OK so as many of you know my waterfarms were wanting an upgrade from their stock motor and undercarriage and the mods I was coming up with didn't get much more horsepower.
So finally today I felt good all day and was able to get in 15 hours work.
I took the previous designs and removed them completely. I then used Heath Thompson's Waterfarm upgrade design, with a few of my own modifications. Using all new bottom buckets or res's, PVC, well pretty much everything .
As the thread title says I figure I have spent over $1800 on these little Waterfarms. Jeez I need to get control.
BUT!!!
It is working like a charm...Using colored food dye and a stopwatch I figure each bucket on an average is or has the capacity to recycle about once a minute. It's hard to figure though.
I can tell you when I add dye to the res the furthest buckets start shooting in dye within 5 seconds...then the whole of the water is all one color within 15 seconds...so that is a good amount of circulation through these Waterfarms regardless.
That with the air stones in every bucket, tank, and res should provide a nice recirculating fresh DO charged solution all day and night.
I'm using a 1200 GPH pump but I think tomorrow I will go to a 1500. The 1200 is plenty strong enough but I could use it elsewhere, so if I need to buy another one...why not bigger?
I added some pics of the new system...it's running through testing till this Sunday...I bet you can't hear it...
...neither can I...
Where the PVC is above the floor I am going to build a short sub-floor over it so I don't fall down and can't get up...
Here it is in all it's glory...
Some of the fun PVC work...
The 1/2" is for the feed which is about 7.5" above the drain...
Here's a couple of mods I made. The 2" is like a plumbing vent...it's at the furthest point from the res., it allows air into the drain line to release any vacuum that may occur, it's like a hole at both ends of a can. I will put a removable cap on it with holes drilled in it (for venting)...the cap I will remove to test my solution at the furthest point from the res too
The smaller 1/2" ball valve is at the furthest end of the feed line attached to the pump. From here I can open the valve and drain about 70% of the water...there is another attachment point further in the corner(can't see it in the pics) if I open the ball valve there it will drain the system about 95% .
Another shot as the assembly went on.
These next 2 shots show the 16 buckets and their layout...
I think I have 60 gallons active water and another 40 gallons of res feeding that, both on auto feeds.
More and the last for tonight or this morning where ever you may be.
Tomorrow chillers, and rehang the lights centered over the buckets.