You could use a paper towel holder and cover it with foil to strengthen it.It will eventually deteriorate but it could last several months.These are food safe materials.

I used a 16" flanged plastic tube from Lowe's, think it was $2.

Thanks for all who responded. Taps plastic has acrylic which costs a bit more. I am still research how safe that is. But it's difficult to find info as those are not normally used for food application.

I've not made a swc yet but from what I've seen of the construction, isn't there enough waste to form a tube with some pop rivets?

Ya'll are assuming the tops and bottoms are safe. The tube could go in at an angle with the pop riveted seam facing upwards?

Johnny, if you are really concerned about PVC, then you might consider CPVC which is approved for interior HOT water piping. That article you show the link for is a bit dated.

Schedule 40 PVC is currently government approved for carrying potable water from main supplies into homes and businesses all over the country.

Standard PVC (New Schedule 40 and even older stuff) will not begin to outgas under heat until the temperature reaches at least 155F and only then under a pressure of 3 atmospheres over a period of several days.

IF the house you live in was built in the last 15 years, then it is extremely likely you have PVC in one form of another from the road all the way into your house and CPVC throughout your home's distribution system - hot and cold.

PolyVinylChloride - ain't it amazing how much is around.

Even if ..if .. if a molecule leached out into the water reservoir on a SWC, it is unlikely the tomato could pull that into its root system and deliver it to a fruit. The molecule is too large to pass thru the stem to fruit membrane - you know, the one that shuts down to let the fruit ripen.

And, wouldn't nursery pots be made of something different?? And if the outgasing was easily achieved and was a concern, wouldn't the color at least be lighter and not "max heat absorbing Black"???

I see it as a NON-issue. If you're really concerned, request a MSDS from the manufacturer. Material Safety Data Sheets are required by law and must be available free to anyone who requests them.

Ted

Ya, I'm not really worried about it at all. I mean what about the container itself? Buckets, totes, random plastic pots etc. And what about the soil itself, they can put alot of things in soil and call it soil, I mean I have found some funky things in bagged potting mix. Trust in Schedule 40.

Damon

Wow. That is quite alot of GREAT information Ted. I really, really appreciate it. I have learn so much from your post.

I will try to find CPVC, but it's not a must have for me.

Thanks Damon and thanks everyone for their inputs.

CPVC is in all the big box stores (Lowes, Home Depot, and all hardware suppliers) and you can recognize it by its color. Schedule 40 is usually pure white. CPVC is an off-white color (kinda a light yellowish gold). It's easily found in 1/2" and 3/4" ID and costs a little bit more than Schedule 40.

For SWC's, look a little further and get the white thin-walled PVC used for drains. It's super cheap, comes in larger diameters, and SWC's don't really need piping that can stand pressure like PVC and CPVC.

There's also a heavier walled Black piping that is used for main sewage lines, but that stuff is heavy.

Each of the above have a different "PVC Glue" that essentially makes a chemical "weld" between two pieces. There is also an all purpose glue you can use on all of them.

Ted