Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi,

Has anyone had issues with pumps not starting when the timer flicks on?
I've got a couple of pumps that run fine but if they are switched off, then switched back on again, they don't start and need some assistance by either loosing the cover in front of the propeller or even turning it manually to give it a kick start.

Do you think its to do with dirt build up or the pump is too deep to start by itself?
Think my pumps are all Resuns.

Cheers

Either the pump needs cleaning out, or the starting capacitor is fried.

Both require pulling it apart

DOH will give it a clean this weekend and see how we go

Cheers mate

Most caps are now embedded when they pot the pumps (unless its an external pump).

I've had two cpacitors pop over the years... both in Ebara's...

Both times a $20 capacitor change... brought the pumps back into service like new...

quick update,

pulled apart the covers and propellors of the pumps and cleaned out a fair bit of gunk in there.
Probably caused alot of resistance for the pump because when i put em all back ..they worked blardy brilliant again.

And they both started up first try. However i did turn them off again to do something else and when i turned them back on only one started by itself. The other needed another tap on the propellor to start again.

However, pretty happy that the flow rate is way way way back up again. Didnt really realize how much flow rate had decreased over time.

Keeping the system constant flood so the problem of it not starting up again isnt a huge issue i guess.

All 5 of my lagunas are going well, nearly 3 years with no problems. I just clean them out once a year.

More of a brag than a serious post about aquaponics pumps.
Tyco 500kW 1000V submersible pump.
Generally reliable but always gets the blood pressure up when we start this thing. It discharges about 2000l of water from the over pressure relief on start up. Most impressive as long as you're standing clear.
Gets a bit expensive if it breaks. Motor is hand wound with water cooled windings. Occassionally the winding insulation gives up. Expensive exercise with lots of stress.
It's about 8m long and currently installed at about 150m down.
Faces obscured to protect the supposed innocent.

What is it for, discharging water into space?

It's for dewatering old underground workings before the longwall goes under in a deeper seam. Off the top of my head it's good for about 400m3/hr.
Discharging into space could be a good option. Don't know if the enviros will let us though. No sense of humour.

Great, so it would be good for 400 IBCs per hour. So if you harvested two IBCs of fish per day, you would have about 50 fish per day, and need about a square mile for all of the vegetables that would be needed to filter that many IBCs.

Somebody needs to TL:DR this forum. I'd love to know what people consider the "winners" and "losers" but 40 pages is intimidating for me and I'm sure every other noob...

What does TL:DR mean?

TL;DR
(Internet) too long; didn’t read. Used to indicate that one did not read a (long) text, or to mark a short summary of an overly long text.

Right, I get it, like when Bunson posts his tome on the nitrification process compleate with graphs and a you are here arrow.