Low Pressure Automated Valve

By TCLynx, on December 25th, 2010 Valve contraption

Some might ask me how I manage to use an indexing valve on my big system CHIFT PIST set up when my pump runs constantly. Well this might not be the best layout for using an indexing valve but I’m managed to make it work.

valve insides

I designed a low pressure aquaponics automated valve that can still work with only about 18 inches of water column. The indexing valve in question has a gravity modified stem and with a huge flow of water with that 18 inches of water column it has been working well for about a year and a half.

flap attachment

valve flow

Many people might ask me why I don’t simply use a solenoid valve. Well the answer to that is most irrigation solenoid valves require quite a large differential pressure to operate (the pressure required if supplied by gravity would have me placing the fish tank on top of the roof in order to get enough pressure to work the valve.) And I don’t know if a regular solenoid valve would keep working well with the slime from an aquaponics system.

Fancy cover

original valve contraption

Building your own low pressure aquaponics automated valve is possible for the DIY person with experience in plumbing and electronics.
Essentially the valve is made up of three primary parts.
1-backwater valve installed backwards
2-car door actuator to pull the valve open and closed
3-electronic controller to trigger the opening, closing and timing of the valve.

Electronics Diagram

Timer circuit

This is the original timer circuit to control the automation that a friend helped me with I have since had a better circuit made that uses a chip to control the timing rather than an RC circuit but this original timing circuit did work just fine.

very important rubberband

Finally, I never quite got rid of the bounce problem and even with a spring ball latch, I still need to have the rubber band in place and it needs to be replaced every few months. That is my low pressure aquaponics automated valve. I’m rather proud of it.

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Introduction to Aquaponics

Introduction to Aquaponics | Aquaponicsfan.com Aquaponicsfan.com Aquaponics, Hydroponics, AquacultureHomeAboutCommentsSystemsHydroponicsContact What is Aquaponics? » Introduction to AquaponicsDecember 3rd, 2010 | Author: Steve

By Kirk Gordon

Hydroponics and aquaponics are very similar in every way except hydroponics requires the addition of fertilizer and there’s no fish in the nutrient solution.

In aquaponics, plants and fish live a symbiotic life with the fish feeding the plants, and the plants cleaning and filtering the fish’s environment.

The fish waste becomes the plant’s food source, consequently, the plants’ roots filter the water and keep the tank clean. In essence, aquaponics could be considered a miniature ecosystem because both plants and fish are thriving in the same environment.

Aquaponics offer benefits to both Gardener’s and Fish Farmers. Fish Farmers may utilize aquaponics if they have difficulty disposing the nutrient rich fish water, while hydroponics growers benefit from having a constant supply of free plant food – eliminating the need to purchase commercial fertilizers.

Unlike hydroponics or aeroponics, aquaponics is still a relatively new cultivation technique. As more technology is developed and the process is refined, it could potentially become a space and money saving process for producing fish, vegetables and herbs.

In hydroponics and aeroponics applications, the nutrient solution needs to be prepared – measured, mixed, and then added to the reservoir. In aquaponics, there’s no mixing fertilizer involved, making it a great way for beginners to cultivate plants. Only the fish needs to be fed.

The number of commercial applications utilizing aeroponics is still very limited. A number of universities globally are currently exploring the science of aquaponics to advance this extreme cultivation technique. Aquaponics is currently being used in areas where the fish population is declining and/or their food supply must be imported.

Posted in General | Tags: alternative gardening, american aquaponics, aquaphonics, aquaponic, aquaponic system, aquaponics, aquaponics blog, aquaponics community, aquaponics fish, aquaponics forum, aquaponics gardening, aquaponics gardening kit, aquaponics how, aquaponics how to, aquaponics system, aquaponics systems, backyard aquaponics, backyard fish farming, boulder colorado, compost, container gardening, container gardens, garden systems, gardening system, grow organic, grow systems, grow tomatoes, growing hydroponic, growing systems, growing tomatoes indoors, hydroponic gardening, hydroponic growing systems, hydroponic kits, hydroponic system, hydroponic tomatoes, hydroponic vegetable gardening indoors, hydroponics, hydroponics garden, hydroponics system, indoor aquaponics, indoor garden, indoor garden vegetable, indoor gardening, indoor growing systems, indoor vegetable garden, indoor vegetable gardening, kitchen garden, nutrients organic, orchids, organic container gardens, organic hydroponic, organic hydroponics, organic nutrients" />, patio gardening, permaculture, sustainable living, tomatoes, u.s. aquaponics, u.s.a. aquaponics, us aquaponics, usa aquaponics, window garden, window gardening, year round gardening Leave a ReplyClick here to cancel reply.

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Growing Lettuce, Fish Together Helps Environment

by Paul Day

Some believe it’s the future of farming because it uses only a fraction of the water.

“The fish waste provides the nutrients to the plants,” explained J.D. Sawyer, owner of Colorado Aquaponics.

Sawyer and his wife Tawnya have created a system of grow beds and holding tanks where fish and garden greens thrive in a symbiotic relationship.

“They grow much faster,” Tawnya said as she admired a tray of basil.

Aquaponics is the combination of two farming methods — aquaculture (where aquatic species are grown in a controlled environment) and hydroponics (where plants are raised without soil).

So in a dilapidated greenhouse in an aging industrial area of North Denver, the couple has put together their demonstration project to educate the public.

Water circulates in a closed system through both the gravel filled plant beds and the fish filled tanks. As J.D. explains it, excrement from the fish actually feeds the garden greens. Water gets filtered and cleaned up as it moves moving through the plant beds. That helps keep the fish healthy.

What’s significant is how much water is conserved, especially in a semi-arid climate like that in Denver.

Aquaponics uses just 10 percent of the water typically needed for irrigated farming. There are no pesticides and no chemical fertilizers.

It’s a small wonder a local café owner is eager to buy fresh greens from Colorado Aquaponics, especially now during cold weather.

“It’s awesome,” said Libby Birky, co-founder of SAME on East Colfax.

Birky took a delivery of hand-picked basil and lettuce.

“The flavor is fantastic, it’s great to have the fresh produce when we’re not getting it from anywhere else,” she said.

The fish — including tilapia and trout — are also being raised as table fare.

Some Denver restaurants have expressed interest because they know it’s the freshest fish in town. But the current operation is too small to support commercial fish sales.

Is this really the future of farming? The Sawyers say it is.

“The idea is we want to build larger versions of these systems here where we can have thousands of fish, thousands of plants,” JD explained.

The couple now is looking for financial backers to help them scale up to a commercial sized operation.

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Where My Interest In Farming Began

When Epcot first opened at Disney World, I visited this exhibit which was sponsored by Kraft Foods.

The Land is the name of a pavilion that sits on the western side of “Future World”, one of two themed areas of Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida USA. It opened on October 1, 1982 as part of the Phase I features for the grand opening of what was then known as EPCOT Center. “The Land” is a 24 hectare (2.5 million square foot) facility dedicated to human interaction with the land itself. It explores how humans can both use the land for their benefit, and how they can also destroy it. Future Technology in better preserving the land is also explored in the pavilion, along with a focus on the celebration of the land itself.

While The Land pavilion has existed since 1982, it has gone through three significant phases. The pavilion’s first incarnation involved a ten year sponsorship under Kraft Foods Inc. from 1982–1992. Kraft played a vital role in co-financing the everyday functions of the attractions, restaurants, and shops inside the pavilion. The pavilion’s interior and exterior design featured earth tone colors and exotic plant life.

In 1993, plans were made to update and modernize the overall tone of EPCOT Center, including a major refurbishment of The Land pavilion. Kraft withdrew its sponsorship on September 26, 1993, with Nestle taking its place. Co-financed by Nestle and the Walt Disney World Resort, a gradual refurbishment of the pavilion began on September 27, 1993.

The pavilion itself was cosmetically freshened. While some of the original design elements remained, the addition of more vibrant colors and fabrics to the various restaurants and shops gave the pavilion a more modern and refreshed look. The names of certain shops, restaurants, and attractions also changed during this time. The pavilion’s main attraction, Listen to the Land, which took guests on connected boats through various exhibits within the pavilion, reopened mostly unchanged as Living with the Land on December 10, 1993.

The Kitchen Kabaret Revue, another of the pavilion’s original attractions featuring an Audio-Animatronics presentation about nutrition, closed on January 3, 1994. It was replaced with new show titled Food Rocks, which featured some of the elements from the original show with an updated presentation intended to be more modern and appealing to younger audiences. Food Rocks has since closed down to make room for the Land’s newest attraction, Soarin’.

Symbiosis, the last of The Land’s three original attractions, was closed on January 1, 1995. This attraction, which was a cinematic presentation that discussed both the positive and negative aspects of human relationship with the land, eventually reopened as Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable, a new film featuring characters from The Lion King. Like the Food Rocks show, this new attraction recycled some of the elements of its predecessor, and was intended to be another refreshed and modernized feature of The Land that would better appeal to younger audiences.

In 2003, Nestle renewed its sponsorship of The Land; however, it was under agreement that Nestle would oversee its own refurbishment to both the interior and exterior of the pavilion. Between 2004 and 2005, the pavilion underwent its second major refurbishment.

The most significant change to The Land during its 2004–2005 refurbishment was the closure and entire demolition of Food Rocks, which initially occurred on January 3, 2004.

The Land officially reopened on May 5, 2005, which coincided with the start of Disney’s Happiest Celebration on Earth Campaign. While “The Land” as a pavilion has somewhat changed, its purpose has not, and it remains a positive and serious experience featuring elements from all three of its phases, allowing today’s guests to experience all that “The Land” has to offer.  On February 13, 2009, Nestle pulled out of sponsorship, leaving the Land without a sponsor.

On August 2, 2009, “Living with the Land” closes for a vehicle and attraction update until October 2, 2009.

In addition to being an entertainment venue, The Land is also a demonstration, production, and research facility. 43,000 ft (0.4 hectares) of the pavilion are dedicated to experimental horticulture techniques in hydroponics, irrigation methods, and integrated pest management.

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