DIY "steampunk" Python water changer

[tokpaler]

Living in our neck of the woods have its disadvantages, particularly with shortages of aquarium supplies. One particular supply I was pertaining to was the python water changer. I've seen several DIY plans out there, but most of them involved parts which are also in scarcity here. So I decided to fashion my own using common pipe fitting and garden supplies.

I'm very inept in fabricating things, so I eliminated it altogether and made sure to use materials that requires no or little as possible construction skills. =b

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Brass Jet Nozzle



Female Quick Connect Hose Attachment



1/2" T-Pipe Fitting



I couldn't get the brass jet nozzle out of the fitting without destroying it =b I'll explain how I fitted it later.

1/2" to 3/4" Adapter



1/2" male to male coupler



3/4" male to male coupler



Female Quick Connect Hose Fitting



Male Quick Connect Hose Fitting



A few inches of hoses.

ASSEMBLY



Once you've gathered all the materials, assembly is pretty straight forward. The only real work is finding a way to fix the brass jet nozzle in its place. For this purpose, I decided to wrap the brass jet nozzle in garden hose to make it fit better and provide an airtight seal. After that, it's just a matter of forcing it into the end of the T-pipe and making sure it's straight.

I found through trial and error that placing it a few centimeters just before the intersection works best.



Also, I found that fitting a few inches of hose inside the adapter makes for a stronger vacuum.



Once you've assembled everything, it should look like this.



The nearest faucet outside our house already has a quick connect fitting attached to it so using the "python" is just a matter of sticking it in their. Once you're done siphoning water out of the tank, I use another quick connect hose fitting with an "aquastop" feature to divert the water to the aquarium.

I started this project as a proof of concept. Once I proved that the design worked, I never had time to polish it and I was hoping that by posting it here, bigger brains would have an idea how to improve on it.

So as usual - comments, suggestions and violent reactions are very much appreciated =)

[jhays79]

Slick!