10 min $10 DIY aerated compost tea ACT brewer

[Microbeman]

microbeman i was wondering if i could get your great tea brewer knowledge i have eco 1 commercial pump and i was wanting to make a air lift brewer with it and would love for some help setting it up and figuring out whats the best way to build it thanks.

You can find all the clues and tips on my webpage http://www.microbeorganics.com/#So_You_Wanna_Build_A_Compost_Tea_Brewer and with a bit of research you'll get it. I don't have time to help everyone. I offered DM help because he's an old friend and besides I just secured the US patent and am not inclined to give it all away right yet.

 

[Bullfrog44]

I'm really sorry that I do not have this ready to go yet. I'm having trouble just keeping up with my everday work. We just built a new lab and I moved in last week....still just organizing.

Hey no worries man. I am more than capable of building anything really, I am very handy. I just thought it would be nice to use a system that you have designed, and have experimented with nutes in. You guys have your shit dialed. I will just have to build my own and tell you guys how it comes out.

I just ordered a 15 gal tank on line, and I am still trying to figure out an air pump. I want to build an airlift system, and the drain hole on my unit is 2". I want to keep the 2" pipe all the way around so it would be easier to clean, but not sure if that would require too much air. I am still searching.....

 

[Rednick]

microbeman i was wondering if i could get your great tea brewer knowledge i have eco 1 commercial pump and i was wanting to make a air lift brewer with it and would love for some help setting it up and figuring out whats the best way to build it thanks.

Try the Search function, it really does work!

 

[L3V3R2ooo]

You can find all the clues and tips on my webpage http://www.microbeorganics.com/#So_You_Wanna_Build_A_Compost_Tea_Brewer and with a bit of research you'll get it. I don't have time to help everyone. I offered DM help because he's an old friend and besides I just secured the US patent and am not inclined to give it all away right yet.

sorry i was a lil stoned and did not think my post all the way through before i posted it(and left out crucial parts).i was trying to ask if i could make a air lift brewer with my 18watt 38l/min pump and if so what is the most gallon bucket i should use.im not wanting to waste anymore money problem sloveing.this what i wanted to ask but it didnt come out right. i've read the tread and www.microbeorganics.com/ muliple times.but i was wanting people with a lil more experience to help thanx.
happy growing

 

[L3V3R2ooo]

btw im already brewing in a 20 gallon tank with 4 airstones hooked to this pump. but im tierd of cleaning and buying airstones so thats why im wanting to switch to air lift or even pvc diffused .

 

[Rednick]

i've read the tread and www.microbeorganics.com/ muliple times.but i was wanting people with a lil more experience to help thanx.
happy growing

Well, what have you come up with so far?
Calculations, design, measurements...

Part of these forums is getting access to the knowledge of people like MM, but also contributing the product of the wheels that turn in your dome. Without failure, experimentation/innovation doesn't happen.

Not trying to be a dick, just lately there has been an influx of 'useless questions' on this and other threads.

People saying 'just tell me the fucking answer'.
But that doesn't teach a man to fish, just to replicate another mans fishing rod.

 

[Bullfrog44]

L3V3R2ooo - If I understand the following passage correctly then I think that pump would only work up to 10 gal max. Not sure if this is referring to air lift systems or just bubbled buckets, but I would imagine an airlift system would require a stronger pump.

"A Word About Diaphragm Air Pumps;
If you are going to buy a pump to run your aerated CT brewer, I can recommend the Eco Plus Commercial 5 (4 CFM max.) for up to 50 gallons and the Eco Plus Commercial 1 (1.75 CFM max.) for up to 10 gallons. I’m sorry but I cannot recommend a retailer for these pumps. I buy them wholesale and perhaps if you contact them, they can refer you to a retailer. http://www.nationalgardenwholesale.com
I can also recommend Hailea 9730 pumps (2 CFM max.) which you can purchase from www.aquaticeco.com and other places. These are solid, long lasting pumps and I know other commercial brewers use them for 50 gallons but I just can’t recommend them for more than 30 gallons. If you use one for a 5 gallon unit it will last virtually forever. All of these pumps come with a little threaded brass fitting for screwing into the air output. DO NOT USE THESE! Put them in your parts drawer. These constrict the air and reduce your CFM by at least 20%. Rather, find tubing which slides over the nipple into which the threads are tapped. In the case of the Eco Plus 5 and the Hailea, 5/8ths inside diameter works. Slide the air tubing over and secure with a gear clamp. The Eco Plus has a very short nipple so I score the metal with a couple of swipes with a hacksaw to create barbs for the tubing to grip. You can find tubing at a building supply like Home Depot or Rona in Canada. I use the braided reinforced stuff which does not kink. Always try to keep your pump at or above the surface of the water so it does not siphon back if the power fails."

 

[Bullfrog44]

Sure, no problem L3V3R2ooo, don'e mention it.

 

[DARC MIND]

 

[Scrappy4]

Very nice........".

 

[Bullfrog44]

Very nice! Details please. Pipe size that fits up to 5 gal container? Air pump size?

 

[DARC MIND]

post #144
details again can be found on MM's page

You can find all the clues and tips on my webpage http://www.microbeorganics.com/#So_You_Wanna_Build_A_Compost_Tea_Brewer and with a bit of research you'll get it. I don't have time to help everyone.

get to reading!!

 

[heady blunts]

fuck yes DM!!! that's the brewer i want to build next!

is it a single airlift? do you have to initiate the vortex with a little stirring or does it get going on its own?

very nice!

 

[DARC MIND]

fuck yes DM!!! that's the brewer i want to build next!

is it a single airlift?

yes

do you have to initiate the vortex with a little stirring or does it get going on its own?

very nice!

on its own,simple adjustments to the return pipe get the spin no problem & a twist on them elbows to get the vortex to spin the other way
eco 1 is no joke
MM knows his stuff

 

[Bullfrog44]

details again can be found on MM's page

get to reading!!

You are talking about MM's page that I posted at the top of this page right? Why would I need to read that again? I asked what you used.

 

[Bullfrog44]

this kind of gets me worried
i just built a 5 gal vortex brewer & ordered a eco-plus comercial 1 pump to work the air lifts.was even planning on splitting the air tube into two lines to pump up two 24" pvc pipes both a inch thick....

Never mind, I see what you meant now. You say you only used one pipe instead of the two you were planning. Did you up your pipe size because of this or did you stick with 1"?

 

[DARC MIND]

well i went with one pipe for two reasons
one is the vortex works superb with just one airlift,making it simpler to clean and dissemble
second is the pump just wouldnt fully pump the water up both airlift when i tryed to work with two. thers simply not enough power in the eco 1 to run both airlifts a " thick,only one will flow and the other will just bubble water half way up the lift. so one it is
i also wouldnt use piping under a " with the eco 1; 1/3" screend compost/casting flows threw better and the water/air current is just right imo
so 1" piping for the eco 1 or similar power pump

 

[heady blunts]

oh shit i want to build this so badly! how does it stand up?

 

[Microbeman]

You can make a stand by joining PVC pipe together with Tees and elbows; no glue needed. I just threw together a miniature (5 gallon) airlift fully contained in a bucket using 1.25 PVC; for a donation to a community garden where I'm doing a workshop this weekend. I used the Hailea 2 CFM and the diffusion chamber I designed. Hmmmm... I wonder if that makes a difference for the lift. DM are you using a diffuser in the pipe? or just open tubing? Also, I see that you have your air input at the bottom of the Tee like Scrappy did(?) whereas I use my air input horizontally opposed (right angles) to the riser pipe. I did not think it mattered but now I wonder.

Anyway, I measured the flow in the new little 5 gallon airlift brewer and was surprised to find it is the same as with the 50 gallon (eg. 3 seconds per liter fill) I wonder if there is some kind of constant with the diameter size.

 

[Bullfrog44]

well i went with one pipe for two reasons
one is the vortex works superb with just one airlift,making it simpler to clean and dissemble
second is the pump just wouldnt fully pump the water up both airlift when i tryed to work with two. thers simply not enough power in the eco 1 to run both airlifts a " thick,only one will flow and the other will just bubble water half way up the lift. so one it is
i also wouldnt use piping under a " with the eco 1; 1/3" screend compost/casting flows threw better and the water/air current is just right imo
so 1" piping for the eco 1 or similar power pump

Thank you, this is my next tea brewer for sure. Great design and idea.