Comment

Comment by Jeff S on August 22, 2014 at 3:15pm

I've considered the pump power issue. Problem is I still need to get water up to the top of the towers, about 3 ft. below the heater. Any Ideas?

Comment by Jeff S on August 22, 2014 at 3:11pm

I built a 4x6 wood box, painted black, 200 ft. 1/2" poly tubing, with double pane glass that tested well for temp change in the box with no water running but when I hooked it to the swimming pool there was little change in the in and out water temp. I will test it again before the final build. Maybe slow the flow more.

Comment by Jim Fisk on August 22, 2014 at 2:26pm

Btw, it will take a powerful pump to send the water that high if not a closed loop. Way too much electric for a pump that powerful. Do separate CLOSED loops for that collector or pay dearly.

Comment by Jim Fisk on August 22, 2014 at 2:22pm

I built a solar collector with 6 rows of 20' x 3/4 pvc painted black and mounted on 20' section of metal roofing also painted black and hung at the peak. It will bring my 2500 gal system up 4F on a sunny cold day. It is on a small circulator pond pump. (a pump will pump very high up as long as it is a closed loop thet also comes back down and u get the air out first. Just like a hot water heating system). BUT it stays off in the Summer. Can u shut your design off? That is what I meant.

My IBC bell siphons drop about 4" below the bed.

Comment by Jeff S on August 22, 2014 at 1:09pm

Thanks for the response. Actually water will be pumped from both sumps but will be separated in the peak heater box. It goes downhill from there to the FTs. I did use the wood stove last year but only for greenhouse heat. I did exhaust it similarly and did notice condensation drips but there was little or no traces of creosote or soot build up. Just to be on the safe side I'll contain the stove duct for drips though. Thought about making the heater box solar too but tests I've done weren't very conclusive as to the advantages. But there's still time to re-engineer it all.

I find your ingenuitiveness in aquaponics educational and helpful. I know you're somewhat of a bell siphon expert so maybe you can tell me what the least drop below the bottom of the bed would be acceptable for a reliable siphon. I ask because I'm trying to keep the sump level as high as possible.

Comment by Jim Fisk on August 22, 2014 at 6:22am

I would also keep your roof peak heat collector on it's own pump and T'stat. Most of the season you won't want to be circing thru that system so keep it separate.

Comment by Jim Fisk on August 22, 2014 at 6:20am

Hey Jeff. Looks good. We all have our prefs. I have one homogenous system but no harm in two. The lower you sink the sump and the higher your FTs the better your flow and good flow is so important.

I am concerned with the smoke stack running over the system. Have you heated with wood before? You will get lots of very corrosive soot and acid build up in a run like that and it could drip into your system and kill fish or something and stink you out as well. I have heated with wood for 45 yrs and I would never do that for so many reasons. Taking those pipes apart to clean them and dumping creosote into the system is also a major caution.