Copper fittings, OK?

[Coinr]

I thought I read somewhere that there were certain types of metals you shouldn't use in your pond. Of course I can't find where I read this and can't find a good answer. I need one fitting that the pond store is out of and all I can find at a hardware store is a copper one. Any thoughts?

 

[addy1]

Cooper can kill snails in a pond, I would guess a copper fitting, if it leeches into the pond, could be bad. But don't know for sure.

 

[Waterbug]

Copper is a problem for fish at certain levels, just like all animals. Animals need copper to function but it's toxic if too much. Some people would never allow any copper near a pond, but that's a knee jerk reaction. A single copper fitting is no big deal. Maybe if you ran you pond at a really low pH or never did water changes you could be a little concerned. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[JohnHuff]

Use brass instead if you can find it.

 

[Coinr]

Thanks for the replies.

I listened to my wife and checked a small plumbing store. I was able to get a non metal fitting there.

 

[pugle1]

Since you've solved your problem, this is a moot point, but with the exception of having acidic water, a copper fitting or two isn't a big issue. We drink water from copper pipes after all. The bad "coppers" to have are mostly found in pigments. Copper sulfate being one. I'd worry more about the solder that joins the copper pieces together. Even then, it's really more of an issue when the water sits in contact with the copper or solder for long periods of time. If the water is constantly moving, it doesn't have the opportunity to pick-up the copper ions or lead ions from the solder. Again that too depends on how acidic the water is. With a normal pH range.... not a big issue.

Earlier, someone was asking about an ornamental piece being in contact with the water. I think that's where you got your info from. That's long term contact, but as part of the plumbing, if the water is always on the move, it's all good.

 

[Coinr]

The great thing about this site is that there's so my information, but the downside is it's easy to forget exactly what you read or if it was from some other source.

The fitting was actually a barbed reduction coupler (at least I think that's what it's called) I needed for my spitter hookup.

I know I read somewhere about metals to avoid in the pond and couldn't find if copper was one of them. Being new to this I'm still trying to proceed with caution. Especially with something like the spitter. It wasn't vital to have it running immediately.

Thanks again

 

[don't ask]

i was gonna say lowes or depot should carry plastic/pvc type fittings but your wife deserves the credit...

 

[Waterbug]

That's long term contact, but as part of the plumbing, if the water is always on the move, it's all good.

Why would moving water affect copper transfer to water?

 

[pugle1]

Hi waterbug. The way it was explained to my by our lab technician at work is that deionized water picks-up ions from other materials readily. For regular (re city, pond, river) water to pick up ions from other materials readily the water needs to be in contact with those materials for long periods of time as that water is already "saturated". Water that is constantly moving through a system that contains few or a small number of fittings isn't in contact with those materials for a long enough period of time for any large amount of transfer to occur. By "saturated" it was explained to me that regular water is already loaded with disolved materials (salts, mineral ions etc). This "regular" water will still pick-up disolved mineral but is not going to pick them up as readily. For the short period of time the flowing water would be in contact with the fitting mentioned by the OP, it wouldn't have the chance to draw an excess amount of copper from this single fitting. Water "standing" in the fitting would over time absorb a large amount of said material, but as soon as the water started flowing through the fitting, the rate at which the mineral copper would disolve into the water would diminish. The small amount of water sitting in the fitting for that extended period however would release a "small but concentrated" dose of copper into the system once the water started flowing. At least, that's how it was explained to me. I may be wrong... but my lab tech is pretty up on his game, and too, my nature is that of one who likes to learn, so I tend to read a lot (not much of a TV guy unless it's something educational), and I recall seeing something at one time or another related to this issue long before I ever got into the pond hobby.

This is just my opinion based on what I've read, and from questions asked to someone in the know (chemical lab tech).... so judge me based on that. I'm always willing to admit when I'm wrong about something and always willing to learn,

BTW... my pond is filled with town water that was fed to us via iron water mains and through the house via copper pipes. In my household, the water moves through the system a lot and is not standing for long periods of time (you should see my water bill....lol)

Cheers!