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air pump for compost tea and noise

S

sicoltiva

Member
hi to all...I've been reading the forum for a while, really great infos !
I've been a guerrilla outdoor grower for the last 10 years and I moved to usa recently so I started to do indoor...
I m going to buy an air pump for my ACT and I was wondering what is the noise level this pump i want to buy http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~air_pumps_coralife_luft_pump.html
I live in an apartment so I'm worried to have something too noisy for 12 - 24 hours aerating my teas.
i 'm planning to brew in a max 5 gal container , probably less. Do you think I could have working inside the house ??
any suggestion for eventually something smaller proportioned to my needs ??
thank you !!
 
_the420guy

_the420guy

Member
thats a nice pump a little over kill for one 5 gal bucket

if you got to walmart they have a couple of pumps for alot cheaper I would go for a Elite 803
 
S

sicoltiva

Member
sweet ..thanks!
i m new in this country so it's a bit hard sometimes to know where to go to get the stuff I need.
I was worried that the pump I found was a bit overpowered.....
I 'll check wallmart this weekend ..
keep growing ....:joint:
 
C

CT Guy

For all these recommendations on pumps, has anyone actually done any testing or microscope work to support their recommendations?

As far as pump noise, I'd contact the manufacturer or a supplier. I've noticed our pumps are much louder when you run them alone than when you have them plugged in and aerating the water in the tea.
 
S

sicoltiva

Member
hi microbeam, thank you for th info.
I checked the unit you are suggesting...it's too big for my needs ( 50 gal ) and definetly over my budget...but i'm sure it does the job.
I'm going crazy with the unit meaurments here....0.05 cfm is about 1.4 L per minute.
so..0.05 cfm/gal means that for every gallon of fluid 0.05 cubic feet of fluid will be exchanged every minute.
I convert to liters it should be that for every Liter of solution or tea 1.4 liters of liquid needs to be exchanged...right ?

theregoesjojo: i checked the tetra whisper...Iwas thinking to get the 60 gal one for brewing around 2 to 3 gal of tea.It should be enough...
I can't find anywhere the CFM or air output for these pumps, the just indicate the size of the tank ( 10 gal , 20 gal etc ) .
SO I guess that a pump sized for 60 gal tank should aerate well a 2 or 3 gal container.
Any suggestion for the airstone shape ? I have one that is narrow and long but is not aerating well plus i can't sit it on the bottom of the unit if I want to.
I was thinking about 2 smaller one ...maybe the cube-kind of shape....

ct guy: I'm worried about the noise becasue I've seen in action the ones sold at simplicy tea website and some other online too that work with strong pumps and they are too noisy to have them running in my apt for 12 or 24 hrs! unfortunatly I don't have any outdoor space....I feel like aquarium pumps are now my only choice

thanx

thanx
 
Microbeman

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
sicoltiva said:
hi microbeam, thank you for th info.
I checked the unit you are suggesting...it's too big for my needs ( 50 gal ) and definetly over my budget...but i'm sure it does the job.
I'm going crazy with the unit meaurments here....0.05 cfm is about 1.4 L per minute.
so..0.05 cfm/gal means that for every gallon of fluid 0.05 cubic feet of fluid will be exchanged every minute.
I convert to liters it should be that for every Liter of solution or tea 1.4 liters of liquid needs to be exchanged...right ?

theregoesjojo: i checked the tetra whisper...Iwas thinking to get the 60 gal one for brewing around 2 to 3 gal of tea.It should be enough...
I can't find anywhere the CFM or air output for these pumps, the just indicate the size of the tank ( 10 gal , 20 gal etc ) .
SO I guess that a pump sized for 60 gal tank should aerate well a 2 or 3 gal container.
Any suggestion for the airstone shape ? I have one that is narrow and long but is not aerating well plus i can't sit it on the bottom of the unit if I want to.
I was thinking about 2 smaller one ...maybe the cube-kind of shape....

ct guy: I'm worried about the noise becasue I've seen in action the ones sold at simplicy tea website and some other online too that work with strong pumps and they are too noisy to have them running in my apt for 12 or 24 hrs! unfortunatly I don't have any outdoor space....I feel like aquarium pumps are now my only choice

thanx

thanx
Click to expand...

I did not think I recommended anything but provided a link to help build a brewer. I may have recommended a Hailea pump (down from model 9730 would be good for 5 gallons). They are damn quiet. The CFM is just open air flow of the pump (e.g. 2 gallon container at 0.08 CFM/gal = 2 X 0.08 = 0.16 CFM pump required; 5 gal = 5 X 0.08 = 0.4 CFM pump required, etc.)

The link I posted discusses aerators/airstones.

I have 2 boxes of Tetra pumps I'd love to get rid of. I got sucked in by the BS several years ago when I purchased them.

I recommend you start out with a one to two gallon container with a small pump but try to create a logical design.
 
C

CT Guy

Tim,

I wasn't referring to your post at all, I know you test all you recommendations quite thoroughly. :)
 
C

CT Guy

Sicoltiva,

Just wanted to mention that we do have a quiet pump (extended life), but it's fairly pricey and designed to work with our brewing system. All you hear is the water bubbling on that one. The original system is loud (hair dryer) and it isn't rated for the amount of brewing you'd probably want to do.
 
C

CT Guy

theregoesjojo said:
I apologize...I haven't done any microscopic testing and I should not have recommended anything...

I would buy two of the small stones and add a weight to them. I have tried using the splitter and four stones per pump, and I have used the long stones that need no weight. Two small ones with a weight seems to work best. I bought a ten pack of the small stones from a pet store last year. The stones get dirty and you will want to change them out. Nasalscropic (using my nose) testing that I did seems to confirm this.
Click to expand...

No apologies necessary, I just wanted to have that clarification. I think it's important for people to know when recommendations or observations are anecdotal, based on experience, or based on microscope work.

I think the more people that contribute their opinions, the better. Keep posting!
 
Microbeman

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
In this case, as far as CFM/gal goes, my research is based on measured dissolved oxygen levels and measured CFM flow utilizing various pumps with various volumes of water and various levels of compost and food. (using flow meter & DO2 meter) Of course the ultimate is to evaluate the microbial levels microscopically which was also done prior to stating opinions/conclusions.
 
S

sicoltiva

Member
CT Guy said:
Sicoltiva,

Just wanted to mention that we do have a quiet pump (extended life), but it's fairly pricey and designed to work with our brewing system. All you hear is the water bubbling on that one. The original system is loud (hair dryer) and it isn't rated for the amount of brewing you'd probably want to do.
Click to expand...


hi ct guy , I can see the comparison chart on the website. Looks promising about noise but It's out of my budget for now and my actual needs.
I will look at the hailea pump microbeam suggested too....as I said I even 5 gal will be a bit too much for my babies and unfortunatly I can use the left over tea in a garden i don't have for now....
thank you all !
 
El Vexilix

El Vexilix

Member
Sico, I run the small 2 watt and 3.5 watt AquaCulture brand air pumps to do my tea . It's the cheaper ones at WalMart : $4 for the 5 - 10 gallon and $10 for the 20 - 60 gallon aquarium pumps .

Both of these working are not loud in my opinion . The bucket and The pumps are on top of a kitchen counter , so it might even add to it the noise , but it's not that apparent . Just sounds like you have an aquarium in your apartment . That type of 'buzzin ' is only audible from the inside of the area . Only a nosy neighbor with an ear to the wall will be able to hear it

The two pumps handle a 2.5 gallon brew nicely . You can double the 20 - 60 gallon air pump to do a 5 gallon brew . A well made tea should get super foamy , so doin the 2.5 gallon should help in foam containment . That way you don't stain the apartment .
 
S

sicoltiva

Member
El Vexilix said:
Sico, I run the small 2 watt and 3.5 watt AquaCulture brand air pumps to do my tea . It's the cheaper ones at WalMart : $4 for the 5 - 10 gallon and $10 for the 20 - 60 gallon aquarium pumps .

Both of these working are not loud in my opinion . The bucket and The pumps are on top of a kitchen counter , so it might even add to it the noise , but it's not that apparent . Just sounds like you have an aquarium in your apartment . That type of 'buzzin ' is only audible from the inside of the area . Only a nosy neighbor with an ear to the wall will be able to hear it

The two pumps handle a 2.5 gallon brew nicely . You can double the 20 - 60 gallon air pump to do a 5 gallon brew . A well made tea should get super foamy , so doin the 2.5 gallon should help in foam containment . That way you don't stain the apartment .
Click to expand...


good to know ....I found a Rena air pump for aquarium up to 75 gal at 30 $ on line. That is not indicating the actual volume of air moved ( as consequence how much o2 will be pushed in the water ) but I guess that is probably enough air for just 2.5 gal of tea.price is not too high......
comments online for this brand are quite positive too
I already have another small hagen pump that I will throw there as an air supplement...I should be all set.
Unfortunatly can't run microbial test on my teas ( as I guess many of growers like me out there ) so I'm just trying to get something that works for my needs. it's apity that they don't display the air flow ratio for many brands so you could make some sort of calculation based on how much tea you want to make.....
 
Microbeman

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Sometimes if you find out the manufacturer's website the outputs are listed. Most are made in Asia so you may need to make some flow unit conversions.
 
S

sicoltiva

Member
Microbeman said:
Sometimes if you find out the manufacturer's website the outputs are listed. Most are made in Asia so you may need to make some flow unit conversions.
Click to expand...

ciao microbeam...yes actually i found that the Rena 300 for aquariums up to 120-300 gal has an output of 200 L/h.
so it's about 3.3 L/min.
Following your indications about CFM for air pumps : 0.05cfm/gal x 2,5 gal container ( the one that fits my needs )= 0.125 cfm ( about 3.5 L/min ).
With the above pump I should be good..a little bit less than ideal but if I do the math with a 2 gal it could be better too.....what do you think ?
 
T

Triballian

Member
Let's bring this bby up :)

@Microbeman

I went here http://www.convertunits.com/from/cfm/to/L/hr

Input was thast i have air pump blowing 360l/h, so it means i have 6l/minut

The calculator says i have 0.0035314666212661 CFM. Is this enough for 3 liters of ACT? Cos i can buy more pumps, just let me know what is minimal liters/hour pump needed for good results.

I can buy 4,5 more no problem. I wanna make ACT best as possible.

Thx!
 
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