Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Shot of the 2GBs in the frame

Can't remember - What comes next

oh, that's right...gravel washing

That looks alright Les, it was just wide enough to fit those fittings in by the look of it.. What is the upright for? high water level overflow?

Nice bracing Les

Yep, the upright is used for the overflow if the actuator fails and doesn't pull open the flap (or the rods rust through). I will be running 32mm pipe the length of the grow beds back to the sump tank (32mm cause that is the stuff that VB & I got recently)

Will put up further pics in my thread detailing it a little better


I made the distance as short as possible, put the silicone on the join then grabbed the beds and pulled them together forcibly

These will be your DWC beds I assume Les?

Gonna fill them with gravel then F&D them vb - haven't got to the stage of plumbing the inflow as yet


Remember - there is only just the 2 of us

Okay Les - the drain in side with flap has confused me. Where is the water exiting whent he siphon kicks in?

I don't think there is any siphon in the system VB.... You know some systems don't have siphons.....

Hah!...the flap is the outlet (with actuator attached), doing all the GBs in sequence so not using siphons - only in my nursery/isolation system.

Have had 2 2 GBs trundling along for the past 5 months using the actuators and they work a treat switching the water to GBs in sequence - now building the real model

Will have some pics shortly of it working

The obvious question is vb "haven't you been paying attention to my thread for the last 5 months logging my progress"

Les - I am well aware of your work with actuators (far to clever a thing for me to try and replicate though) - but for some reason thought they were used on the inlet, not the outlet. I assumed that your outlet would be via a drain in the bottom of the bed thereby allowing the outside most standpipe to be turned to cut off roots that get in through the holes/slits. I assume your outer standpipe sits over the top of the pipe with the flap on it - so the standpipe must have a hole cut in the side to accomodate this?? Am I off track?

hey les, have you worked out the service life of the actuators?

look in the instructions for MTBF cycles, then divvy it down, i'm curious!

Steve, worked it out to about 3 years when I 1st started on messing with them (that was once every 30 minute use - now out to once an hour)

VB, using an actuator on in & out flow and the stand pipe will remain in a fixed position...there are no vertical slits, water will flow under the standpipe as it drains...roots will be removed by putting hand down and wrenching them out - the beauty of using a large sized pipe

The water outflow is not critical as in the siphons as long as the bed empties before the next flood cycle begins in that bed.

Pic has been "proof read" so that there are plenty of scale items available (pipe 150mm diameter)

To add to that Steve, the MTBF was worked on 24/7 operation, I have found that I can just set to continuous drain for overnight so the time could be out to about 10 years

Sorry EB, meant to put most of this in my thread but got carried away....you know how it is :deepsigh:

Thanks Les.

i how get to look at this tread chaaa. I have ofter found the best way to join containers that will have the same water level without compromising the said tanks integrati is the use of a syphon. or 2 . a syphon equals the water level so once the water is flowing in one direction it works a treat and they are so easy to install just cut a length of garden hose and bam you got a syphon.