I spend a lot of time recommending parts to people. Most of these recommendations are the culmination of buying (and returning) a lot of parts that look good upfront, but fail down the road. This is something I'm happy to do. For me, it's fun to explore and figure out the various dos and don'ts so that others can have a more trouble-free path.
One place that I kept getting stuck was finding a good source for larger bulkheads, and for my 2025 growing season, I needed a lot of them, so cost was a huge factor. I found them ranging from $45 to over $300 each. The cheaper ones were garbage, some didn't even thread correctly, so there was no way that they would stay water tight. As for the expensive ones... I just don;t have the finances to test them right now. So in enters a side hobby of mine, learning how to use CAD so I can print the things I dream up. Not that I drempt up the idea of a large bulkhead, but I did dream up my own version!
So here it is. The Plant It All 3" bulkhead!
Cool, right?!?
It comes in 3 sizes. Small, medium, and large. The sixe refers to the lenght of the thread. The large, pictured above is intended for thick walled applications, like an insulated resivoir (more on that coming soon), the medium is an inch shorter, and then the small is the minimal size that should fit most bucket walls just fine. In my greenhouse I use the smalls for my plant buckets.
For my uses I printed these from ASA filament (for strength and UV resistance outside), 6 wall loops, and an infill of 30%.
I'm making the files freely available for everyone to use.
I just ask that you do not sell the prints, or pass them off as your own. That and, share the love and let folks know where they can get the files for their uses.
If you feel like you can contribute something, please consider "buying me a coffee." Creating my content is a labor of love, but it can be quite expensive, so every little bit helps to offset some of the cost. I always appreciate every little bit.
Have lots of fun, stay safe, and be sure to Plant It All!
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Plant It All - Printable bulkhead for 3" PVC Large: Medium: Small
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