Fittings for Ballast system

Hi all,

I looked and searched and read for a week now and can't seem to come up with the answer to this question. So here goes.

Are all fittings created equal?

Can someone that know's, tell me whether or not one brand of fitting is better than another? Now, I'm NOT talking about valves. That topic has been discussed at length many times. The flow-rite valves are the least restrictive, period. But what I would like to know is will some brands of fittings flow more water than other brands?

I realize that ALL fittings that are inserted INTO a hose will have some flow restriction. I understand that. But, does a brand of low pressure fitting exist where the fitting wall thickness is smaller than some of the others? If the fitting was strictly designed for low pressure then the wall thickness would be thinner and therefore would restrict less water.

Anyone run across anything like this?



Thanks,


-Bo

I haven't. Most fittings are sized according to inside diameter. I guess the thing to know is if the fitting you are looking at actually is inside or outside measurements. I personnaly think that those blue waterbed fittings that attach to the sac are somewhat restictive and do not use them on my system. I used 1" PVC and all the fittings for 1" PVC slip over the tube so there is no step down on the inside, it is actually bigger than 1" so it fits the tubing.

If you are talking about the connection from the hose to bag… The general consensus seems to be that the ‘flow rite’ stuff has the least resistance. If you are looking for quick release fittings that is.

Here is yet another pic. I have not decided if I will use flow rite stuff or use the brass fittings that Cliff used on his system. See his ballast system is finished post for part info. The brass ones seem to have a bit more restriction but should hold up better.

You can also order your bags with larger diameter openings if flow is that much of an issue.

Chris, do you have a pic of your connection. I think I remember an old post that had one. I agree the blue fittings do have some restriction to them, but if you are using a self priming pump the little barb on the fitting allows the bags to be sucked completely dry. If you used a PVC type connection the fitting could seal against the bag before all the water was removed. At least it did when I ran a test using a blue fitting with the barbed end cut off.

the flow-rite stuff is the best but you can also use brass which is very small and maybe smaller in thickness than the flow-rite stuff. I used brass barbs on my pump as they were the smallest restriction. You can vaguely see here in my pic.

Yeah, I'm more concerned with permanent connections. I plan on using the flow-rite quik-lok fittings for bag connection, but I'm really asking about all the other connections. Especially in regard to the fittings I'm going to use on my manifold. 3 of the fittings on the manifold will be a 1" 90 and I was just wondering if a brand of fittings existed that was less restrictive than others.

Anybody have any suggestions/comments?




Thanks for the info.



-Bo

(Message edited by xwake on March 13, 2003)