by britta
How to: WF Version 2.0 Standing AirLift Mini (SAM)
11:05 am in Getting Started, How-Tos by britta
These are UPDATED instructions that show you how to make a ‘mini’
1 hour build- The easiest, cheapest, smallest windowfarm. Gets you started on hydroponics ASAP! This version is designed to be easy to assemble for folks who want to try out a windowfarm but are not quite ready to build the structure needed for larger windowfarms. This system can grow three plants. The basic configuration includes three bottles that act as plant holders, a bottom reservoir to capture/hold water, and tubing to move water through the system. It also utilizes a small air pump that uses water displacement to elevate the water up to the top of the system, where it can then trickle down through each plant.
Check the comments below for updates and to read about other folks’ experiences before you build (remember this is an ongoing R&D process so don’t think of it as a product!!)
Please note that we ask anyone who downloads the how-to to register on the site and to come back and post as you build, not just when you’re finished. You give back to the project by participating on the site. Bring questions, ideas, results of your testing various processes. This is a mass collaboration on the R&D of these systems.
IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT ELECTRICAL SAFETY: Remember to include a drip loop (position the cord so it hangs down below the electrical plug).
Note: Starting in 2012, after a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, Windowfarms began selling One, Two, and Four-Column Windowfarms. The new Windowfarms are sustainably manufactured in the US, made of recyclable components, and are easy to setup — so you can quickly get setup and begin learning about growing food. If you would prefer to buy a Windowfarm, please visit The Windowfarms Store.
Hi,
They’re really usefull even though I did not actually follow them and just did what my heart(?) told me to do 
They were a great guideline for me though.
First I want to thank you for the instructions.
My windowfarm now provides me with about a drop every second. (I used a smaller tube and a smaller pump, I think this is enough for good irrigation.) The problem is that the water seeps away from the bottlen too fast. I thought of using something to slow it down so I used different kinds of materials which would theoratically slow the seeping down.
Well this will never provide me with good results, since these materials would either slow it down too much causing a huge tsunami in my house. Or it would still drip away too fast leaving me to the mercy of the supermarket for my tomatoes.
So well, I need something like a pressure valve, how can I make this myself? Or can I buy something like it somewhere cheaply?
Thank you,
AmazingDreams
Ok I know what to do
So you get the one-way valve, put it on the cap of your bottle (make it water-tight with tape or sth) and stick a tube to the other end, cut the tube at the desired height, the water will start dripping as soon as it reached the desired height.
Or am I thinking too difficult…
This is the V2 design, and is mostly abandoned for other solutions, the V3 among them.
One way of getting the V2 to improve efficiency is to go with the ‘V2 modified’ design.
In the V2 design you inject air into the lift tubes through the needles. If you cut the air tubes about 4 – 6″ from the needles and leave the needles and stumps in place(so that nutrients can seep in through that end) and stick the air tube in the bottom of the lift tube.
Also, make certain that you have enough liquids in the reservoir. Generally; the deeper a reservoir and the deeper the ‘injection point’ is, the more efficient the system is.
This also goes for the unmodified design.
In the unmodified design, making certain there’s at least 4″ preferably more beneath the injection point is also important. And putting a piece of narrower tube in the end may also help efficiency.
Also, keep the lifting tube as straight as possible.
Avoid using cable ties or similar to fasten it if you’re using flexible tubing as it’ll crimp the tubing and drastically reduce efficiency. Instead use pieces of tape.
Thank you so much to the creators and all who contribute to this site. Although I’m very challenged in both main activities related to this site (growing plants and sharing information), I feel , after a few days of investigation, sure this will be a great forum for me to grow into growing and sharing. Now that I have basic instructions, my journey starts.
Can’t wait to try this, in somewhat altered form.
My daughter came to me today (she’s 7) with an idea for a kid’s garden club for her and the neighborhood kids. Moments later she came to me with a plastic bottle from the recycling bin, saying that she wanted to use this for planting. I got excited, having just saw the article about Windowfarming in my Urban Farm Magazine. So, after a few minutes of brainstorming, we put together a plan for starting a kid’s gardening club, complete with a field trip to our local community garden and their very own plot in our backyard garden (which we’ve named Lily Bee Backyard Farm) and craft ideas.
The first, of course will be for the kids to assemble their own hanging garden. We won’t be using pumps or anything fancy, just water the top and let it drip down to a holding container at the bottom. But I’m excited to get kids growing food in their own homes, especially as fall and eventually winter takes hold.
Hola, feliz de poder ser parte de esta gran idea.
Existirá por ahí una versión en español del PDF para la versión 2 ???
Se los agradecería, el ingles no es mi fuerte.
Hi there,
I was looking for an inexpensive way to teach our mentoring class gardening skills and have fun with the kids.
I am pleased I found your site. We will build the small unit and let everyone know
Thanks
Hi guys, I’m just about to start collecting the materials required for building a windowfarm. I was wondering if someone could tell me whether this airpump is suitable: http://www.fishandfins.co.uk/sera-air-pump.htm its called “sera air 110″
THanks!
Hello, I still don´t catch how the air is going to push up the nutrients. Could someone explain a little more please? It is not clear for me.
Thank you
@ Humerto
As I see it it works like an aspirator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirator_(pump))
@Humerto, @Matthias
More like an airlift dredge, actually: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airlift_%28dredging_device%29
The rising air bubbles push water (and dissolved nutrients) to the top of the tube.
Specifically, the air bubbles enter the tube at a point where it is full of water. Each bubble expands to fill the full width of the tube, trapping some water above it. As the bubble rises through the tube, it pushes the trapped water above it to the top.
You don’t need to understand why it works to get started, though. It will make more sense when you see it happen.
Great project, as much of a lesson in physics as it is in biology!
Hi all. I’m Steve and I live in Australia.
I saw this when I was showing my students a TED TALKS video yesterday. I’m sure your community know the one. Although I didn’t have much time yesterday to investigate this more I did watch a couple of more videos on the T-joint system and signed up to your website (blog).
Although the V3 looks the best I think I will start with the V2 as all the parts needed I already have, except a needle. I think the dearest part for me will be the medium and nutrients. Other than that it will make a lovely project for me and my sons aged 5, 12 and 13.
I’m home today and have read more about the project. It’s encouraging to see a community using software opensource methods to own and develop a project as a community. In a world of division and politics isn’t it nice to see a community come together out of interest and cause for solutions rather than money and advantage.
Thank you for the invite. I will be sure to post my project and create some “How I Did It”resources for my V2 and subsequent projects.
Regards,
Steve (@MrHSIE)
Hi,
the resolution of the new PDF is too low, can hardly read. Is it just me or…?
it’s not just you. it is really hard to read, i feel like i need glasses, haha! the old PDF seems better, but i dont know how much different it is yet..
I agree with the PDF comments, it’s just dreadful. Is the source available anywhere? I think I can help to generate a PDF with proper text information, as opposed to a blurred picture of text.
Also, please add a space between “Download the” and the “New PDF” link. I could do this myself if this were a wiki, but…
My apologies to all. This is what happens sometimes with much loved but volunteer labor. The original and all its documentation was lost on a harddrive that melted. Once we moved on from that design we simply have not had the resources to recreate it and have been more interested in putting our effort toward the new build of the site to help everyone. If any of you would like to take on recreating it from scratch, which is what we would have to do, please go ahead and we will upload it and you will help a lot of folks.
FWIW- WE have also steered away from doing downloadable PDFs for this very reason. That is why we made version 3 a dynamic website so that it could be changed and added to by the community and we could make updates over time. The new site will allow for a lot more of this.
is it possible to make 2 columns with this design?
Regarding documentation. I think it should be put on wiki, or anyway we need some better form of Source Control Management than just dumping binaries in a directory and losing the source. Can an IT admin please contact me? I can help set up a better way, or anyway discuss.
It’s all well and good to say that we are “applying open source software development techniques”, but it looks to me like these are hollow PR words that essentially mean calling products with numbers instead of names.
Hey everyone,
First off, I’m so excited to build this in my apartment. Just a question about this design, is there no timer required? I’m not sure having an air pump going 24/7 would work well – wouldn’t everything flood? How often should I be sending water down the line if I do buy a timer?
Cheers!
For those of you who wants to watch instead of reading instructions, check this video by Mayra Cimet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8shuvMGIvc&feature=related
@Kelly Finnamore- Yep, you should definitely use a timer. I recommend getting a 48 on/off mechanical 24 hour cycle timer. Use the search bar to see more posts about timers. There’s a way to hack one of those to get a finer degree of control. It’s fun!
I just joined this site, after reading an article on Window Farms & how to grow your own salad in you living room! The directions are VERY easy to understand, even for someone who is as much of an UN-DIYer as I am! I will start collecting supplies/items now & hopefully in about a month, will be building my 1st window farm…..This is going to be so cool!
I have just downloaded the instructions and cannot wait to get started. I have many friends who will enjoy this. I love the fact all of this must be shared and not sold. you people are fantastic. Your karma will be grand.
Just wondering if I can replace the 1 gallon bottle with our 2Lite milk bottle? does it have to be 1 gallon?
As long as the milk bottle is plastic or glass its fine, a carton will fall apart over time.
(PLEASE reply asap)
Hi
I am making a window farm for my school project. I have everything in place.
The problem is that the water is not going up through the airlifting tube. I am using the same tubing that is mentioned in the manual, and there is no air leakage in the system. The only difference is that I am using a different pump. This is the pump that I am using..
http://ca-en.hagen.com/Aquatic/Aeration/Air-Pumps/11116
It is Marina 200 Air Pump. It is a two way pump. 4.5 watt
Do I have to use another pump, is it only going to work with Petco Air Pump??
Please advice what should I do. My project is due in 2 days
@Hassan
The pump may be the problem, but several other things may be the problem instead. Please use the troubleshooting guide at http://our.windowfarms.org/2010/03/05/airlift-troubleshooting/. If you still can’t find the problem, please make a post with a picture of your system. To make a post use the top navigation bar when you are logged in to select “New Post.” To add a picture, click on the icon that looks like a sun above the text area when you are making the post (should be more obvious. I know). Make sure your image size is not huge or you will not be able to upload. I think 2 MB is the max. If you put somethign like “Help” in the title, of a post with pictures, the community will certainly be able to jump to your assistance on the specific problem.
If you still can’t get it to work, try the t-valve method. Use the search bar at top right. You will have to go back to the store and see if you can find a tvalve, but it has proven to be a very elegant solution over time.
Keep in mind that having trouble is a good thing! By going through the troubleshooting process, you will learn much more than most other people do when it all goes well the first time. You will know the system in and out and will be able to explain it to other people much better, making you an R&D-I-Y genius! In this community, we all really value working through problems and learning from them, so keep up the good work and know that we’ve got your back! Good luck. -B
I’m having trouble getting the proper size air tube…. Can anyone dumb it down further and tell me the length and size of each tube.
I’m having trouble understanding the exact materials needed as well. The materials needed don’t seem to match what is in the instructions exactly. Materials list 3/8″ OUTSIDE diameter tube (I think they mean tube but doesn’t actually say it) but then the instructions list a 3/8″ INSIDE diameter tube. The materials also ask for a few other tubes, but I think the pump comes with some of those? Anyway, if anyone has a more exact shopping list or requirements, that would be much appreciated. I understand there is room for interpretation but I’m trying to keep it simple for my first build.
This is a pump to the youtube video made by Mayra:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8shuvMGIvc&feature=related
Any chance to put it at the top of the document??
I don’t understand how the air pump pumps the water up from the gallon or bucket of water up the tube and yet it still somehow gathers water from the bucket at the same time
I’ve been making a window farm and have come across the same problems you’ve all experienced. I recommend using some 1/4″ ID tube for your air lift tube. The 1/8″ creates a little too much pressure in the system.
A word of advice, using the 1/4″ ID tube will make the water spurt out the top. I’m going to try attaching an adjustable valve to the tubes coming from the air pump to smooth that out. I’ll keep you posted with my results.
I implemented my changes and came up with the following results. To fill you all in, I am using this same system, but with four bottles for growth instead of three, as a term project for a student teaching assignment. What I noticed about the initial build of my farm was that there wasn’t enough/any water in the air lift tube. Here are my findings:
1. Using 1/4″ ID tubing is easier than the 1/8″ ID. The 1/8″ doesn’t allow enough water to enter past the needle so you may not get any lift.
2. If you use the recommended pump (with two air feeds) try using one feed instead. If water is running half way up your air lift tube and then falling back down into the reservoir, this may be your problem.
3. If you’ve implemented these two changes, don’t keep the reservoir end of the air lift up and down. Try keeping it side ways to let more water into the line.
4. Don’t bother with the shut off valve, its benefit was wnough to warrant the additional money for it. If you put in a little time positioning the reservoir end of your air lift, you should be fine.
5. Definitely make drip caps out of the bottle’s caps. I recommend using a hammer and a finishing nail for this. I didn’t use them at first because I didn’t think it was necessary, they really help in keeping water from splashing all over.
Hope this helps,
Lee
http://www.atroxen.com/gallery2/index.php/jeremy/ECO/jeremyzschau-farm
Hi,
Is there an alternative to Expanded clay pellets. I’m in Jordan and it will be difficult for me to have the pellets like on this site http://www.htgsupply.com/Category-Expanded-Clay-Pellets.asp shipped to here
Thanks
Hi,
This project is my First Project. I have started right now. on ( 9/19/2012 )………..
Hi! I cant open the PDFs they all show “Page not Found”.
can anyone email me please
pixeln@gmail.com
Thank you!!
I have some question that maybe you could answer me. I saw the talk on TED, i’m trying to make the version 2 but when i showed the project to my teacher make these questions.
1)What kind of nutrients have to move in the sistem or could be only water.
2)A big question: Imagine the solution come at the first plant, it absorbs many nutrients and the solution continues his way to the second plant, it absorbs some nutrients and when the solution come to the end , to the final plant ,it’couldn’t absorb any nutrient and that empty solution get mix with the complete solution. that situation is a real problem? how solve it?
3) What kind of substratum i should use? what shoud it have?
4)The windowfarm have to be close a window (that doesn’t sound well) or it can near a window but put on a wall ?
5) How often the plants should recive water?
(answer soon and thanks you) you could answer me in my e mail sebas.perezr@hotmail.com