One reason that a vortex design (not what I use) is advantageous is that it=
thoroughly mixes all areas of the liquid, not allowing for any still pocke=
ts and the other benefit is that air lifts are used, which as previously no=
ted increase the dissolved oxygen capacity of a given pump considerably. If=
I am not mistaken, this principle is applied to bioreactors (towers) used =
to multiply microorganisms in a fair number of laboratories worldwide.
Do I not recall correctly one of our members (Royce?) reporting that the St=
orch vortex blew away the other brewers at one of the brew offs?
Salutations,
Tim
--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, soilfoodweb_at_... wrote:
>
>
> the only thing important, ultimately, is the sets of microorganisms you =
pull from the compost into the water, and then how they grow in that water =
once released. the water needs to stay aerobic to grow the beneficials. A=
naerobic organisms take the inorganic, soluble N, S, and P and turn them in=
to gases that you lose from the tea if anaerobic conditions occur. In addi=
tion some compounds can be made .... only in anaerobic conditions..... that=
kill microorganisms and harm the plant, or plant roots, if those compounds=
come 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 microorga=
nisms?
>
> 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=
where 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 agai=
n.
>
>
>
> Elaine R. Ingham
> President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Will Buck <willbuck76_at_...>
> 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 =
review the link you have posted. Your work is largely what motivated me to=
go Vortex. Not so much that I am into biodynamics but I like the elegance=
of the machine. And who doesn't like staring into the vortex, it is like =
watching fire.
>
> While I have spent a fair amount of time researching this by reviewing yo=
ur videos and reading Tim Wilson's page among others. But I approached thi=
s knowing that constructing Vortex brewer on a larger scale had its risks b=
ecause there is not much info relating to DO during the brew cycle. And y=
es I am trying to brew AACT.
>
> Back to the design. I can move the stones up and down the up feed tubes =
very easily. If I understand you correctly you are suggesting putting the =
stones near the bottom. I have about 8 feet of upfeed to play with. It al=
so appears that I am getting slow flow and I want a better vortex. So any =
advise in terms of increasing flow would be appreciated.
>
> The pump I purchased is called the ecoplus 7 and it produces about 7 CFM =
however it is very hard to find any performance curve on this pump. I suspe=
ct it looses preformance with any back pressure. I think the sweetwater SL=
170 or 190 produce considerably more air at depth but they are expensive. =
If 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_...>
> 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 =
tubes are full of water. The water will flow out very aggressively until it=
equalizes. Stones at the bottom slow the surface exchange. There can be no=
stagnant water in this tank. Please watch my brewer, 350 gallons, 10 min r=
un time.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjXFh_ICxic&feature=youtube_gdata_play=
er
>
>
>
> Mahalo Bobby G
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On May 24, 2011, at 6:41 AM, "Stephen Steyn" <ssteyn_at_...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Wrong again. Bobby is right on the money. Don’t go to deep with t=
he air source as all your doing is heating up your pump and reducing the am=
ount of air it can put out due to backpressure. Convection will oxygenate a=
ll the fluid. No real point in going down more than a metre, just let the v=
ortex 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=
Behalf Of soilfoodweb_at_...
> 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=
the bottom of the tank to mix and not be stagnant.
>
> Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless
>
>
>
> -----Original message-----
>
> From: Bobby Grimes <biodynamichawaii_at_...>
> 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 goe=
sfrom 90 deg to your 45 or 60 deg angle. At the bottom the water flows of i=
t own accord and then you just pick up where that slows down and stones/air=
lift 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_...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Hi, I am in the process of building a 240 gallon Vortex brewer.
>
> My first brew went anaerobic almost immediately. Clearly I have undersize=
d the air supply and while I would appreciate advise on which pump I should=
purchase (I used an Eco7 that allegedly provides7 cfm, it appears that I n=
eed to at least double that rate), my question is more about the properties=
of 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=
gravity filling the spray rig). The manifold is attached to the base of th=
e stand and there are three 2 inch pipes that return water over the top of =
the 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=
because the air bubbles would be in contact with the water for a longer pe=
riod of time as they rose up the pipe thus increasing DO. But of course the=
deeper the air stone the lower the performance of the air pump because the=
resistance pressure is greater. In other words, is there any rule of thumb=
regarding the depth of the air stone?
>
> This question becomes very important as I look at purchasing a new pump a=
s regenerative blowers loose performance very quickly the more pressure the=
y are working under.
>
> I would really appreciate any help or ideas, thanks in advance.
>
Received on Thu May 26 2011 - 12:30:39 EDT