Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I bookmarked this one. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Thanks Theron. The concrete truck ....boo yah!

Ready for mud

Can't wait until this is done!

Almost done

Now we're ready to get this thing done

Nice looking concrete job Benny. Did you broom finish? Does the underfloor heating cost a lot to run? How effective is it during a Mi. winter? Are you planning on enclosing and insulating rest of fish house? My father-in-law called me a few weeks ago from Houghton lake and said they were at 38 degrees. We were still almost 90 yesterday.

Coach, I'm actually in midland, mi today at a level 3 tennis tournament watching Bennet. It's 78, and feels like 98 with my black t shirt on, lol.

I have a wood boiler in a building next to the greenhouse that heats my barn 16"h x 50" wide x 80" long, my house, garage, and two hot water heaters. I have a manufacturing business that creates a large amount of wood scraps. I use them to heat everything. I've run wAter lines from that boiler to the greenhouse. I'll connect those lines to the greenhouse boiler, which should supply the house/barn system with some extra heat while maintaining whatever temp I need in the greenhouse. I'm sure the greenhouse will use a lot of energy but all I have to do is keep it stocked with wood. I have an abundant supply, so in my case, it works well. I'm insulating the sidewalls with foam sheets against the steel, and batts in a stud wall which can be built now that the concrete is poured. The ceiling will be blown insulation with pest control which should be good for r-60. I ran 4 separate in floor heat zones so I can customize as needed. I can heat the return water headed back to the sump crock if needed, or I can heat the floor under the fish tanks. I can also just heat the edges of the building and leave the center alone. The boiler is overkill for the building size, so air temp shouldn't be an issue at all. The floor is troweled smooth. I like to be able to keep it clean...in michigan we tend to track mud around. Broom finishes are harder to clean imo....but when it gets wet, it gets slippery... Things should progress rapidly now. The concrete wAs the last thing I couldn't do by myself, and I believe I have most of the remaining parts to finish the project.

Love it!!!!!is it a rocket stove ?

Very cool. Would love to see pics of the boiler. It's sounds like a larger version of what Nate Story has in Wyoming. Hope Bennet hits them well. My tennis mantra...watch the ball- move your feet. Everything else takes care of itself.

BTW- agree completely about a smooth float finish being easier to clean. You're also right about it getting slick if wet or muddy. Could always throw down some rubber runners in traffic areas if needed.

I'll post pics of the stove when we get home. Jayendra, honestly, I don't even know who made it...it's old. Really, really old. It has two separate water chambers, which I hadn't seen before. I think it'll work well.

Coach, we had a good day at the tourney. Bennet lost a battle to the #4 in the region. He was up on him and had the momentum...but a few errors got in his head and he couldn't recoup. Good learning experience for him. Started the scheduling process for Bollettieri, or img.
The boilers are pretty cool. The big one I have, I built myself. I didn't get the volumes correct though. It holds 450 gallons of water, with a 223 gallon burn chamber. Too much water... It doesn't recover very well. Once it's hot, it's pretty good. I went from a $1200 a month propane bill to a $30 a month electric bill to run the pumps. Well worth it

Great result, and like you said- good learning experience. Good player will come back on you if you don't shut the door. yeah, i would say that's a pretty sound ROI on your boiler. We could probably do the same thing with a small pot bellied stove vented outside in a fish room your size. We will get a few nights in the upper 20's, but the normal lows will be in the 30's. Not quite like up in your neck of the woods.lol
IMG is solid. A little overpriced IMO. Check out Billy Sterns and Nick Saviano as well. Nick is very busy with Bouchard, but his training center is top notch.

I'll definitely check them out coach, we'll be in Florida for a couple weeks in the spring and would like either a camp or a couple tourneys