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Brian White posted an update: 1 year, 2 months ago · View
http://our.windowfarms.org/files/2012/04/contest-with-u-April-7th.jpg is an improvement to the airlift contest diagram. It shows a size of the ”U” that should prevent backflow of air for most people and also it shows the current record for pumping water with the low pressure T-joint and aquarium bubble pump.
Hi Brian, Your drawing is very helpful – I have not tried for heigth though – just want my system to work well. One air outlet supplies two lines now with air flow adjusters on the lines. It would be nice if I was a whiz at this but I can share my personal experience. I do have some [common sense] about mechanical things. 9 plants in my system now and some are growing at a fantastic rate – others not as well, but it is a joy to me. I have to sit sometimes (physical handicapp – bad leg) and just hope I am not too much of a nusance on the site here. I love the work everyone has done and wish I were smarter about the computer so I could help with this awful spam. Happy windowfarming. Sylvia
Hi, Sylvia, you are not a nuisance at all! It is great that you report your progress and problems, (most people don’t). Your work reporting problems and results is CENTRAL to the ourwindowfarms effort. And, certainly don’t worry about my contest. It is for competitive people or really research minded people who want to either have their day of glory. (World record!) or just want to find the unknown answer to a question. It is not in any way central to the project. (The Contest results might eventually be useful to pump water from wells in poor areas.) So as long as your pump is pumping high enough for you that is fine. Good for you that many of your plants are growing well. I don’t even have a windowfarm!
@gaiatechnician Hi Brian I have been having trouble with putting more columns up and in the past I have used a 3” pvc tube that went below my aquarium level, and siphoned the water into the pvc pipe. I think my pipe may have gotten to much (gunk) in it and adding more columns was causing problems. I had already lost some goldfish and felt that there might be too many for a 14 gallon tank. It was just great when I saw a 35 gallon plastic tank at Walmart. Son John came over and I wanted him to help me put the pvc back up. (I had been watering by hand), but he said that drawing WF had showed how it could be done outside without the pvc pipe. He was talking of your drawing I had showed him at one point. So he worked with the pipes and air pumps, and made the lift work with the siphon coming up and over the edge of the fish aquarium. It took him a while to get it working correctly, but when he did he then put up 2 more air lifts for me. Your drawing has been a great help. I saw your pics of your glass house and I think it is great. It’s looking good. I am too tired right now to try to explain this on the front page but when I get a drawing made I’ll put it up with some pics John took. If he had not got it to working for me I was getting wery tired and was afraid the plants would die. If you had not done that drawing that was so helpful I might have given up and just gone back to 1 column. THANKS A MILLION. Sylvia