Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

duplicate deleted.

Would people using siphons, please tell me the distance between the bottom of their grow bed and water level in the FT or receiving tank ?

Rupert

You have me totally confused now

What side of the fence you on?

Sorry dude, your last message is in riddles.......

Neither reaally... personally... I don't see the advantages in siphons... but I don't buy the supposed "disadvantages" of a timer standpipe configuration... as usually proposed...

I'm on the side of logic... or even empirical evidence...

Empirical evidence... or at least anecdotal evidence.. seems to suggest that a myriad of people have trouble with their siphoned systems... but virtually nobody posts about having trouble with their timer/standpipe systems....

awwww - now even more confused :p

Me, im a CF fan cos of whats listed. Ive had no issues with siphon however will stay mainly with CF and a couple of Timed systems, to try

ok, that i can definitely see and agree with

Yep, 5 threads on the first page of active topics with the word "siphon" in the title...

April last year was the most recent thread about standpipes, and apart from 1 thread about solar timers last month, the last timer thread was 6 months ago..

Syphons are definately the most discussed topic of the forum

Make that bell syphons Charlie, and I would agree with you. (its been going on for years)
The simplest most easy to understand and tune is the external loop.
The most robust, although some may not consider it a syphon, (and if I wasn't cheap and use vacuum cleaner hose) is a flout, its used in dirtier environments than AP.
Frank and Thorn devised toilet type dumping mechanisms which deserve some credit.
I may be wrong on this but I can't see me using a bell.

I don't disagree with the fact that pumps occasionally don't restart, for whatever reason, in any and every type of system, but the point you're missing is that If I choose to turn the pump off at feed time so I can get a good look at my fish... and it doesn't restart when I flick the switch... I'm right there to do something about it, whether that be to give the pump a rattle, or even give it a clean.

Whereas if your timer turns on and your pump doesn't restart... or your timer simply fails and doesn't turn on... and you're up the coast for the long weekend icing some barrels and chasing grommettes... what then?... While I'm away the pump in my siphon system runs 24/7...

Also...


What's Darth Vader and his buds got to do with it?...

But... if you're up the coast for the long weekend... and your pump fails...

Regardless of whether you're running siphons, or a timer...

You're away... and the pumps not working...

Given your pumps sometimes don't start.. after turning them off... and then reapplying the power....

I'd be more worried about power outages... and your pumps....than the siphons, or timer... while you were away...

Apart from which... the only time I've ever had a pump not turn on... when the timer turned on....

Was due to a pump problem... not a timer problem...

The only times I've had a timer problem (twice in over 5 years.. in two timed systems).... the pump was fine...

And a simple swap out of a $12 timer... had the system(s) purring along perfectly... for another 2-3 years... no "jiggling" required....

While I've had a few problems (usually weather related) while I've been away... I've never had a timer problem....

And in normal operation... even with power outages... I've never had my pumps refuse to start... once the power was reapplied...

But then again... as I said... I don't have siphons... like you... it's the siphons... Im tellin ya....

It's either that... or by the evidence tended.. the AquaPro pumps... like to be turned off more than once or twice a day...

Perhaps you should put them on a timer....

This is slightly drifting away from Syphons
I tend to get quality pumps, however Troutman runs duals (this may be interesting). 8x out of 10 restart problems are due to cap failing, the rest are due to (1) crap workmanship or (2) stupid filtering. If a pump fails to start due to cap problems they will run (not efficiently) when the impeller is spun. Duals can be run in series or independently. Running in series will restart the pump (if cap problem) however it won't solve (2).
Sorry had a few beers just rambling .