Cold$moke
Well-Known Member
HydroEnthused
Active Member
There’s always enough dust in the air to clog the pump. Even using MERV 13 rated air filters. That’s why I resorted to carbon filtered air and I never looked back. I have done all methods of aeration. This works best. Pick an aeration method and I will explain the pros and cons I found with it. But all other aeration methods were found to be unreliable in comparison with the clean air method I’ve used for quite some time now. Anything that makes an air stone work like brand new (the 8” round ) for 4 years (!) is gonna be my go to method until I can find something that works for 5 years.Agreed i run an alita 40
But mine is fan cooled and right next to the fresh air intake ..
I would not claim its cleanroom status .
But i surely dont need any help
Your method isnt to much to grasp your claims areno disrespect.
As long as people dont have there fan sitting in filth its fine (though some are more filthy then others.
But to say air stones are the end all be all sorry not in my book .
My next system will not use an air pump at least not a big one
Also, I run 36-20 gallon bins and 18-4 gallon buckets all using this method. Why would I want to use a method that doesn’t really work on a system of this size?
I didn’t come to this thread to say “Na Na nuh Na Na my systems better than yours”. I came here to give the best possible answer based on 10 yrs experience trying every aeration system that is known and for that matter UNKNOWN to man. It just happens to be the unknown one that works best. When I say works best I mean the least amount of work to maintain (by a far margin compared to waterfall) and the most worry free (it simply cannot fail abruptly because the flow meters indicate diminished performance warnings months in advance of diaphragm breakage) because it provides an early warning before something can go wrong. Waterfall aeration methods give no early warning to diminished flow unless you have a visible open top reservoir for the return to flow back into and that’s not possible unless your auxiliary reservoir is at a much lower height than the bin that contains the plant/s. Even if it did it would happen very fast and you will not have time to stop that kind of failure.
My method also allows each plant to have a separate body of water all its own. I’m sure you could use six separate water pumps for a six bin DWC but 36 or 54 bins cannot be done this way. My way is the most versatile for that reason.
Lordhooha
Well-Known Member
Id rather like having mine all connected. It’s all done with 4” pipes. The benefits of having them connected keeps ph stable easy to drain and refill the entire system. It’s generally hard to clog the pipes and and it’s 27 gallon totes worth of roots. Mega crop which is the nutrient I use along with mammoth p and great white it’s dark but very soluble. I run a big ass pump the tubing runs outside of my room and the end of the hose is fixed to the wall with a piece of cheese cloth over it. It may not be anything special but I’ve never had an issue. I rarely even need to change my res once it hits a certain level it automatically tops off and I simply check the ec and ph daily. Not from necessity but mainly because I enjoy the plants.
Lordhooha
Well-Known Member
My pump and stone have worked perfect for years no issues no need to rebuild. As for waterfalls if you get a pond pump. That’s designed to run daily in the harshest conditions it’ll give you years of life. My wife’s little duck pond waterfall has been going for five years no maintenance.
HydroEnthused
Active Member
I agree that you need 4” bulkheads to do your system. I even mentioned the 4” bulkhead solution earlier in this thread. May I ask you how many containers are you running with this method? Also, the OP started this thread to up his bubble game. You did not mention anything about bubbles being produced with air stones. Just pumps that run water through 4” bulkhead connected piping. Nothing about a way to up the OP’s bubble game.
Lordhooha
Well-Known Member
Currently only four. This was a test run on what nutrient line I want to go with. I’ll be expanding to 20 in my shop. As for the guys post I weighed in awhile ago. Beside a decent under current pump is more than enough to agitate the water to provide enough DO in the water.
Cold$moke
Well-Known Member
Here i found the old thread(edit to add thisnis not my post)
The results are IN!
PH 6.2
PPM 820
Measured in mg/l
DO levels at 67F:
Air stones: 8.0
Ventruri: 8.0
Water fall: 8.1
Flooming: 7.9
CapnStyle: 8.1
All at the same time: 8.2
DO levels at 78F:
Air stones: 7.2
Ventruri: 7.2
Water fall: 7.3
Flooming: 7.1
CapnStyle: 7.3
All at the same time: 7.4
I also tried adding 5ml/gal of H2O2 at the request of sky in the warm water. This raised the DO to 7.6. Still, not even close to the DO levels in cooler water. 10 hours later I checked it again, and the DO was back down to 7.4 H2O2 is not a good solution.
My hopes are crushed. I was hoping there would be a technique that would compensate for high water temps. If you have warm water, can you add more air to compensate? Nope. Take a look at the numbers. No matter how much air you add, you can't get DO levels past their saturation point.
It's all about temp. I don't care if you if you use 100 airstones or a hot tub venturi, water has a certain oxygen saturation point, at a certain temperature, and you can't get it any higher. All of the methods are acceptable methods. It is not possible to compensate for higher temps, by putting in more air.
The results are IN!
PH 6.2
PPM 820
Measured in mg/l
DO levels at 67F:
Air stones: 8.0
Ventruri: 8.0
Water fall: 8.1
Flooming: 7.9
CapnStyle: 8.1
All at the same time: 8.2
DO levels at 78F:
Air stones: 7.2
Ventruri: 7.2
Water fall: 7.3
Flooming: 7.1
CapnStyle: 7.3
All at the same time: 7.4
I also tried adding 5ml/gal of H2O2 at the request of sky in the warm water. This raised the DO to 7.6. Still, not even close to the DO levels in cooler water. 10 hours later I checked it again, and the DO was back down to 7.4 H2O2 is not a good solution.
My hopes are crushed. I was hoping there would be a technique that would compensate for high water temps. If you have warm water, can you add more air to compensate? Nope. Take a look at the numbers. No matter how much air you add, you can't get DO levels past their saturation point.
It's all about temp. I don't care if you if you use 100 airstones or a hot tub venturi, water has a certain oxygen saturation point, at a certain temperature, and you can't get it any higher. All of the methods are acceptable methods. It is not possible to compensate for higher temps, by putting in more air.
Cold$moke
Well-Known Member
Right now i run 2 4 site systems
I hate having them seperated but i was running 2 different nutrients at the time.
If i had to fill and drain 8 individualls id be pissed
Wouldnt even care to think about a 36 site system thats not intergrated as one ...
Cause if you worry about little things like root rot you dont need to be running an op like that lol
I hate having them seperated but i was running 2 different nutrients at the time.
If i had to fill and drain 8 individualls id be pissed
Wouldnt even care to think about a 36 site system thats not intergrated as one ...
Cause if you worry about little things like root rot you dont need to be running an op like that lol
Lordhooha
Well-Known Member
Yah draining 36 sites and refilling them and checking them all the time nah I’ve got computers and farm animals to take care of. However he did say he had a shit ton of ice cube actuators doing it so yah however that works out for him I do not know. But I’m guessing he makes a lot of ice cubes.
HydroEnthused
Active Member
Haha. You know what an ice cube relay is. Yes it’s true that you can’t compensate higher temps with more air. I agree. The OP did ask to up his bubble game and my approach gives the finest bubbles through the cleanest air running through clean air stones. All while being metered to show you how many liters per minute of air is distributed into each container. The airflow meter insures the exact same amount of air being bubbled through each air stone. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and declare that this is the kind of result the OP wants if he or she were to try a different aeration technique.
HydroEnthused
Active Member
Pondmaster AP-20,40,60 or 100. Depends on how many 8” air stones (or 4” air stones) you’re running.
AP-100 is good to push about 10 lpm through 12-8” air stones or 5.5 lpm through 18-4” air stones if you are running 20 gallon bins.
HydroEnthused
Active Member
I never check them.
Cold$moke
Well-Known Member
The purpose to up your bubble game always is and usually always was DO
Even if you automate 36 sites. Why would you trouble yourself just sounds like a maintenance nightmare. In my humble opinion
Im going to simplify my systems to the maximum i can while maintaining hydro growth
The main reason i didnt go with hp aero was the maintenance and cleaning.
Sorry i got better things to do then makes sure my sites are doing what they are supposed to .
Again im no big time king pin though
Even if you automate 36 sites. Why would you trouble yourself just sounds like a maintenance nightmare. In my humble opinion
Im going to simplify my systems to the maximum i can while maintaining hydro growth
The main reason i didnt go with hp aero was the maintenance and cleaning.
Sorry i got better things to do then makes sure my sites are doing what they are supposed to .
Again im no big time king pin though
Cold$moke
Well-Known Member
Cold$moke
Well-Known Member
Why would airflow to each container matter?
You can have all the air in the world if it doesnt get through the roots its doesnt do much better then normal just an opinion not fact as im not a scientist either
Educate me .
How does your set up maintain your ph ppm ect?
You can have all the air in the world if it doesnt get through the roots its doesnt do much better then normal just an opinion not fact as im not a scientist either
Educate me .
How does your set up maintain your ph ppm ect?
Lordhooha
Well-Known Member
Lol hydro that’s never checked so never topped off,never ph’d, or checks ec, something sounds fishy an it ain’t emulsion.Sounds like your dialed in
Have fun