Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

glad to have you back and feeling better

Glad to see you back on deck. Looking forward to pictures

Hey Karen...

Wouldn't worry too much about them long term, I imagine they will go bust like the rest of those style systems. Though it doesn't help when cities keep throwing money at them.

How much money are is going to be thrown at these multistory, under lights systems before people realize that they aren't feasible.



I'd love to see how that's worded in the business plan...

This sort of thing is quite annoying.. It's miles from sustainable.....

What I can't work out is how they get funding with that sort of attitude.

Welcome back Karen!

My old company supplied the RAS design (by Losordo)and equipment so they could use it as a showcase for their equipment. The people running it are very nice (taught them a private 3 day short course last year) and I believe it is a self funded project between the owners. I don't think the model would have any chance without the incentives offered to them by the city and suppliers but people like being part of something big... That's real world buisness.

She's alive!!!

Welcome back.

Yep, this project was engineered and designed by some of the best in the industry. A large consensus is that indoor doesn't work and it is not efficient. That area of the country gets full sunlight for maybe 4 months of the year. Plus, there is a huge demand for local/fresh produce year round.

I believe most of their floor plans now have a 3 tier vertical system and their expansion plans call for 4-5? I could be wrong, but it sounds like they have futures contracts to sell all if their produce for the next 1-2 years. I was told the company is partially privately owned but also partially publicly owned. Not sure on the details, but they sure picked a good building to make it work in.

Thank you all for the warm welcome back! It's good to be back, and to see everyone again.

I filled my first greenhouse with water this past week, and dammit, if something didn't chew a hole in my liner! About 1" diameter, right in the corner, where it'll be hard to patch. I really am curious if the critter was trying to get in (for the water) or get out.


The trough with the hole. It's in the farthest corner, closest to the GH wall. It's going to be an interesting patch job.

And just for fun, some pics of when the GH froze:




(cameo by the dog Jones)

(Sorry the pics are so big. Picasa (google) has become google+, and the way they do pics has changed.

Clicked on the here link in the aeration thread and read it all the way through,i felt sad when i thought you had disappeared then happy when you came back,loving your work Karen i hope all goes well.

Good to see you're back too!

How do you patch the plastic? I've tried a few times, but I can't get anything to stick to it for the life of me.

I would imagine welding it would be best.

I thought my welder would put more holes in it...

How does one weld this sort of plastic? I've seen the PVC welders for pipe, but I thought the plastic would be too thin/different type of plastic?

Welcome back Karen!

Maybe you could reduce the length of that bed to leave only the good liner.

Probably just using an iron would do the trick.

I've tried using a heat gun in the past to help patching, but all it did was warp the plastic. I'm not sure this particular liner would weld very well, because it's reinforced with cloth or nylon fibers. Not saying it wouldn't work, just that it's beyond my skillset.

I did the patch yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to check it yet.

The hole:
(large version: x)

Pulled out of the trough:
(Large: x You can see how much damage the critter did, much more than the actual hole itself. )

The sealant ('Marine Goo' is what Ken called it):
(x)

Find a clean scrap, and mark roughly where to put it. Make a smooth-edged hole. Clean both the scrap and the liner really well.
(x ) (You can kinda see the reenforcement in the patch in the large version of this pic)

Smooth the sealant like you would silicone (which this pretty much is, but it smells much stronger) in a bead around the hole.
Stick on the patch (like side facing like, so smooth sides in), press down, and then put something heavy on it to hold it. Let it cure. Sorry no pics, there's a time limit, and I'm not that coordinated.

(x No fish yet, hence the ammonia)

... and that's where I left it last night.
This process was recommended by the guy (Ken Aguilar, who has been on this forum before. Hi, Ken!) who sold me the liner, and I've used it before on much smaller holes. This will be .... interesting to see if it works, especially since the hole is in the folded corner. I'll cut off the extra scrap today.

If this doesn't work, I'll use Dave's solution of shortening the trough. I hate to do this, I've had to do it once already due to a badly installed uniseal (I love uniseals, I just don't like 'em much, ya know?).

Testing it is a PITA, because these troughs are so huge, they hold a ton of water, and it takes forever to fill them up to see if the patch will hold (and, similarly, to drain it again if it doesn't).

Off I go to do just that!