the only thing important, ultimately, is the sets of microorganisms you pu=
ll from the compost into the water, and then how they grow in that water on=
ce released. the water needs to stay aerobic to grow the beneficials. Ana=
erobic organisms take the inorganic, soluble N, S, and P and turn them into=
gases that you lose from the tea if anaerobic conditions occur. In additi=
on some compounds can be made .... only in anaerobic conditions..... that k=
ill microorganisms and harm the plant, or plant roots, if those compounds c=
ome in contact with the plant.
The point of all this talk about aeration to to GROW MICROORGANISMS.
Where's your data showing what you high tech machines do to the microorgani=
sms?
That is always my basis for making decisions about what to do in a brewer. =
You all have lost sight of why you are doing this work.
If you don't measure the organisms, and report what effect the changes in w=
here you put the vortex have on the organisms, then I am wasting my time to=
try to teach you anything.
Good luck with the physics, because you have forgotten biology, once again.=
Elaine R. Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
-----Original Message-----
From: Will Buck <willbuck76_at_yahoo.com>
To: compost_tea <compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, May 25, 2011 10:32 am
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Vortex Brewer.
Thank Bobbie for your input. I have seen most of your videos and I will re=
view the link you have posted. Your work is largely what motivated me to g=
o Vortex. Not so much that I am into biodynamics but I like the elegance o=
f the machine. And who doesn't like staring into the vortex, it is like wa=
tching fire.
While I have spent a fair amount of time researching this by reviewing your=
videos and reading Tim Wilson's page among others. But I approached this =
knowing that constructing Vortex brewer on a larger scale had its risks bec=
ause there is not much info relating to DO during the brew cycle. And yes=
I am trying to brew AACT.
Back to the design. I can move the stones up and down the up feed tubes ve=
ry easily. If I understand you correctly you are suggesting putting the st=
ones near the bottom. I have about 8 feet of upfeed to play with. It also=
appears that I am getting slow flow and I want a better vortex. So any ad=
vise in terms of increasing flow would be appreciated.
The pump I purchased is called the ecoplus 7 and it produces about 7 CFM ho=
wever it is very hard to find any performance curve on this pump. I suspect=
it looses preformance with any back pressure. I think the sweetwater SL 1=
70 or 190 produce considerably more air at depth but they are expensive. I=
f I go with Tim Wilson's suggestion of .05 CFM of air per gallon of water I=
am looking at needing at least 12 CFM
thanks
From: Bobby Grimes <biodynamichawaii_at_gmail.com>
To: "compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com" <compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, May 24, 2011 10:25:42 AM
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Vortex Brewer.
Bobby here. Imagine you cut your upfeed tube in half, while the tank and tu=
bes are full of water. The water will flow out very aggressively until it e=
qualizes. Stones at the bottom slow the surface exchange. There can be no s=
tagnant water in this tank. Please watch my brewer, 350 gallons, 10 min run=
time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjXFh_ICxic&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Mahalo Bobby G
Sent from my iPhone
On May 24, 2011, at 6:41 AM, "Stephen Steyn" <ssteyn_at_wcaccess.co.za> wrote:
Wrong again. Bobby is right on the money. Don’t go to deep with the=
air source as all your doing is heating up your pump and reducing the amou=
nt of air it can put out due to backpressure. Convection will oxygenate all=
the fluid. No real point in going down more than a metre, just let the vor=
tex tubes draw from near the bottom.
Also be sure to keep your pump above the liquid level so that it doesnâ=
€™t fill with water when you switch off.
SS
From: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com [mailto:compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com] On B=
ehalf Of soilfoodweb_at_aol.com
Sent: 24 May 2011 16:40
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Vortex Brewer.
Putting the air at the bottom of the tank is critical to get the water at t=
he bottom of the tank to mix and not be stagnant.
Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless
-----Original message-----
From: Bobby Grimes <biodynamichawaii_at_gmail.com>
To: "compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com" <compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, May 24, 2011 02:47:03 GMT+00:00
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Vortex Brewer.
Will, I would put the stones in the upfeed tubes right where the tank goesf=
rom 90 deg to your 45 or 60 deg angle. At the bottom the water flows of it =
own accord and then you just pick up where that slows down and stones/air l=
ift it from there.
I would use the Sweetwater SL170 or the next smaller linear air pump.
Bobby
Sent from my iPhone
On May 23, 2011, at 12:20 PM, "Will Buck" <willbuck76_at_yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi, I am in the process of building a 240 gallon Vortex brewer.
My first brew went anaerobic almost immediately. Clearly I have undersized =
the air supply and while I would appreciate advise on which pump I should p=
urchase (I used an Eco7 that allegedly provides7 cfm, it appears that I nee=
d to at least double that rate), my question is more about the properties o=
f an air lift pumps so I can maximize the amount of DO.
My design is similar to Bobby Grimes. I purchased a cone bottom tank that I=
mounted on a stand so the tank is about 4 feet off the ground (ideal for g=
ravity filling the spray rig). The manifold is attached to the base of the =
stand and there are three 2 inch pipes that return water over the top of th=
e tank via air lift from a 17 inch air stones.
My question is at what depth should I put the air stones in the pipes? If I=
put the stones near the bottom of the pipe I thought this would be ideal b=
ecause the air bubbles would be in contact with the water for a longer peri=
od of time as they rose up the pipe thus increasing DO. But of course the d=
eeper the air stone the lower the performance of the air pump because the r=
esistance pressure is greater. In other words, is there any rule of thumb r=
egarding the depth of the air stone?
This question becomes very important as I look at purchasing a new pump as =
regenerative blowers loose performance very quickly the more pressure they =
are working under.
I would really appreciate any help or ideas, thanks in advance.
Received on Thu May 26 2011 - 10:13:22 EDT