Wallaby Hill Dual 2000L/3 Grow Bed System

RupertofOZ

Little bit of drama on site this arvo...

Got a call from Peter to say the wind was extreme.. and the back panels of the greenhouse were "bowing" due to the full force of the wind on them...

Wind wasn't too bad down home here.... but it was bloody aweful on the way up, with trees fallen, or falling all over the road....

Arrived on site and braced the end panels a little... but wasn't really concerned.... but then...

The power went out.... with two trees falling across the main supply to everyone along the road....

With it unlikely to have the power on before tomorrow sometime... and too late to get a generator.... we're hoping the little battery backup air pumps, which we've switched to "intermittant" mode.... are good for the 12-16 hours they're rated at....

Got a spare air pump, and a couple of spare batteries which I'm charging at the moment here at home.... and will see how things are early morning when I get up there....

If I can get up that is.... had to drive through the paddocks to avoid the fallen lines and trees to get out of there tonight... and had to stop three times to remove trees across the road on the way home... :shock:

Peter's windmill isn't looking too good either... with the tail rotor already bent... and the whole pole looking like it might snap....

Jamey

Now there is a Hsm!

Good luck mate! Hope all works out.

RupertofOZ

Well the little battery backup air pumps did what they were supposed to... and were still going when I got up there this morning around 07:30.... so that's about 14 hours+... in intermittant mode...

All fish fine... a trace of ammonia...

Peter arrived shortly after with a couple of generators he picked up first thing from Bunnings.... bargain units too... 2.5kva @ $790.... with a fuel tank that will last twenty hours.... :shock:

Couple of leads... a quick read of the manual... and some petrol... and voila... fully working twin aquaponic systems....

Oh, and I did take a bottle of oxygen up and set it up... just in case... :wink:

Apparantly Origin Energy cleared the lines off the road about 03:00 am... and the SES worked all night chainsawing the trees to get the road open....

Highest wind gust measured on Peter's weather station.... 143 km/h....

swanberg

Very nice save, Rupe! That's what proper preparation is all about! :cheers:

RupertofOZ

Everything is fine on site... with the combination of the genie (which does indeed last 20 hours between refills).... and the battery backup units that will last 14-16 hours...

And just as well too.... Origin got the power back on to Peter's place late yesterday afternoon.... but the wind came back overnight.... and dropped three massive gumtrees across the lines on neighbouring properties... Origin was still there clearing the trees and lines when I left this arvo....

Also got news this morning that both the greenhouses at the Bamarang (Nowra) and Holmes-A-Court (Mittagong) sites have "popped" panels.... unfortunately, short of a round trip 200km+ detour I can't get up due to both Jamberoo, MacQuarie and Kangaroo Valley pass roads being cut/closed due to fallen trees... and likely to remain so for three days....

Can get down to Nowra tomorrow.... and will detour through Picton (and back) to Mittagong on the weekend...

P.S... the wind is supposed to howl again Friday night..... :upset:

Jamey

gee copping a beating mate....

RupertofOZ

Ok... an update....

Trout system is powering along... although the warmer weather has resulted in a bit of an algael bloom and pH issues... and the aphids are driving us nuts...

Attachment: