clear plexi top

Hi
yes I am the newbie here now, my name is billy I am from New Jersey USA. I am so happy to have found this forum. I wanted to know why all of the tops are clear? couldint I just use 4" or 8"pvc and a hard cap? then drill out for a brass nozzel to start. what am I missing.

Hi and welcome
We are also glad you did join us

I use lexan on the top, reason is that I dont find any other material to use !!
Lexan is more softer than plexi, my plexi did actually break because of the pressure from the pump

One other way why I use clear lexan is that you more easy can see that everything is OK inside the nozzle.
You can also see if any alges is starting to tear up the inside !

Hey! It's nice to meet you.

I started with a 4" diameter tube and used a cap for the nozzle. Plastic as the nozzle doesn't work you can't get it cut round enough. Then I went to a design similar to what you are saying. That worked just fine, however, the arc wasn't big enough for me. So that is why I went to an 8" nozzle. You could use 8" end caps and cut the hole for the brass ring, but the reason I didn't do that is that the end caps get really expensive. You will also have to verify that the end caps are flat on the interior. You don't want to have a rounded interior because that will just mess up the flow.

I like to ask what your goals are with this project because that will determine a lot about how to design the nozzles for you. For example if you just want a small arc you could go with 4", if you want a large arc you should probably start with 8".

Regards,

John

I too started out with clear plexiglass - however I cracked the top with too much pressure and the pieces shot out - not cool.

This place offer great prices on plexiglass and PVC sheets. Its very strong, easy to cut but you cant see into the fountain.

http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/pvcsheet.html

Hello again
thanks for the help so far. I guess my goals are to Mimic something like the jumping jets at Epcot Orlando FLA USA.
I was just down to Disney and every time I see that I just love it. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I have been a plumber for over 30 years. well any way I would like to build some laminar nozzles to place around my fish pond, or just in the yard. I have a great interest in adding led lighting so I would like to build it right from the start. I have been poking around a bit with the thought of 12 V or maybe 110 Volt solenoid on GFI circuit instead of a cutter. I have seen some wave controllers for fish tanks and wondered if I could use them to control the solenoid valves. http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com/wavemakers/jbj-ocean-pulse-duo-wavemaker-2-pump-capacity-/prod_2169.html
Thanks Again
Billy

I dont think it will work for the leap frog or jumping effect.
The build up of pump pressure causes the stream - when you cut the stream we are basically diverting the stream from the outlet and when allowed to exit the nozzle the stream pressure is still there.

It appears that the wavemaker just adds turbulence to the water in cycle. However if you use a variable A/C water pump you can vary the output of the pump. Essentially the laminar arch is there - less pump power - less arch - more pump power - more arch. I have i ball valve in line between the pool and fountain and can vary the size of the arch. But doing it with a pump and controller is especially cool because you can computer control it and set up preprogrammed sequences

That would give the effect of variable sizing of the arch - which is very coo all by its self.

Hi
I thought that the wavemaker controller would control one outlet at a time, 10 seconds - 6 minutes.
One on one off, I could be wrong but that is what I thought it said. Anyway my problem is I am not an Electronic wizard, I think I will get disenchanted after I blow up a few circuit boards that I build trying to make a controller.
I would like to find a controller that I can use right out of the box if I can. My thought was to use one solenoid to feed the nozzle and the other can feed a second nozzle or just go to drain, this way the pump is always running. I did look at the video from mad lab with the stepper motor cutter and it looks great. I have started to look around for steeper motors but then I have the problem of pulsing it or building a device that I can use to pulse the motor. I am just looking at my options, I know most of you have done a lot of trial and error, I have learned a great deal in the short time on this web site.
I thank you all for your contribution, so if you have any suggestions about an out of the box controller I could use please point me in that direction. My goal is to start collecting what I need to build the nozzle first.
I will have to look at the pictures some more on the lighting with the led’s, I was not clear on how the brass rod worked and could slide in and out without a leak, O-ring?. And do you seal up the cable to the brass rod with silicone? I also wanted to know how much fiber optic cable is pushed in the nozzle. Are there pictures or videos I could study that break down the fiber optic installation?
Thanks for taking the time in reading my ranting and helping. Somebody posted here that once you start to build one of these it consumes you. He is right I am consumed.
Thanks Billy

I was also planning to use a standard screw end cap top and bottom. They are used for inspection eyes in sewer lines. They are completely smooth on the inside except for a raised square ridge around the edge that retains the O-ring. That could be chamfered on a lathe to make more of a rounded corner or else some silicone could be smeared around the inside of the ridge and partly onto the O-ring to round off the sharp edge.

It screws neatly onto a straight coupling shown in the third photo. One of those top and bottom and another in the middle, with pipe pieces connecting them and then you don't have to try to cut out those split rings for spacers. You can just use standard rings of pipe without needing to cut them across.

This is from a nozzle I tried to build about 12 years ago. It is 4" but you can get the fittings in 6" and 8". Here in Australia at least.

I used a plastic funnel as the nozzle with the thin section cut off and the edge filed sharp. I stretched a stocking over the open end of it which retained the scourer pads. I remember that I got a reasonable stream out of it, but cannot remember any of the details. I connected it to a spare outlet on my pool pump hence the big 40mm fitting. We no longer live there and do not have a pool so I cannot re-test it as it is. The fittings simply push together over the pipe. They are tight enough that there is no need to glue them and it is very simple to dismantle.

I plan to make a similar nozzle with 6" or 8" couplings and pipe. I would naturally use a machined brass hole. The end caps are not thick enough to route out a seating for the brass so I will simply cut a hole right through the end cap and make the brass the exact same thickness as the plastic. Then I will glue a flat piece of plastic on the outside with a smaller hole in it. That will result in a recessed hole (looking from the inside) into which to glue the brass ring.