Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My 2 heaters did this earlier this year - I was feeding the fish and leaned in the steel grate covering the tank and got a strong tingle - pulled out the pumps and heaters to find both heaters broken

I find that even with new pumps you get a tingle in the fingertips when putting your hands in the water - especially if you bite your nails like I do.

Hi All
My 1st post on your marvellous forum..so i guess it might as well be a semi useful one of sorts.

If you used a simple windmill to drive the compressor.. after a few years the $20 pump would probably be the more expensive option with the running costs.
It should be fairly easy to store the air at 30-40psi for when the wind isn`t blowing.

Just a thought

Regards Hex

interesting.

you could size the piston (or gearing) such that it would operate on even a very mild breeze

What about running the windmill through a big gear to a small gear on a 4wd air compressor. A good one with metal gears not nylon ones that melt when too hot should last for a while. That should be able to deliver compressed air to a tank, where it could be stored to operate a pump or a valve.

The compressor could be from a car a/c, i`m not a mechanic though so i`ve no idea of the implications regarding rpm or torque needed to drive one.
Would it need gearing? Perhaps high torque/low rpm might be sufficient to produce 30psi
The windmill could be something like a "greenwindmill" which are quite easy and cheap to make.
A storage tank for 30-40 psi, maybe a simple upturned barrel in a pond with concrete blocks stacked on top of it.
The air pressure would cause it to rise or sink and the air can`t escape due to the water ..as long as it didn`t tip over.

It`s a lot easier to plug in a $20 pump but perhaps not as much fun.

I would say a car compressor is out, I have seen people using them for large hydro experiments but not wind. I was talking about the ones that plug into your cigarette lighter socket.

Better yet, and possibly as cheap is to build a wind generator to power a 12 v pump. But I love the idea and challenge of an air powered air compressor/pump.

Hi Tim
I enjoy trying anything different or unusual.

How about this, It seems possible to drive 3 normal bicycle pumps with a fairly compact wind turbine.

Admittedly it`s been a while since i`ve used a bike pump but 30psi doesn`t seem like much resistance when you pump up a tyre.

If the turbine spins at 100rpm with a reasonable amount of "uumph" you`d get 18,000 pumps per hour or about 100 cu ft/hr using 12" stroke, x 1" bore bike pumps.

Whether it would be useful i`ve no clue lol

well for one i would like a DIY plan to build a wind turbine even if it is only useful for aeration

Hi Caribean-grower

The simplest windmill design i`ve found is the one on the "greenwindmill.com" website.
According to the site they can be used for aeration.
You should get a pretty good idea of how to build one from the photos and the patent.