reduces to a trickle about every two weeks, just like the old pipe we replaced!

how much fall is there?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Any ideas how to stop a gravity fed pipe from airlocking? We have just put a new 50mm pipe in 350 meters from two 5000 ltr field tanks down to a 5000ltr header tank at the buildings. The field tanks are constant fed by ram pump which keeps them between 1/2 and full. There are stop taps either end of the pipe but no T's. The new pipe flow reduces to a trickle about every two weeks, just like the old pipe we replaced!

Can you try tapping in a breather pipe up at the tanks, assuming that's the highest point of the line, even just a small pipe with a valve on the end. Water and air are like peas and corn, if you put a breather in and close the lower stop tap, you should be able to get any air out

 

[Kiwi Pete]

is there a hazard of the water getting hot with surface pipes?

Yeah. I'm sure the animals will figure out how to work with it. If they take turns at the trough, (which there is no way around) then it should keep cooler than what we have now - a thinner pipe connected to a trough with storage.

I can vouch for the water being not hot at the moment, that's for sure!

Forgive me for being thick but how is your grazing system working now ?

Poorly, because we don't have electric or fences on ⅔ of the farm, we're limping along with them on the other side

it's a pain in the buttocks TBH