Worlds Best Aerator - Krusty Buckets - DWC - General

BlindDate

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 16, 2006

• #1

This may not be worthy of a new thread, but with all the problems people have using various methods of aeration I thought that I would share. The Krusty people and DWCers in particular are always wrestling with clogged stones and such.

This aeration hose is made by a company called Alita (do a google). Alita makes big aquarium air pumps. The tubing is 1/2" ID silicone with thousands of tiny knife cuts in it. Because silicone expands under pressure, this stuff NEVER cloggs and does produce nice fine bubbles. I arrived here after trying everything on the market and would never go back.

I am using 3/16" lead wire run thru the inside to weigh the assembly down. The hoops are 12" diameter.

 

Last edited: Dec 16, 2006

G

Guest

• Dec 16, 2006

• #2

You say never clogs?

 

BlindDate

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 16, 2006

• #3

NEVER EVER......Its design makes it impossible.

 

Texas Kid

Member

• Dec 16, 2006

• #4

Black soaker hoses work great as well and never clogs that I have ever seen or read. They work the same way those do I believe.

Stones suck......Wands suck.....Disc's suck

To bad we lost all the old threads from Krusty, those were packed with killer information from the man himself. He also used something like 1hp Thomas Betts compressors that just made a super frothy bath of air and nutrient rich water in the buckets.

Good find though BD

Tex

 

BlindDate

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 16, 2006

• #5

Black soaker hoses work great as well and never clogs that I have ever seen or read. They work the same way those do I believe.

Click to expand...

I've used 3 brands of soaker hose and they've all clogged. Worse, soaker hose requires a high pressure pump to operate( 30 psi +). The Krusty crowd uses soaker for reasons obscure to me. All it does is produce hot air in the reservoir and half the bubbles of a lower pressure yet higher output system. But then, it's what Krusty used!!!! and that is gods word!

 

Last edited: Dec 16, 2006

vta

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 16, 2006

• #6

BlindDate said:

This may not be worthy of a new thread,

Click to expand...

It is for me! I am sick of stones and was just going to Petco today to get some diffusers.

I check out their site and they also have a polyethylene porous tube product that looks like it would be perfect for my large cloner.



Thanks, great thread!

 

G

Guest

• Dec 16, 2006

• #7

Looks awesome...Where the hell did you get it???

Nothing on their site about distributors or retailers

 

Z

ZEngineya

New member

• Dec 17, 2006

• #8

Same question...where did you purchase and for how much? I've read this material is $8/ft. Yikes. Tx

 

G

Guest

• Dec 17, 2006

• #9

this is the answer i have been hunting for!!! any info on where to purchase is much appreciated!

 

BlindDate

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 17, 2006

• #10

Yeah...it's $8 foot but the last aerator you'll ever buy. I don't know if they sell it thru any retailers. Buy it from Alita. You have to put it together yourself. They only sell the hose. Get 1/2" to 1/4" reducing tees from US Plastics:

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/va...ry_name=6918&product_id=6664&variant_id=62104

Buy the lead wire from Mcmaster Carr.


As for the porus polyethylene: Been there, done that, same clogging issue.

You guys also have to remember that this hose is for high output pumps not Walmart vibrators.

For the Krusty guys running Thomas pumps. it's the cats ass. Low backpressure means higher output, lower temperture and much more quiet.

http://www.alita.com/diffuser/siliconehose.php

 

Last edited: Dec 17, 2006

clowntown

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 17, 2006

• #11

Are fine bubbles what you want, though? I used to think this, until recently. Here is a pretty good explanation of why. I'm reading more and more about people using simple tubes with fewer, larger holes punched in.

Thoughts, opinions?

 

BlindDate

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 17, 2006

• #12

Good point clowntown.

The bubbles aren't all that fine using this hose, about average I would say. One school says that aeration occurs when the bubbles break the surface and another says that it occurs while in suspension. If I had to make a bet as to the better method I would go with the surface tension. To be honest, simply having the water splashing and moving around is enough. Bubbles are a good way to agitate however.

 

Last edited: Dec 17, 2006

G

Guest

• Dec 17, 2006

• #13

hey Blinddate, what size do these things come in, are they 6mm?

looks like you needed an adapter in the pic you posted, do they supply these? (if needed)

looking into ordering me some

thanks!!!!


keep em green!

 

G

Guest

• Dec 17, 2006

• #14

haha man im a stoner,,,, forget that adapter Q... lol


just cliked on the other link haha

will still be ordering some.....

thanks for sharing

 

Last edited: Dec 17, 2006

Sauce

Active member

• Dec 17, 2006

• #15

From what I've read big bubbles are actually better. They circulate the water better and agitate the water surface more. This is where most of the o2 transfer takes place. The surface area of many bubbles is still not much compared to the surface area of the water surface (got that lol?). However like BD said they both will work fine.

No clogs would be nice but air stones are so cheap I'll stick with them. It would be very valuable to someone with a buried stone like krusty bucket style.

 

clowntown

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 17, 2006

• #16

Does the lead pollute the nutrient solution in any way? Say, like copper?

 

BlindDate

Active member

Veteran

• Dec 17, 2006

• #17

Does the lead pollute the nutrient solution in any way? Say, like copper?

Click to expand...

I think that the lead is inert. It does not dissolve in 5.5 ph water.

 

Last edited: Dec 17, 2006

G

Guest

• Jan 4, 2007

• #18

ordered me some

ordered me some




little pricey @$20US a mtr...but i never get any clogs.....

pricless


thanks for sharing BD!

 

H

Haps

stone fool

Veteran

• Jan 4, 2007

• #19

I never get any clogs - cause I quit using stones - cause I'm already stoned & don't need tiny bubbles. And my cheap wally world air pumps have been working for 9 crop seasons, in the third year now, without a single problem, or failure, dozens of them, 24/7/350 m/l. Duct tape your tubes down, and be done with it - sooooooooo simple, and I did not start recommending it till I had smoked a couple harvests to make sure of the quality results. With no stone, you get more water movement at the surface.
Baretubehap

 

ogenko

Member

• Feb 1, 2008

• #20

air stone hate

air stone hate

is that still working for ya haps???
how bout you Eulogy, the alita tubing still going strong???

 

Last edited: Feb 1, 2008