Comment

Comment by Scott Bloom on November 30, 2013 at 11:02pm

@Kim - We produce about 1000 pounds of horse manure a week here and compost some of it.  I attempted to create a compost heat source for my AP system and it easier said than done.  The first thing I learned was that the pile needs to be considerably bigger than what a typical composting pile usually is, to sustain the temp.  Then of course the pile needs to be turned every 7 to 14 days to add moisture and restart the bacteria.  With the piping going through the pile it makes it difficult to turn over and recreate the pile.  So yes, a compost pile will create more heat than a solar system and do it 24 hours a day, but it requires more labor than a passive solar system.

Comment by Kim Romen on November 30, 2013 at 10:42pm

Dennis, at the gardenpool event today said he's putting in solar heater into a system that will be under a compost pile.  I thought he said compost gets to 220 degrees, even in the winter but not trusting my memory, looked it up and the first site I looked at said that the ideal internal temperature for an active compost pile is between 90 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  sounds like a great option!

@Converse, emailed. u.  thx.  :)

Comment by Bob Wohl on November 30, 2013 at 8:24am

@Robert and John Thanks. I'm headed for the Depot now. I think I am going to go the route of the blue connectors you mentioned John. The pump, I may have to hit harbor freight this afternoon if my current ones do not work. Thanks! 

Comment by Converse on November 30, 2013 at 12:10am

Greetings Kim,

  We have redworms available.  Send me a private note if you are interested.  We ship all over the USA year-round.

- Converse

Comment by Kim Romen on November 29, 2013 at 8:01pm

anyone have redworms for sale?  got my bins ready and am ready to start vermicomposting! 

Comment by Kim Romen on November 29, 2013 at 5:10pm

Tomorrow morning my husband and I are going to a gardenpool.org event and had plans after that that got postponed.  We'd like to take the opportunity of having a sitter to see another AP system if anyone will be free and willing to show off their system!  The gardenpool event is at 9am so I imagine it'll be over by 10 or 11.  feel free to send me a msg here or text me 4-277-0049.   thx!

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on November 28, 2013 at 11:41am

It seems contrary to popular mythology, some root crops can indeed be grown in deep water aquaponics. Two weeks ago it was radishes, today rutabagas. This was a first test and they are way too crowded but I think by the photos, you can see the potential. It seems deep water aquaponics may indeed be able to provide a complete human diet.

Comment by Matt Miskinnis on November 28, 2013 at 9:40am

Happy turkey day everyone!

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on November 28, 2013 at 8:48am

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Comment by Robert Rowe on November 27, 2013 at 6:29pm

@ Bob Wohl - Jim Troyer got me interested in 1/2 inch Sprinkler tubing for which there is a blue pvc fitting ($0.16/ea) which is designed to be insertd into a 1/2 inch pvc coupler or fitting. which will then accept the sprinkler tubing. I wanted to construct a 2" manifold with a 1" feed from my pump and have the tubes inserted along the side of the 2" pvc pipe.

The inside dimension of the coupling is a little smaller than 7/8" which would make the hole for the blue pvc fitting too sloppy. My solution was to get a 7/8" milwaukee hole saw from Home Depot and a friend who is a precision  grinder ground the hole saw down to just fit the coupler. the blue fitting snaps into place snugly. I have not glued any in yet.

My collector design is not flat but will be mounted on top of my Geodesic dome with (I think) 4 parallel 500 ft tubes circling from the top of the dome down to a 2" tube at the bottom which will take the water to my FT below. I only need to lift the water 6 ft from the FT to the top of the dome. I expect the South 3/5 of the tubes to be collecting heat and the North 2/5 will need a insulating blanket to minimize heat loss. I also expect gravity to overcome friction.

I have not calculated the load on the dome yet. If the load is excessive I will scale back the length. The tubing is available in 50-100 and 500 ft coils.

This tubing tends to kink so care must be taken to keep it straight.

 

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