Fridge Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 On 6/19/2019 at 11:04 AM, 420SA said: Received the air pump and put this together yesterday. Quick and easy and working well. Think im gonna have a go at the vortex too to see if this pump can do it Hi @420SA, and all tea brewers out there, I want to brew my AACT too this summer and I think I decided to build an airlift brewer too. Do you think a 40l/min would also work? I just ordered the following pump. https://www.futurama.co.za/sunsun-aco-002-magnetic-piston-air-pump-40l-min/ Did you use 40mm Pvc tubing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420SA Posted August 13, 2020 Author Share Posted August 13, 2020 5 hours ago, Fridgedoor said: Hi @420SA, and all tea brewers out there, I want to brew my AACT too this summer and I think I decided to build an airlift brewer too. Do you think a 40l/min would also work? I just ordered the following pump. https://www.futurama.co.za/sunsun-aco-002-magnetic-piston-air-pump-40l-min/ Did you use 40mm Pvc tubing? I use a 45l/min pump and does the job well for an airlift brewer in a 25L bucket. There is a way to check whether your flow rate coming out the pipe is good enough for sufficient aeration and mine passed the test quite easily... This video will give you a better idea of the flow rate 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 Thanks @420SA, for pointing into the right direction. I appreciate it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreX Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 I need to upgrade my vortex brewer soon... Im using 25mm piping and with max air pressure it feels like there's a jet of tea coming out the top at the exit haha. Definitely a smaller tube would do this... And a larger tube would potentially be able to push higher volumes, at lower pressure if you could even call it pressure.. Not sure I would personally go 40mm. Might find a happy meduim at 32mm IMHO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bos Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 I need to upgrade my vortex brewer soon... Im using 25mm piping and with max air pressure it feels like there's a jet of tea coming out the top at the exit haha. Definitely a smaller tube would do this... And a larger tube would potentially be able to push higher volumes, at lower pressure if you could even call it pressure.. Not sure I would personally go 40mm. Might find a happy meduim at 32mm IMHO. Why not use an insert with a smaller ID at the outlet to increased outlet pressure? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreX Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 7 minutes ago, Bospatrollie2 said: Why not use an insert with a smaller ID at the outlet to increased outlet pressure? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk That would just limit the flow really. There is no real pressure... It really is as the name implies, air lifting. So the rising bubbles push water up, which creates a negative pressure at the bottom of the air lift which sucks in the water... And so the sucked in water gets lifted by the rising air bubbles again. Having a wider pipe would just mean you need more air to counteract the weight if the water to be able to push it out the spout. Therefore needing a larger air pump(which is never a bad thing) but you can get similar volumes with a smaller pump and smaller pipe. Tips to improve flow are, inject the air as low as you can, the lower the better. Means you have more air in the pipe lifting water. Make sure your water level in the brewer is as close to the top of the spout as possible. This means more water in the pipe for the air to push up. Equaling greater output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bos Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 That would just limit the flow really. There is no real pressure... It really is as the name implies, air lifting. So the rising bubbles push water up, which creates a negative pressure at the bottom of the air lift which sucks in the water... And so the sucked in water gets lifted by the rising air bubbles again. Having a wider pipe would just mean you need more air to counteract the weight if the water to be able to push it out the spout. Therefore needing a larger air pump(which is never a bad thing) but you can get similar volumes with a smaller pump and smaller pipe. Tips to improve flow are, inject the air as low as you can, the lower the better. Means you have more air in the pipe lifting water. Make sure your water level in the brewer is as close to the top of the spout as possible. This means more water in the pipe for the air to push up. Equaling greater output. Agreed. I see your point@CreX To an extent then you have to ''tailor'' the build around how much airflow you have as it's the deciding factor.Built one a while back, but found that the aquarium airpump-45lt/m (what I had on hand) didnt do the job imo, even when I reduced my piping dia from 50mm to 25mm. Don't think aqarium airpump are up to the job.For it to work properly you need a lot of airflow as you mentioned. Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreX Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 7 minutes ago, Bospatrollie2 said: Agreed. I see your point@CreX To an extent then you have to ''tailor'' the build around how much airflow you have as it's the deciding factor. Built one a while back, but found that the aquarium airpump-45lt/m (what I had on hand) didnt do the job imo, even when I reduced my piping dia from 50mm to 25mm. Don't think aqarium airpump are up to the job. For it to work properly you need a lot of airflow as you mentioned. Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk When I first built mine, I started with 25mm, but my issue was also pumps, I had a few aquarium pumps laying around... And found that 1 doesnt do shit lol... I needed to connect up 4 aquarium pumps to get a decent flow rate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bos Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 When I first built mine, I started with 25mm, but my issue was also pumps, I had a few aquarium pumps laying around... And found that 1 doesnt do shit lol... I needed to connect up 4 aquarium pumps to get a decent flow rateExactly.....hahaha. If you want to build a ''vortex'' brewer, get a decent airpump - end of story.Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420SA Posted August 14, 2020 Author Share Posted August 14, 2020 I think 70 or 80L/min is the minimum suggested for a vortex 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGG Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 Hi, airlift is amazing concept.I tried a proto tipe yesterday that's way smaller than the one I used in my Aquaponics system.50mm T piece and 25mm pipe with tiny holes, 50mm-25mm reducers on all 3 holes. Airpump is 300L/hr = 5L/Min, not enough but it worked fine for now Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 3 hours ago, CreX said: I need to upgrade my vortex brewer soon... Im using 25mm piping and with max air pressure it feels like there's a jet of tea coming out the top at the exit haha. Definitely a smaller tube would do this... And a larger tube would potentially be able to push higher volumes, at lower pressure if you could even call it pressure.. Not sure I would personally go 40mm. Might find a happy meduim at 32mm IMHO. Cool thanks, I'll give it a try with 32mm. Looking forward to my first brew and to see what it does to my plants! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGG Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 I drilled the small holes into the 25mm only where it is inside the 50mm, creating finer bubbles that airates the water more Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreX Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 1 hour ago, GGG said: I drilled the small holes into the 25mm only where it is inside the 50mm, creating finer bubbles that airates the water more Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk That's pretty nifty... But the main airation happens when the water falls onto itself out the spout... The constant agitation and movement of the water is where the magic is... Remember, you need the bubbles to rise quickly, acting as a push mechanism... Bigger bubbles do this easier and you may just be restricting your flow inadvertently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGG Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 Totally agree, with the Aquaponics I placed a 50mm pipe 60cm into my fish pond and let it stick out 5cm then with the return flow a 25mm pipe dropped the water into the 50mm and pushed airbubbles down and they can't escape to the sides, each time a bubble came up it gets pushdown, the end result at the bottom was a very high DO count.OLOBAMA GARDENS with Glen Martinez and Nataly Cash has nice YouTube clips on DIY, loved there theories and ideas.....who needs a water pump to move water Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 (edited) Soooo I got my airpump and fiddled around a bit. Couldn't find 35mm pvc pipes anywhere, so I tried 25mm and it works like a charm. This is how it looks like. Now I got a question what you guys use as a 'teabag'? Edited August 26, 2020 by Fridgedoor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bos Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Used to use ''orange'' fruit net bags, stockings also worked well. Moved away from the ''teabag'' method now. I add the ''teabag'' ingredients to a bucket add water and mix/steep and then strain. Then add the strained ''tea'' water to my brewer, but thats only because I prefer to use an aquarium water pump for agitation. Don't want any solids/pieces in my mix. Principals are the same with different method. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Ok, I brewed my first AACT just to dial things in before I start my outdoor grow. I kept the recipe simple: 125ml home made compost, 125ml home made worm castings and 30 ml molasses in 15 liter rain water. After 36 hours of brewing it seemed ready. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bos Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 (edited) Good stuff, it looks lekker. AACT has many beneficial uses for your plants. Just use your nose.... if it smells fresh ,musty, mushroomy or earthy you're good. Any off, sour, rotten, putrid smells proceed with caution or dump it to be safe. Edited September 9, 2020 by Bos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Thanks man, in the longrun I'm going to make it look neater but for now it does the job. It actually smelled quite good. I am very curious about what it will do to the plants. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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