Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

ah I haven't been back to this thread in a while. The pumperflouternating is actually going very well for the time being. I've got some other ideas in the works for gravity flow sequencing as well so if you are really interested in talking about specifics pm me.

I have tested gravity modified indexing valves with a barrelponics type flush tank and it can work but you need quite a bit of height to make it reliable and the mechanics of the flush valve actually tend to fail more than I like if you are going to put that much into it.

I think a FLOUT tank could work very well to drive an indexing valve but again, you still need enough height to work with to make it function and when you start adding a flout into it there are a few important things involved in balancing flow rates to allow the flout to work while also dealing with an indexing valve.

For ease I think the CHTP mark 2 would be the easiest option. And if you need a "clean water" section to feed NFT or something, I've got some ideas that could make that work too.

I use Jandy's similar valve to split my pump flow into two flows, BED and BACKtoTANK.
Been running almost a year and it does not jam up with bio-jam. I pump pretty dirty too (my sump is the FT).
The best feature of these is there is NO WAY to just block the pump outlet with them, the water goes one way, or the other way, or both - but the exit is never blocked off by the valve itself. You can't say that about the "ball valve at each outlet" model.

Art Ludwig pumps greywater (laundry water) thru them and says he has never seen one clog even from the dirtiest water.

I don't use the actuators though. Pricey and overly tech-y for me.

Thanks for the replies, people. Good ideas.

Thanks for the links, AZdesertFarmer. Those valves look like a good alternative for low presure/gravity systems.



Great way to increase sump volume. This is one of those ideas that make me slap myself on the head and say 'why didn't i think of that!'
I read all of TC's system thread but I must of somehow overlooked that or it just didn't register.



I am thinking your CHTP suggestion would be the "easiest option" as well, TC. However, since the valves AZdesertFarmer linked to are operated by electricity rather than water presure then you could run one pump 24/7, could you not? Of course, I don't know if the valves would be as reliable/simple as your suggested CHTP.

And yes, I do plan to set up NFT's and perhaps a raft bed as some of the veggies in my rafts did so much better than it did in the dirt garden... (My wife was amazed. We've been eating fresh salads every day. We've just never been able to grow salad veggies well here in our soil)
My system is curently set up wrong in that my rafts are not fed 'clean water' and some of the veggies have had to be pulled because their roots had become nasty. So, yes, I would love to hear your ideas on "clean water".

Thanks again, folks,
Mikey

Sminfiddle, if you don't use the actuators, then what do you use? And I'm curious, when you say they are "overly tech-y for me", do you mean they are finicky, unreliable, not user friendly???

Mikey

I don't think the grow bed sump expansion idea is in my system threads through I've mentioned the idea of a gravel filled sump before in many places. You will probably find some diagrams in the useful diagrams thread to help with the grow bed sump expansion idea.

For being able to feed clean water to rafts or NFT you might simply round things such that the gravel beds drain to the raft bed if heights work for that and the raft could drain to the sump tank, you might even place a small pump in such a raft bed to feed up to NFT. Or you might place a "clean water" catch barrel or something to get water from the grow beds before it drains to the sump tank and in such a location you could place a small pump to feed NFT and/or a raft bed.

I expect the biggest problem with the actuators is that you would then need a controller to operate the actuators. That is the biggest problem I had with making my home made low pressure automated valve, it was the brains for it, which then got fried by a bug getting into it.

The valve and the actuator are quite inexpensive but looking at the controllers for such things,
Well here is one

Edit by admin "westsidewholesale are a horrible company"

Thanks TC, I was just taking a closer look at those valves and actuators...
Could you not use a simple timer for the 'brain'? Excuse my simple minded questions...this all new to me and I'm trying to learn all I can before I start my larger system.

The spa valves only have a three way diverter (actually two) and my larger system will have multiple beds, so the CHTP with indexing valve...or the large sump with constant flow, still seems the most appealing to me at this time.

Mikey

Yea...no thanks.

No a simple timer would probably not be able to control a motorized valve actuator. I don't know exactly how those actuators are built or controlled but I think there is probably more to it than simply turning the power on/off since the actuator needs info about which way to turn the valve and when.

I use this valve as the first split right off of the pump. Used to manually fine-tune the ratio of WaterReturn / Water2Growbed.
The White PVC is 1.5 inch from the pump. 1 inch poly pipe goes left to the GB, the other just dumps back in the pond at a good angle to get a swirl going.I'm not changing it but once every 20 days or so... so I use my hand.

I'm going to be getting plenty tech-y when I put a Master Siphon in with a FLOUT. The Drain Cycle will actuate a switch that shuts off the pump. Don't need to automate the diverter, but that'd be another way to get it to index, certainly.

Thanks for the explaination, Sminfiddle. Looking forward to seeing your "tech-y" system.

Mikey

The actuators run on 24V AC. the same as irrigation valves. You should be able to use an irrigation timer to control them. They have two power leads. One for clockwise rotation, the other for counter-clockwise so you would just use a multi zone sprinkler timer and tye one lead to each zone. so when zone 1 is on, the valve turns clockwise, zone 2 activating turns it counterclockwise, etc. I would set the zones to water for the minimum time just to turn the valve. I'm getting a little tech-y with mine because I have a friend who is into electronics. The microcontroller he is using only costs about $30. I've looked at the coding for it and it's pretty simple. If you want to change things around, hook up the laptop and change the coding. When I get it all up and running I will post pics and explain the system.

I expect you have to be able to only turn on the zone for a very short time, I would worry that having the valve motor running beyond the amount of time it takes to turn the valve might risk burning it up. I don't think most sprinkler valve timers allow for less than a minute of operation and most that I've seen only allow like 4 on/off programs per zone per day.

Please do.

Mikey