Watering System Resevoirs

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

Ignore the fact that I suck at keeping my hand steady, but here is the two ways I am considering, just in case I have confused some people. Purple L's, Green T's, Blue for the drinking valve, reservoir on top, yellow drain valve. Red is the tubing...most of it is pretty obvious. The one on the right would certainly cost less, but do you all think I will have issues with some of the tubing not being tight against the rack, maybe the rats being able to chew on it (assuming we don't use standoffs)--I don't think it will be a problem, but I would hate to build it and have to rebuild it the other way because of some stupid oversight.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...ckwatering.jpg

Sorry it is so small, photobucket wont let me go bigger.

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We didn't use the L's at the water nozzle like you have drawn, just the T's from the line coming down from the water. I'll go take a pic, back in a sec....

Okay, here we go... Not sure if this is what you are looking for....
http://www.metalmonkeyexotics.com/rack1.jpg
http://www.metalmonkeyexotics.com/rack2.jpg
http://www.metalmonkeyexotics.com/rack3.jpg

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

I understand this...but in your previous post you have 6 T's and an L for a 5 wide system....that still just doesnt add up for me.

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My bad I did not pay attention an type one to many ;)

Perfect Connie...actively useful as always. I assume that works well for you without the L's, so I think I will do the same to help cut costs.

Btw, I really like your cement tub rack...looks a lot nicer than mine...straighter too.

Now...I need some suggestions on how to safely/securely put a reservoir on top of our rack. Unlike yours Connie (doh!), we don't have a nice extension of the columns above the top tub to set a shelf or something on. Ours is almost exactly this rack, with a little bit of extra bracing because I was cheap and used some old/free/warped wood. http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rack/ratrack.shtml

I have been trying to come up with a way to put a reservoir on top without making it a pain in the ass to add food to the top tub...and to no avail. Another hindrance is the fact that it is a little wobbly (not too bad once it is settled), but I would definitely need to be careful about where I put that much weight structurally. I have plenty of ideas, but not enough money to entertain them all until I find the best solution....thats where you all come in. Help me out.

Got a pic of the top of your rack?

Coming right up....

By the way, I think I have two potential ideas. I will take a pic of just the rack, then one of each of my ideas. My biggest issue is just deciding where the best place for that amount of weight to be. In the middle helps the wobble factor, but honestly, I don't know how well wood/screws will hold. 2x2's with 2 1//2" deck screws I think.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...atwater005.jpg
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...atwater007.jpg
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...atwater008.jpg
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...atwater009.jpg

It is kind of hard to see in the pics, but the braces on two of the corners stick up above the top. The second pic uses two dog crate dividers...plenty strong, but maybe not the best weight distribution, and I could see the rats in the top tub still, etc.

3rd pic is the most promising I think. It raises the reservoir for better flow, the little stand happens to sit perfectly between the edges, so long as they will hold the weight. The only major problem with this is that the top of the little stand spins, but a simple screw through it, or just removing it, would fix that.

The last one is probably the most stable...I would remove the legs so as not to spin. This is my second favorite. I can't really see any problems with it.

Let me know what you think would be best of the above, or none of them.

id go with the 3rd pic also but i would just build a shelf to add to the top so its all one piece

I think a couple of small pieces of wood like deb was talking about would do the trick. You dont need a huge tub. Tall is better than long and wide in this case.

Thanks for the help guys. Our stuff to get going should be here Thursday.

I think this is my last question...

How did you put the whole in your reservoir for the connector. I imagine it has to be a nearly perfect (if not perfect) circle in order to get a good seal. Also, what do you do to fill your reservoirs. I don't know if it is the norm to just remove the line from the barb and use the shut-off, or if that process repeated over and over will eventually damage the tubing, in which case you either use something else to fill it in place, or keep taking off the connector, which I think would lead to similar problems.