Hello. I'm new here and just learning so try not to be too rough on me if my questions are retarded. ;) I am trying to find the safest materials to use for indoor hydroponics gardening when it comes to the reservoirs, pipes, fitting, valves, tubing, net pots, and even things like submersible pumps. Hydroponic dealers use questionable plastics (or don't say what they are) and advocate PVC which I don't want to use since these items will be under prolonged exposure to heat, light and moisture. DIY advocates, while their advice is quite useful, don't seem to pay attention to what plastics they are using, and suggest using buckets and plastic totes from hardware stores and things to hold the plants made of neoprene. This does not seem wise to me and while I can't find anything OMRI certified, as it doesn't seem to exist, I want to use containers/totes that are going to be the safest. I did see something called aquatherm pipe but it didn't look like something sold to an individual. I also found some parts scattered around on sketchy websites for BPA-free polypropylene fittings, but would like to know if there are reputable manufacturers/retailer of such parts that will not leach or off-gas. I also want to build a rain barrel system and want to use equally good materials. To that I would like to have a very well made RO system to filter any water I use, be it rain water or tap water. It's hard to tell what manufacturers are reputable and which use the best membranes. I want a system that does not de-ionize the water but that does have a UV unit. I don't need all these systems to connect yet, and the filter does not need to be for the whole house. I would appreciate any information you could share as I've been looking into this for weeks now and am going cross-eyed. thanks

I can't find anything OMRI certified, as it doesn't seem to exist

So, help me understand this. You want a product with all the benefits of modern polymers, but you don't want to use anything that you don't think is "reputable"?
Can you point to any "reputable" work showing that the products you mentioned are toxic in the applications you want?

For example, the amount of BPA used in fittings is very small to begin with, but the amount that would be diluted into a hydroponic system is infinitesimally small and the amount taken up by plants in that system smaller yet.

Reputable means that the website/store doesn't look like it was made in 1999 with a pure blue background and all centered text that renders incorrectly in all browsers and has chunks missing. I'm asking for suppliers/manufacturers that professionals use for green building, people who are more likely to know the latest and greatest tech and safety measures. I can't seem to find this because I'm probably searching incorrectly as I'm unfamiliar with the industry.

From what I've read certain polymers should not be exposed to the conditions used in hydroponics. While they didn't mention it specifically, the conditions are the same or similar. High humidity, heat, and 18-24 hours per day of high intensity lighting seems to fit, particularly when they mention "don't expose to direct sunlight". Some of the lights used spit out 40,000+ lumens.

I don't know if anyone has bothered to test this in hydroponics. If I could find this info myself I wouldn't be asking. Sorry if my question was misleading.

sorry, I should have kept it short and sweet instead of rambling.

What are the reputable manufacturers and resellers? the sites I found that sell parts have small inventory and look sketchy at best. they don't look professional.

thanks

If you are worried about toxic pipes then I would suggest using Pyrex glass piping.

Agree with acwizard. It is a good option to use.