Air power drip system

Stepheninky · February 23, 2011

Keep losing this post for some reason while typing so going to copy/paste from a post I did on a hydroponics site. So bit more info than needed. The main focus of this post here is on the drip system that can be solar powered or plugged in. Could also be used in a hydroponics version of Ray's EarthTainer were no or very little medium can be used. Or even in a stacked version.

Anyways hopefully it will post this time:

Ok, I have started to get in some of my parts for a drip and fog system I am planing on building. Really it could be called a drip/fog/DWC as it will have elements of all three.

One of the goals for this as it will be going outside is to keep it down to two plugs, Also the drip system is a prototype for possibly doing a solar drip system in the future so it was important to me to keep the power usage as low as possible and use a method of moving the water that is cheap and easy to find DC parts for.

I have found some Youtube vids I will post that give a rough ideal how the air lift water pump I will be making works and also the fog will work. My unit will hopefully be much more refined and look better than the ones in the vids.

I also have a video cam on order so once I work it all out I will do some videos of the build so people can make their own or get some cool ideals from it.

OK, The first concept is going to be to use an air driven pump to supply the drip system. The reason I went with air is that there is no moving parts in the inside of the system. So no propellers to clean, no algae, or clogging, etc... Also air pumps can be more easily found in AC and DC versions and are cheaper in cost than water pumps. The air also oxygenates the water. My air lift pump will use an air stone.

Here are the YouTube vids to give you an ideal about the concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xpbu...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXCSp...1&feature=fvwp

For the fog here is a good video that demonstrates it, Though he is using a nebulizer that is rather cheap, I will be using a nurtimist that is made for hydroponics (so no flashing lights and the disk is teflon coated so it works better with nutrients) I also have the float that keeps it at the optimal depth.
at $33 for the fog unit, float, and AC adapter this is the most expensive part of my unit.
The ideal of fog is that turns your nutrients and water into a mist at the macron level so it is easy for the roots to absorb it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3fYu...eature=related

Just a note: The air lift pump can be used by itself for a drip irrigation system or for a flood and drain system so even if you are not into aeroponics or the fog aspect keep a look out for this post as there may still be some good ideals you can use by following it.

February 23, 2011	#1
Stepheninky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 682	Air power drip system Keep losing this post for some reason while typing so going to copy/paste from a post I did on a hydroponics site. So bit more info than needed. The main focus of this post here is on the drip system that can be solar powered or plugged in. Could also be used in a hydroponics version of Ray's EarthTainer were no or very little medium can be used. Or even in a stacked version. Anyways hopefully it will post this time: Ok, I have started to get in some of my parts for a drip and fog system I am planing on building. Really it could be called a drip/fog/DWC as it will have elements of all three. One of the goals for this as it will be going outside is to keep it down to two plugs, Also the drip system is a prototype for possibly doing a solar drip system in the future so it was important to me to keep the power usage as low as possible and use a method of moving the water that is cheap and easy to find DC parts for. I have found some Youtube vids I will post that give a rough ideal how the air lift water pump I will be making works and also the fog will work. My unit will hopefully be much more refined and look better than the ones in the vids. I also have a video cam on order so once I work it all out I will do some videos of the build so people can make their own or get some cool ideals from it. OK, The first concept is going to be to use an air driven pump to supply the drip system. The reason I went with air is that there is no moving parts in the inside of the system. So no propellers to clean, no algae, or clogging, etc... Also air pumps can be more easily found in AC and DC versions and are cheaper in cost than water pumps. The air also oxygenates the water. My air lift pump will use an air stone. Here are the YouTube vids to give you an ideal about the concept. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xpbu...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXCSp...1&feature=fvwp For the fog here is a good video that demonstrates it, Though he is using a nebulizer that is rather cheap, I will be using a nurtimist that is made for hydroponics (so no flashing lights and the disk is teflon coated so it works better with nutrients) I also have the float that keeps it at the optimal depth. at $33 for the fog unit, float, and AC adapter this is the most expensive part of my unit. The ideal of fog is that turns your nutrients and water into a mist at the macron level so it is easy for the roots to absorb it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3fYu...eature=related Just a note: The air lift pump can be used by itself for a drip irrigation system or for a flood and drain system so even if you are not into aeroponics or the fog aspect keep a look out for this post as there may still be some good ideals you can use by following it. __________________ tomatoprojects.blogspot.com