Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My wonderful brother spent the entire morning with me removing some solar heating units about a hours drive south of here. I need to make another trip possibly two to remove all the tanks. We will need hose and clamps buckets etc. to drain the tanks and an electric hoist to lift them from the basement. Neat little hatch in the garage to the basement below.
Possibly can use the pumps already there (low voltage ones they appeared to be ) to drain the tanks. The tanks are all crammed back in a corner, real tight quarters to see what goes where and what else is present even. And it is all heavily insulated hate to even disturb that. So will try cutting the top lines and pumping from one of them should work?

I can see it all coming together a small piece at a time. The solar heat design I have in mind would be to use a large oval stock tank buried to hold the stored heat from the collectors. Another smaller oval stock tank is centered in that tank and is used as the sump for the aquaponic green house system. The fresh fish water is warmed during each cycle by passing through. Now to figure out how to cool the vasser also

Are those things in the last three pictures the collectors? Are they like thermosyphons, and is that why you're planning to keep the AP water seperated from the solar collector fluid (sump inside the heat storage tank)?

I know that thermosyphons are sometimes used to cool down computer components (actually, you could also use this principle to heat up a small aquarium and keep your computer cool at the same time!) , but I have no idea what a vasser is..

Anyways, I look forward to your solar-heated greenhouse AP plans!

yes

I don't know of thermosyphon Thomas. These could be converted into a solar ice maker using ammonia for the refrigerant I think. There are two copper pipes that run through the center of those cabinets with a parabolic? shiny reflective metal that direct sunshine directly on the pipes that have black fins. The water is pump through the solar collector portion of the system during the day and the heat accumulates in the storage tank(s). Another loop to/from that/those tank(s) will utilize that stored heat during the night. It is the copper itself that would be harmful. It builds up in fishies.


vasser wasser water aqua

Dan, the fact that copper is used sor of precludes ammina being anywhere near it

Ammonia attacks copper, brass and other copper alloys

Nice pickup Dan, waiting "P"atiently to see the end result

brilliant..more pics

Thanks Steve. I would have another brother of mine, Vic, convert one or two of these for solar ice maker if I did it at all. Vic works with ammonia at a frozen foods plant. He will also be the one I call on to do some welding. I would just mess something up

If you use water (with an corrosion inhibiter) as the solar heating fluid, and use a heat exchanger likeThis one,(blatant plug for my item) then you would have no problems with copper contamination and excellent heat transfer between the 2 liquids. There is no need to have a large solar tank as long as the fluids are both pumped, you can transfer a LOT of heat.

Regards,
Tony

Dan,
Check around and see if you can find a heat exchanger tank (unfortunately you might have to buy it). The newer ones use a stainless steel coil of pipe within the tank to exchange heat from the solar collector with the domestic/fish water supply. No problems with cross contamination this way. (Your idea would work, my only concern would be the loss of heat out of the top and sides. Even buried in the soil you will lose a lot of heat, unless it is insulated.) You'll just need to come up with a couple of recirculating water pumps and a couple of thermal switches to turn them on and off.

How did you luck on to this scavenge? I never seem to be lucky enough to find stuff this good!
Kevin

Tony, have you posted these before? i like...................

Kevin I have gotten most goodies through the freecycle network.
Not the local one for my area though. It seems there are too many people standing by at the ready here on the local freecycle network. Just missed out on 6 aquariums someone gave away recently. The spa tub and solar system both coming from the county south of here. Also I will be getting pumps with this Solar system. I saw two pumps in the pipework but there could be more. I like Tony's heat exchanger link above- it could work quite well.

Tony how about starting a thread on them, I am certainly interested

Sorry Dan

There is not much to add but I am happy to answer Questions.
Tony

I had some more goodies given to me yesterday. Three pumps, two underwater 12vdc lamps, and various piping bits and joins. Two of the pumps don't work, I tore one of them down and the rotor is cracked badly someone must of let it run dry. The one that works pumps really well but I don't have ant specs on it. I wrote the manufacturer (little giant) to see if they can give me that information.

Last Sunday I checked the ammonia and nitrite levels in my convict chiclid tank.
Ammonia 2.0 Nitrite .5
So I decided I better get around to getting a biofilter/growbed hooked up to it. I went and bought a small fountain pump 130-170gph a few bits and pieces to make a bell siphon and slapped it all together on Monday. I am using a 1/3 55gal drum for the growbed and used the pea gravel from one of the growbeds of the system outdoors.

Tonight after work I thought I would give it a check and see how things were going. To my surprise the readings were good:
pH 7.6 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 10-20 How is that for a fast cycle?

These photos show the chiclid tank w/grow bed above and where the next systems growbeds will be. Under the chiclid tank is where the sump will be. I will be using an old waterbed mattress for the sump liner. The fish tanks for that system will be on the old workbench. I need to get moving on this as I expect the first freeze will hit here early this year. Probably by the end of this month.