10 min $10 DIY aerated compost tea ACT brewer

[heady blunts]

stanky- i'd be happy to post one but i haven't figured out how to upload video yet. any hints?

also i gotta be honest, this little puppy is relatively noisy as well. the pump is wimpy so it's pretty quiet, but the splashing sounds can get a little loud. I live in a one bedroom so it would be an issue but i keep it in my veg cab which is pretty well insulated for sound, plus the white noise from the fan in our room blocks out what little makes it through.

if it were in another room it'd probably be fine. i've always liked those zen water gardens, so for me it's rather relaxing.

 

[Stankie]

Upload to youtube then post a link is how I've done it in the past.

Thanks. Would be awesome to see it in action!


I have a commercial piston pump that is very noisy. My neighbor knows I brew teas up during the summer and he asked me last time I was brewing in my garage why I was brewing in the middle of winter .... It is a LOUD pump. Literally shakes my house.

 

[heady blunts]

oh yea that sounds way noiser. this is more like a trickling/splashing water sound. way more reasonable. definitely would not disturb your neighbor.

i'll look into the youtube thing.

 

[Stankie]

Here is an old video of mine so you can hear the pump. This is in a 15 gallon bucket, but I have since downsized to a 5 gallon bucket. I've been intrigued with the air-lift design and might build one for this pump and a 5 gallon bucket next spring. I use a 'X' shaped PVC diffuser with holes drilled in right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjvownL1B2Y

 

[heady blunts]

ya damn that's loud as hell. you're getting lots and lots of bubbles tho! if i were gonna redo your summer set up i'd design a vortex type unit but with only one or two air lifts rather than the four they use on the commercial one. i think it was MM who told me something along the lines of "sure four airlifts work but that's a lot of extra clean up when a single one would work."

i designed a conical bottom single airlift brewer that i believe would maintain a vortex if you gave it a stir at the beginning to get it going. i designed it for a 3 gal water cooler bottle but it could easily be made with a 5 gal bottle with the appropriate pump (like your mofo).

basically it's this but with only one air lift putting out a high flow rate angled against the side to keep the vortex in constant motion. you'd have to build some sort of stand obviously.

 

[Stankie]

http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=A-IN0015-19

I was thinking about using something like this. Kinda pricey but nice!!! I'd like to find a 5 gallon vessel also.

You have me thinking now . . . . Thank you

 

[Milhouse]

Thanks for the great info!! Does anyone use an aquarium powerhead to mix their teas? I use mine to mix regular nutes and i feel this mixes mutes great compared to straight airstones. Any input would be appreciated. ANyways, Thanks again for the good info.

 

[Stankie]

http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=A-SP0005-SQ8

I found one!!

This site has smaller vessels, down to 2.5 gallons if you are looking for cone bottom. I might try a new design soon . . .

 

[jaykush]

nice find, well worth it considering how much high quality act you can make with it. it will make up for itself in no time.

 

[gonzo3732]

Thanks heady! Nice tutorial

 

[heady blunts]

http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=A-SP0005-SQ8

I found one!!

This site has smaller vessels, down to 2.5 gallons if you are looking for cone bottom. I might try a new design soon . . .

oooooooo i want one.

 

[Bud-Boy]

Excellent idea!

Been scheming on how to waterfall without the impeller of a pump tearing up the micros.

Nice work

thanks for sharing

 

[Stankie]

My newly designed tea brewer

My newly designed tea brewer

Here is my newly built AACT brewer.

My old set-up was an X shaped PVC diffuser in a 5 gallon bucket. I imagined there were some 'dead zones' along the bottom of the bucket where the bottom met the side. My redesign is based on intelligent theory, instead of any actual microscope analysis.

Someone once dropped the idea of cone bottom tanks being used as a way to nearly eliminate dead zones. I experienced a little problem last summer with my vegetable/flower gardens and foliar spraying with my AACT. I think I introduced a little bit of 'nasties', particular to my tomatoes, peonies, peppers, and squash. I think most of that had to do with poor quality compost. But it still got the idea of cone bottoms churning in my mind again.

My 5 gallon vessel is QUALITY built! Heavy, thick plastic. The lid is vented. My gallon marks aren't painted bold/black though, no biggie. Here's a stock photo.

Here are some pics of my new set-up. I built a little table out of some scrap 2x4's and plywood.

I might need a little teflon tape to completely seal the threads on the bushing. These were loosely hand tightened and were dripping ever so slightly during my 'test run'.

Here is looking down inside the vessel. The angle of the side slope to the flat bottom is fairly open, to help eliminate dead zones. The air outlet is a 3/4" straight-pipe opening. No water backs into the air tube. I have been trying to think of a way to put a diffuser on here, but don't really even know if I need one.

Here is a pic of the bubbling test water in action. I am using a 70L/minute commercial air pump. I'm actually hoping there's not too much agitation, but I've heard thats nearly impossible. This is definitely Actively Aerated! The way it is setup now produces a nice column of air that really cycles the liquid. This really gets the water churning, breaks the water's surface tension, and produces a lot of movement of the suspended particles. I don't use a tea bag.

Any thoughts from 'the pros' or anybody else would be welcomed!

 

[jaykush]

nicely done.

you might want to have a valve of some kind somewhere( preferably at the bottom corner of the pvc) to drain the tea with ease. and aid in fast cleanup.

 

[Stankie]

I almost bought a ball valve but didn't. I still might add one.

The valve was pretty tight and needed a lot of force to adjust position. I thought it might strain the slip fit fittings. I also have been thinking about a small diffuser, so I might add/test some things this weekend.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Beautiful design and execution - it looks to be very professional all the way around.

CC

 

[Microbeman]

That is the principle of the 'Dirt Simple' brewer

 

[razor ridge]

Where did you get such a container? whats its actual use?

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Where did you get such a container? whats its actual use?

Look for the term 'cone bottom tanks' - they come in sizes from 5 gallon up to 20,000+ gallons.

Ones this size are not all that common compared to the larger size tanks offered.

CC

 

[Stankie]

Thanks CC!

Thanks MM! I was unfamiliar with that brand.... Looks like I may have saved a couple of bucks. I had never actually seen a conical bottom brewer, so thats why I posted my design.

Razor - This is the actual site I purchased from. CC is right, the smaller tank sizes are a little more difficult to find. I would have preferred a round tank, but there a no sharp corners in this tank. I believe it's original purpose is for bio-diesel, but am not 100%.