by britta
NEW! How To: V3.0 MAMA w/participatory instructions (beta)
10:04 am in energy consumption, environmental impact, Featured Post, How-Tos, kits, Materials and Resources, Version 3.0 Modular Airlift Columns, Windowfarms Project News by britta
We are pleased to announce the V3.0 release of the windowfarms community’s latest windowfarm design, the V3.0, the Modular Airlift Multicolumn Array, or MAMA!
- quieter
- easier to set up
- more elegant, but still do-able with all recycled water bottles
- more plants for less electrical input (up to 32 plants on one air pump if you do Rama’s double plant mod)
- modular, meaning you can supply proper nutrients to vegetative, fruiting, and flowering plants all in one system.
No more airlift issues with the new tubes. And we have finally achieved some serious height!! Achieving height means you can grow more plants with the same pump so it is way more efficient in terms of the amount of nutritional calories per fossil fuel calorie used in powering the pump. This design described in the free how to is basically the same as the new Classic kit.
If you are a total beginner and not the handiest person in town, we suggest you start with the Version 2.0 airlift system, or consider buying a kit (kit cost comes out about the same as buying all the materials yourself anyway, but we source just the right parts responsibly and the little margin between supports the cost to run the project!!).
We decided to release this as a participatory web guide that captures ideas, questions, sketches, discussion, & issues for R&D-I-Y while you build. This new functionality is still in it’s “beta” testing phase & we are working on integrating it with this site still.
Thank you to all contributors to the our.windowfarms.org site & BIG PROPS to @ramajames, @Hardwarejunkie, @samenrahmen, and other users who have contributed so much to the art of windowfarming.
Follow this link to the new instructions (you will need to register first so that we can make sure you have accepted the community’s open source terms of service.
Awesome! Thanks for the update. This was just in time, as I was planning on building my first farm this weekend.
A few little bugs with the online instructions though:
Page 5: top 3 pictures wouldn’t load.
Page 6: was completely blank.
Page 7: top picture wouldn’t load.
Page 8: top picture wouldn’t load.
Launch & Maintenance:
Main page: Picture wouldn’t load.
After going to the “Adding Water” page, the “next” button fails to work.
“Next” button on “Adjusting the Pump” page goes to “Adding Water” page.
Previous problems persist after manually navigating to each page and clicking “next”.
When manually navigating the L&M section, every link from “Adding Nutrients” is like a crap shoot as to which page I am directed towards.
I am using a 2006 MacBook Pro with Safari version 5.0.
Hope that is most of the bugs.
Thanks again for the update and it looks like some big steps forward as far as achieving a more efficient system.
Running into similar issues but I like the web layout.
This web site is so annoying! You’ve got great style and AWESOME content with the most appalling functionality I have ever seen! This new section doesn’t seem to really work at all. It’s garbelled, there’s a wierd toggle bar which seems to be loosley anchored to the most interesting picture on any one page; you didn’t even put up a list of materials and it’s impossible to find anything on the entire website! You’re forum/blog headings are completly confusing, vague, repeated, in a large selection of font sizes seperated by a single space (as are words in any multiple word heading) which makes everything hard to read and repeated!
Consult the web community! You know that’s really bad advice when if I posted something I’d be very unlikely to ever see it again. This is why you have thousands of members who never post anything!
Keep it simple stupid!
…aside from that keep up the good work!
You’ve addled my brain so much even my own comment makes little sense!
hmm.. if plants are going to be sitting in a window with full sunlight all day.. this may seem like a silly question and i’m sure someone’s probably already tried this but do you think it would be possible to make the pump solar-powered?
Unfortunately, I’m with Mr. Whippy. The site layout is very convoluted and difficult to follow. There are tons of free models out there for community websites.
I joined this site early on hoping the usability would improve. Looks like it hasn’t.
@Ben, @Mr_Whippy, thanks for reporting back about the fact that you do not like the new site. Could you be a bit more specific about what you find unworkable so that we can improve it? With a beta launch, that’s the whole point, finding out what doesn’t work and improving it. We are hoping this new site is going to better allow collaboration, whereas on this site there’s a lot of just random commenting on posts and nothing that prompts follow-thru on questions, proposals, or testing. Thus, in the end, we end up getting a lot more opinions than good r&d back and forth between folks. The new site actually feeds you into similar conversations when you submit an idea or question.
@cathy x. yep. solar is a big area for development. a guy named Mark Secter has his running off solar power and even is trying out a homemade wind turbine. I can’t find his post. I think he may have only posted on his blog, so I will ask him to repost here.
@Paul Brindly Thank you so much for the specific feedback. We’re on it!
I’m in the process of building my farm according to this design and so far I haven’t had many issues. I wasn’t getting good airlift at first. Basically the water would reach the top of the tube and after that air bubbles would escape into the reservoir instead of the tube. But after some tweaking and an increase in air flow, that problem is solved. I also got the smalled check valve with my air pump but instead of doing Method B, I just hot glued the smaller check valve into the sports cap and proceeded with Method A. I’m getting ready to cut the plant holes in the water bottles but i think I’m going to cut them on the sides of the bottles because there is no room for my plants to grow towards the window. Actually that part was a little confusing because the cartoon pictures of the design makes it look like the plant holes are on the sides, but the instructions say to cut the hole towards the window.
Anyways, great instructions, great design!
I agree that the website is difficult to navigate. There is no clear line of information. I want to click on the link that says “New kits are here” and then know where to get it, etc…
To elaborate, I just tried looking for the new kit (which I got an email about) and after clicking about five times on links I thought would take me to it, it still doesn’t tell me clearly how I can get the new kit. You click on “kit” and then it takes you to the home page (why?) and then you click again on the top link that says kit and it takes you to another window where you can buy kits. It seems like your information is scattered around your website too much.
I love the participatory aspect of the website, but technical issues are a problem. You might want to consider a separate site for “mature/locked” threads and general information and completely separate the forum aspect of the organization. You’ll still be able to post cross links back and forth and if you keep two domains, it will help your Google ranking too.
Oh, and you may want to consider a Facebook business page and cross-linking out to the website. Then, you can add social media links to the website to easily help folks “like” on Facebook along with Twitter and other bookmarking sites.
Thanks! this is great!
Everything looks fine for me – I’m using crome on windows 7.
This website really needs work. The color bands on the pages cover text. (Windows 7 with IE8) What’s with the scrollbar at the bottom of the “steps” window? This is not a good idea. Navigation needs to be simpler and maybe the left column would be better. The links with big and little letters? What? Why? Following the KISS principle is always best. Really!
This isn’t bad for a root instructions page.. but I think you are hindering your whole R&D-I-Y movement by acting as editor on the comments. If you make a more forum-based website, where users can start threads and comment, like this but with better organization, I think a lot more innovation would happen. I think the greatest benefit of this whole thing is that people can work together over the internet to modify designs and help each other create a better system (for their situation). I think creating the uniform design pages is a good start for people who are first looking into the idea and need a simple schematic to understand how the systems work. But without a more community-based collaborative forum site, this stops being innovative and just becomes another thing people do. What is needed is more diversity in the systems as suits whatever materials people already have and the location they put their farm in, rather than more uniformity in the designs. Windowfarms can and should change frequently, dynamic design rather than static… more of a concept than a set of instructions. That’s just how I see this movement really utilizing what is already been happening to some extent.
Personally, the farm I am working on bears minimal resemblance to this newest iteration from the Windowfarms Project, it is all recycled, all organic materials, and uses no electricity (though, may need supplemental lights in the winter). Me, my family, and friends have done a similar thing to the site at home, and while I came up with some of the initial ideas, it has been a team effort creating something that is very different, but more suited to our situation. That collaboration is what I think of as the windowfarm movement, not just growing veggies in windows, not just a product (home-made, or otherwise).
I read through the instructions on the MAMA and still can’t identify the air pump used. Probably in front of me and I’m not seeing it. It’s a magic I have.
I wasn’t able to get the air-lift scheme to work for me more than about 2 feet in earlier experiments, moved into using water pumps, which worked fine for me.
The new design for the actual windowfarm looks much improved.
The format for the instructions needs some work, I think. How does one access the feedback already presented, without providing feedback of one’s own? What if I just want to see what someone else has to say? Or if anyone has an answer to the question I just posted about the sealing washers? It seems one-way, but maybe I’m just not getting it.
I left a question of my own on the purple plumbing section, but I don’t know if it took, see above for reading previously left feedback. Also, there is no way to get back to the main site page from the instructions, at least that I could find.
I find this new presentation needlessly confusing. It’s like you want to make it open-source but need to control it at the same time. That’s my $0.02, but will bookend it by saying: The new design looks really sexy. I’ma try it.*
*I have most of the parts leftover from previous efforts so what the hey.
no issues with tech. on windows 7
awesome ideas tanks braddahs!
Just joined today and am excited to get going. It’s a very cool project.
Would it be necessary to create an alternate drilling pattern for non-Nestle bottles? I want nothing to do with that company.
I just got done setting up this system. Heres my flickr account
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddiediaz8/
Hope you guys like it!
E.D
By the way, there is a lot of things that r a miss on the instructions and some of the pieces were almost impossible to find locally for me. “Grand Rapids” MI.
Its a great beta tho! I had a lot of fun doing it and finding solutions for my specific problems.
E.D
Heres my setup:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddiediaz8/sets/72157624488774472/
Hope that you guys like it!
eddiediaz8
I’ve been working on Version 3.0 of the MAMA, and I’m working on “Method A” using a sport cap for my airlift assembly. Everything has been coming together as described, however there seems to be an obvious gap in the instructions. Once you get the the valve seated within the sport cap, there’s nothing creating a seal. As @Emilia had to do, I think I’ll use hot glue or rubber cement to make the assembly workable,
Also, I agree with the the forum being almost unusable. I seem not understand the organization, and it seems very difficult to find information I’m looking for.
The layout is messed up on IE 8.0, too…
Also, the sections in the ‘messed up’ strip that overlaps part of each pagee doesn’t match the pages.
This I found when I tried to read up on the ‘Plumbing’ section.
What’s the spec. on the rigid tubing?
It’s not in the description, and I couldn’t see it in the parts list, either.
Thanks for the feedback
Parts list is here: http://our.windowfarms.org/instructions/parts_list.pdf
Rigid tubing is on there, but we agree that it is a bit unclear and we are working to get a web version on this list.
Rigid Tubing is 6 feet of 3/8″ outer diameter 1/4″ inner diameter. You can order online from McMaster (Part number #9245K17)
If you order a kit, you will receive custom made opaque tubing that prevents algae growth.
The best pump is from PetCo.com #9901, #9902, or #9904. This specific pump has been tested to be able to go up to 10′, so you shouldn’t have any problems!
Another point…
In the parts list you mention the white paint and writes ‘suitable for plastic’ and the word ‘Primer’.
Primer is only meant to be used as the first layer, so that the final paint has something to adhere to. Primer in itself isn’t very durable and can be scuffed and scratched rather easily.
I would suggest scuffing the plastic with very fine-grit sandpaper, giving it one coat of primer, a wet-sanding, then a couple of layers of a normal spray paint.
I think this is a wonderful concept…although your instructions are terrible…
But my comment is regarding the use of plastic bottles. I’ve read that reusing plastic over and over can cause the plastic to leach toxins into the water. So growing your own food is a terrific idea, but at what expense? Might as well just go to the food store and buy some factory farmed produce that’s laden with chemicals…I don’t see the difference between the two.
I have been looking through the website for about 30 minutes now, just trying to find the materials list that I can print out. I wasn’t able to find the parts list until I got to this page. THAT is very very frustrating.
There is a paint called Plasti-Dip in the US, it’s very opaque and bonds to plastic very well. I’ve painted bottles using only two coats and it has a beautiful finish that makes the bottles look very sculptural. Best to use a piece of paper or lightweight cardboard as a cuff around the area you don’t want coated, using tape as a masking agent doesn’t leave a clean edge with this type of paint.
Note about paint: Hobby shops have paint RC folks use to paint the ‘bodies’ of cars/planes (lexan or polycarbonate). The plastic is similarly unfriendly to paint. It’s in small spray cans and is in lots of colors. It will stick as long as the bottles are clean of any oils etc.It’s made by Plasti-Kote.
Gotta say tho, the stuff is really nasty for the air. If you must, there you go.
As an alternative, “treasure hunt” for cheep electrical tape (3M is great but pricy). It comes in the basic primary colors, black, white, red, blue etc. It’s waterproof and will last quite a while.
Here you go!
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://our.windowfarms.org/instructions/parts_list.pdf
Its actually in the how-tos here:
http://windowfarms.org/instructions
Sorry about the confusion!
Can anyone offer me advice on my system. Here is a picture of the preliminary setup…http://www.flickr.com/photos/bexica/4892443972/in/set-72157624601208205/. Rather than using bottles I found some specialty hanging bags that work well and drain perfectly into each other. I just can’t figure out how to get the water into the system. The pump is 7.8 l/min (approx 120 gal/hr). I found I can’t get my inflation needle to sit on the check valve without falling off (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bexica/4892443860/in/set-72157624601208205/), though. I only have soft airline tubing (3/8″ ID) so maybe my system isn’t rigid enough to get lift either. I guess I rattled off several possible problems, any suggestions would be very helpful.
I know it hasn’t been approved yet, but…
Hey Bexica, I have a solution as far as the needle attaching to the check valve is concerned. The problem is that you have a different check valve than the PetCo one, I used the same as you did (from walmart?) and my solution was: cut a 3/4 in. or 1 in. piece of airline tubing, attach it to the needle-end of of the check valve, then attach the needle to the piece of tubing. I have it for two separate lifts with no issues. Just try and make the piece of tubing as short as possible to you don’t have too much water under the lift tube inlet at the base of the needle, or your reservoir will run out of nutrient solution quicker. Hope this helps!
And I just got a look at the other picture. You definitely need to straighten out the lift tube, depending on your height you may be able to get by with soft tubing, but it needs to be mounted as straight and vertical as possible. The shorter the length; the easier to pump. The more taught the tube; the more rigid it is, and it will pump better.
Yeah, straightness is critical.
I have a 2 x 6′ lift-system at the moment, using soft tubing, and any bending at all along the length will reduct the effect quite drastically. (I need to have some bend at the bottom to clear the sill and also because I use one reservoir for two columns, and I make certain the bends have the largest radius possible)
I get my tubing straight by taping it to the chains holding the bottles up. With the straight tubing, even a 2 x 1.5L pump is capable of lifting 6′ high.
I agree with Matt’s comment – there’s no sealant in the instructions. I guess we’d have to improvise.
I also find this “gap” at the end of section 6 a little dubious…
I have just reached the point of looking to start this project. The new version solves most of the problems I forsaw in the version 2 I downloaded. However, the instructions are difficult to use as they are larger than my window so I can’t see the whole thing. The parts list has several pages sideways, and I can’t get the instructions into either Word of pdf format which I could use to make them fit my screen. I keep all farming plans on my computer because too often a site will disappear overnight and I hate having to think up the rest on my own even though I can do it. In fact this version 3 is very close to what I’ve been considering as I have had other things to get done first. I’m very unhappy with the way this is on the website and perhaps I’ll just go back to doing my own version and not share it when I’m done.
Pernkat
Your site is extremely annoying for a new arrival. Some of that is because windowfarms.org is not loading today, but there is also a lack of organization on this site. It was not clear to me for a while that I had to register to get instructions. Then it took quite a while to find the link above to the instructions. You really need a big button that says DOWNLOAD!
Oh, and get the other site on line again.
This website is the worst I’ve ever had the misfortune to visit.
For the nutrients, phase 1 – it says to add 1/2 teaspoon per bottle but can we use any type of nutrient? I’m confused because for the next phase, phase 2 – it specifically says to use Maxsea. . . and the same goes for phases 3 and 4. I am wondering where I can get certified organic nutrients, if someone could help me out that would be great.
thanks
where are the mterials lists and directions. about to give up
in the post above, the last line gives a hyperlink to the instructions but says you have to register first to view (we need you to agree to the terms of service for legal reasons). Did you click on that link? If you did and you are still having problems, please send an email to info [at] windowfarms [dot] org and describe the nature of the problem you are having so we can fix it. Thank you.
boko,
I just discovered your comment about not liking the site. Can you tell us what exactly is the trouble you are having so we can fix it? We are a small team of mostly volunteers so we need your help to improve the site.
maybe because im a technophobe i find navigation difficult a series of links for one column, two columns, three etc with all pages right side up would be easier.. if these links are there let me know. moving on i start all my seedlings in the bio filter of my fish tanks can i use these seedlings i dont use any chems in the tanks
Awesome! Rather than whine and complain about the website, I’ll thank you guys a bunch. There will always be room for improvements, now let’s focus on the content.
One thing I personally think is really important: what can we use instead of plastic bottles? They will, especially when hanging in the sun, release toxins that I don’t want on and in my plants. Maybe glass bottles will do th job with an appropriate drill. In case nobody has done this so far, I’ll try to find a realistic solution. I want to keep plastics out of my life as much as possible.
THANK YOU!
I’d like to point out that from a personal experience 7.0-7.5pH is only semi-optimal for a hydroponic systems. You would be best off keeping it lower (around 6.0-7.0pH preferably) to avoid nutrient deficiencies and/or lockouts. Also rainwater or water run through an RO-filter would also reduce the risk of pH fluctuations.
I’m torn. The instructions are awesomely better but the website is much worse.
As I previously registered and am currently logged in, I am still getting referred back to register. I love the new much more newbie friendly instructions but I would really prefer a PDF version. I don’t typically have the laptop open and on when I am building things. So it is more than a bit frustrating not to be able to get a PDF and go.
I still think the growing part of the instructions could be better. I am not a gardener so some advice on seeds and lighting would be best. I am in Canada so I was wondering if I would ever have enough light and do worry that the air near the window is too cold. But I have sprouts for my V2 stack and likely will go ahead with the MaMa installation in a month or so.
I don’t think WordPress is a good platform for forums. I think you need to pull out the forums and transistion that funcationality to a google group perhaps.
hello, i have been from one end of this site to the other, and unless ive missed it (which i probly did) i cannot find the 3.0 airlift collums instructions, there is great videos and lots of pictures for the 2.0 and 1.0 but if anybody could link me to the UP CLOSE PICTURES of the 3.0 assembly it would be greatly appreciated.
@bdogs http://our.windowfarms.org/instructions/
@mirgray thanks for the feedback. we are definitely working on both improvements. We won’t be doing PDFs anymore because it is too difficult to keep them updated when search engines index them. We had some real problems when we had to make safety-based changes to the v2 instructions and old copies just kept cropping up online. Keeping the instructions web based is also the best way to make the actual activity of construction more of an interactive experience with the community. I am sorry that it is not as convenient. You can definitely click through and print out the pages. I will look into what it would take to make the instructions more printer friendly.
We are working on more plant based instructions. Also, as we get more gardeners on board (many of whom were waiting for kits), there should be more conversation on the site about plants.
We also are definitely working on migrating off of this platform to a more forum like structure with more media capabilities.