# airline length



## Victor (Apr 21, 2010)

I know a lot of people have big huge muti-valve air pumps that they use for multiple tanks. I have a fish room where I have tanks across from each other and I was just wondering if I ran a 15-25 foot airline to get from where I situated the pump to another tank, how much pressure do you think I would lose?

Thanks!


----------



## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't have an answer, but that would depend on your pump. What brand\model are you looking at and is it solely for airstones?


----------



## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

The friction/pressure loss from length is likely not an issue when it comes to air.

I do run mine up the ceiling and across say total 15ft of airlines. The level of the air pump relative to the water level and the depth of the air stone(s) would determine the pressure head it is pushing against. Of course the type of air stone and hence the bubble size would make a difference.

Just my experience, not a fluid mechanic expert  Should be easy to do a trial and error?


----------



## Victor (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks, I just thought I ask before I go out and buy a bunch of airline


----------



## Victor (Apr 21, 2010)

effox said:


> I don't have an answer, but that would depend on your pump. What brand\model are you looking at and is it solely for airstones?


No, all sponge filters

thanks!


----------



## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Victor said:


> Thanks, I just thought I ask before I go out and buy a bunch of airline


At that length, you may want to check out the tubing at HomeDepot. I think they come on 20 ft length.


----------



## April (Apr 21, 2010)

It's when you have tanks up and down and deep tanks you get sponges not getting enough air. If you raise it just about 6 inches off the ground it goes.

---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.275089,-122.835445


----------



## Victor (Apr 21, 2010)

gklaw said:


> At that length, you may want to check out the tubing at HomeDepot. I think they come on 20 ft length.


Thanks, i'll check it out tomorrow. I was originally planning on going to J&L cause I think they sell it for 12 cents/foot. Hopefully Home Depot will be around that ball park so I don't have to make a trip down to J&L for a small purchase


----------



## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Not that I want to take business away from JL or any of our sponsor.

The ones at HomeDepot is actually more but much heavy wall than typ. airline so there is less chance of kink for long run. They are actually a little bit more than JL but probably the saving in gas will pay for it already 

Watts | SVEB20 clear vinyl mini-coil 1/4 Inch OD X .170 ID | Home Depot Canada


----------



## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

Depending on many outlets the air pump is servicing and the distance (length of air line) away from the pump, there will be some air loss. Just like hydraulic dynamics, same with air, the greatest pressure will be at the source which is at the pump outlet.
I think to overcome that problem, I have seen fish rooms with pvc pipe running along the back of tanks in rows carrying the air. Every now and then, there are little valves where you can plug in an air hose for connection.
Here's a paste from Angelplus site:


> Air System: It's worth putting in a central air system. 99% of hobbyists with a fish room will not use individual power filters. They are expensive, take up a lot of space, are labor intensive and do not work any better than simple sponge filters. Small individual air pumps are a huge pain, leaving a central air system the only practical way to handle most fish-rooms. Build the system with PVC pipe, using the largest diameter you can. The smaller the diameter the greater the resistance to the airflow, which will reduce the number of outlets you can run. Make sure to seal it well. Even a small leak can lose enough air to run many outlets. The best systems bring the PVC as close to the tanks as possible to enable the use of the shortest possible airline drops to your filters. The less airline, the better your system will work. If building the system with a blower, you must have a loop in the PVC with no dead ends. The first 10 feet off the blower must also be a straight run. With blowers, it's much more important to use larger pipe. A minimum of 1.5" diameter PVC is needed for efficiency. For reasons of noise, ease of building and flexibility, most will go with a linear pump like an Alita.


----------

