Comment

Comment by Noah Howard on November 7, 2013 at 5:56pm

Well, I have any contacts in the Bahamas other then maybe an acquaintance here and there... and yes, I think that PVC parts are well priced in other countries if not cheaper then they are here in the states.

Comment by John McCaw on November 7, 2013 at 10:05am

Also, have you found that the PVC parts are good price, or can they be purchased and sent for greater savings?

Comment by John McCaw on November 7, 2013 at 10:04am

Noah;

I am looking into joining a missions team to the Bahama's in Feb. Any contacts in that area?

Comment by Noah Howard on October 19, 2013 at 3:20pm

Also, I felt I needed to be more specific... each node costs $400 to make. In the picture there are two nodes. So one system costs around 400, but in the picture above there are 2 systems. That whole set up in the picture is probably around a $1000ish total... it depends on the deals you can make and what not. I know we made some mistakes on one that cost a few extra bucks.

Comment by Noah Howard on October 19, 2013 at 11:47am

Thank you Rob, I absolutely appreciate your thoughts! I don't feel picked on at all. I love discussion and I am the right guy to have them with.

With the first concern, yes, the exit drain is on top of the barrels. The barrel fills up with water faster then it drains, so there is an even amount of water distributed through out the barrel for the plants. So its okay being in front of the drains, its not affecting anything.

The first system you see cost us $500 because we needed extra parts to fix our mistakes. The second one cost $400 some. We use a total of 6 barrels, usually pretty cheep. I think we found them for like 15 or 20 bucks on Craigslist. We used cheep lumber as well. In a 3rd world country we would have to improvise for the frame. For instance, when I built a barrel gravel system in Kenya Africa, we built the frame out of bricks and concrete because the environment is so intense that the wood wouldn't last for more then a few months. Also, in Kenya they have no "real" lumber. Its usually just poorly cut planks from any near by tree, so bricks are the way to go. All around they have 55 gallon barrels. Especially in Africa. And they are way cheaper then the ones we have here of course. Being that we were in a remote village, it probably cost us more to travel to near by cities to get the supplies then it did to build the system. Having said that, we probably spent the same amount, around $300-$400. If you wanted to see pictures of the system we built in Kenya, you can check out my Aquaponics Kenya album I have on my page.

Now, I really like your idea about getting rid of the gutter. You were correct about all the plant matter and bugs getting into the gutter. I do have filters on the gutters that I change every so often, but it would be better just to get rid of them and try something like what you suggested. I am going to get Koi in these systems, so temperature does not affect the fish as harshly. But to keep the system clean and to prevent algae from growing is a great reason to switch to a better means of draining the water back to the fish tank.

Comment by Rob Nash on October 19, 2013 at 7:42am

two drain pipes are ok.. I guess.

my first concern is, it appears that the inlet pipe is right on top of the drain?

if that's the case,, I would recommend moving it to the opposite end of the beds.

nice work, and lots of good effort,, im not sure the barrels cost less than a plywood box with liners.. I understand that you cant just order up some duraskrim in every part of the world, but that's a lot of work for just 60 cubic ft of media.. one 4ftx8ft plywood box has 32 sft...

my last thoughts are... the gutter has to go.. they catch every leaf, bug, etc. that comes by... and grow algae.... and allow the hot or cold weather to effect the water that flows through them.. you should use a 3 or 4" pipe with holes just big enough for the drain pipes to fit into (no glue).

 

I've never found barrels to be the least expensive option,, did you say you spent 300-400 on the total build?

in my experience, that's $400 worth of barrels.. and it looks like $300 worth of lumber and screws.. and a ton of 1" plumbing that could be eliminated if you went to some plywood boxes. 

..really, im  trying to help out, not just pick at it.

 

Comment by Noah Howard on October 18, 2013 at 11:53pm

Well, the two pipes coming out of the barrels are the drains. The lower drain is the main drain and the drain above that is just for over flow. There is a gutter that takes the water back to a 250 gallon fish tank. I use a U siphon, it just uses gravity to create suction that pulls out all the water in the 55 gallon barrel that is constantly being filled with small a pump.

Comment by Sokota Ireland on October 18, 2013 at 10:31pm

How do your auto siphons work on this system? I am not understanding the two pipes comingout of each barrel...