Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Sorry for the OT But I've never heard of either countries, nor capital cities of countries named either Perth or Newcastle. I do however know these are placenames taken from elsewhere


Yes indeed, welcome back from the disconnected dark recesses of the primitive holiday world and a very happy new year

thanks all.....

looking forward to starting construction on the new AP system around march 1st...

the GH is full of veggies in dirt right now.... as soon as its warm enough, I will clean it out
dis-assemble all the existing tables and start over

did I say I was looking forward to ALL THAT WORK? LOL

jT

We live not far from East Berlin, PA. And Hanover, and York too...

If you ever get near this way again PM me and we'll have a meet up!

hey

will do..... we go up at least once a year........

pm me your email addy

thanks
JT

Hey all....

Im looking for input on some type of timer to use..... since I will be a using chift pist system

I would like it to be a digital timer and be able to program it down to 1 minute increments..

what would make it even better is if it were a dual timer... so I could run the pump and air pump.... would like to not run the air pump 24/7 if possible...

would need a minimum of 15amp capability....

maybe we need a thread on timers...???

thanks
JT

best cheap timer that will do that is HPM can get from the dreaded 'B'
they allow 24 programs to be set with minute increments.
You could then make this a double timer (I assume you mean, one on one off) by buying a relay and doing a little bit of wiring in a box. I'll draw the circuit if you need it.

Otherwise if you have an idea about programming, or are willing to learn some simple code, a programmable relay would be the way to go, but this will be more expensive, due to it being so flexible. Look at the "Siemens Logo" or equivalent, there are a few on the market from different makers, but this is the only one I know by name.

thanks for the info.....

Would appreciate the wiring dia. I also dabble in some visual basic programming... so I would try that also...

jT

don't know if these things are any good ....

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/3-Sockets-Digita ... dZViewItem

Or suss out the hydro stores.... they have a myriad of solutions... often pricey though...

Here's another "cheapo" solution... http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Control-Wizard-H ... 638Q2em122

will check it out...ya never know...

jT

If you can program anything, this shouldn't be beyond you... Check out this site for a nice flexible complex timer, with RTC

http://www.bb-elec.com/product_multi_family.asp?MultiFamilyId=39

Schematic to convert a standard 'ON' timer to an 'ON - OFF' timer.

thans for the input....

we dont have hydro stores around here.... dont know why..

jT

well been alittle busy since I got back....

here is the newest sketchup of my system....

taking ideas from all the members, I have refined this design to this point...

I will call it an FFCD (fast fill - constant drain) as suggested by a byap member...

I looked at the easiest way to use one pump on a timer for a CHIFT PIST system

you can see in the layout that the FT overflow will divide into two filler pipes for the
GB's On the bottom GB's I will have ball valves to regulate the flow to match the timing for the large GB.

to refresh every ones memory, instead of going back thru the thread..

FT = 605 Gallons

LRG GB with gravel - 179.5 gallons (conservative 50/50 ratio)
sml GB's with gravel - 94 gallons (conservative 50/50 ratio)
Total = 273.5 +/-

ST = 329 Gallons

So when all GB's are full, I will still have 55 gallons in the ST

by using standpipes even when the GB's are filling, there will be a small
percentage of water draining back into the ST...

if for some reason the pump stopped, all water would drain back to the ST so the roots could dry out and if the pump didnt stop, the overflow would continue down the top of the SP's

I added long pipes to help spread out the flow to the GB's..

I added Trellises to the end of the bottom GB's for the veggies that vine..
by being on the north side of the GH, they will not block the sunlight ..

I think I have maximized the space as much as possible.... to fit the footprint of my
existing greenhouse....

This is not set in stone, I'm sure there will be a few more changes......

looking forward to more input.....

thanks
JT

looks excellent as far as footprint is concerned

I wonder what the blue box is above the fish tank

I presume the small box at the foot of the standpipe back to the fish tank is the (exterior) pump

if that is the case, you will need a foot valve on the suction side or a check valve on the output side
else the pump (if not working continuously) must be primed each time it starts, which is not evident:
not all pumps can do this
you need a self priming one

an exterior pump needs (expensive) connections to be able to disconnect it for maintenance

so I would vote for a submerged pump, connected to the pipe with a flexible hose:
easy maintenance, no foot valve needed, no special connections
a check valve on the output side can be an asset as it will impede the standpipe to drain
and is easy to DIY (i.e. a flap or rubber ball valve)

may I launch a maybe revolutionary idea I have been brooding on for some time?

say you would have some spare level in your fish tank

and you would locate a "float" in that spare level in a wire cage so the fish have no access to it

run the pump continuously (no priming issues, constant aeration of the fish tank by the pump's flow)

water level in the tank rises until the float kicks in
the "float" Fast Fills your growbeds
the growbeds Slow Drain into the sump
FFSD is achieved

the cage stops the float from dropping past horizontal level so it kicks out

leaves you with CHIFT from there on.
no risk of draining the fish tank below this level

the pump running continuously slowly raises the level back to where the "float" kicks in
the sequence starts again

this would mean you need a (much) smaller pump
as it must be smaller than the slow drain lest the "float" kicks back in before drain is completed

the greater the difference, the lesser the frequency of Fast Floods

... or am I missing something?

(sh**, I should have patented this idea and become filthy rich )

comments please

frank