[Scrappy4]

scrappy
i'm of the opinion that in an air lift scenario, bigger bubbles move more water than smaller ones (ie the diffuser isn't helping, plus it can rob you of a lot of your CFM)

Could be, but i also could see a wall of small bubbles being more effective than fewer large bubbles. Once we got a flow, it was time to go, so we did not try each way. i can do that in the future but my friend (where I'm working on it) has a work gig for ten days so it will be awhile untill i can work on it again.

The biggest key seemed to be the smaller diameter of the up riser. The smaller diameter seemed to allow for higher pressure, and less water for the air to push, and was enough to get some flow.

I re-read my previous post and now realise i did not mention the upgrading the pump to a commercial eco # 3, so part of it was the larger pump, but even with a bigger pump, we still had to reduce the size of up riser to get flow......scrappy

[Microbeman]

Originally Posted by supuradam

It was a one piece bend vs. hooking up a couple pieces of pvc. I just thought it would be a smoother ride.

Oh. Okay.

[Microbeman]

Using a diffuser, once you have your ratio of pipe diameter:pump output:height of rise figured out, is going to be more efficient for increasing dissolved O2.

[supuradam]

I guess it was just a really stupid question.

Going even smaller, with a 3/4" pipe helped. I also redid the way I had it secured so the return was just about 1" above the water level. I was trying to use a 5 gallon bucket, but only had 3 gallons of water in it, and the old one was a lot higher. I think I was just trying to fight too much gravity. You live, you learn.

Que sera

[thatgreenstuff]

Hey guys I am planning on building an airlift brewer, but im wondering on what size pump I am going to need. I have read some of microbe man's info but I cant seem to figure out because all the pumps I have are rated in gph. I am going to be using a 5 gallon bucket probably trying to brew about 3-4 gallons in there. If anyone could suggest a link to a pump or a specific ghp rating that would be enough for headieblunts design. Also (sorry im rambling) Im wondering if there are any dreaded "Dead Zones" in this type of airlift design?

[Microbeman]

Originally Posted by thatgreenstuff

Hey guys I am planning on building an airlift brewer, but im wondering on what size pump I am going to need. I have read some of microbe man's info but I cant seem to figure out because all the pumps I have are rated in gph. I am going to be using a 5 gallon bucket probably trying to brew about 3-4 gallons in there. If anyone could suggest a link to a pump or a specific ghp rating that would be enough for headieblunts design. Also (sorry im rambling) Im wondering if there are any dreaded "Dead Zones" in this type of airlift design?

You can do your own conversions here.

https://www.onlineconversion.com/flow_rate_volume.htm

There is a lot more to preventing dead zones than just an airlift. A conebottom tank with an airlift is best but more expensive. Dead zones are not that big a deal really. If you have a little compost sitting on the bottom, it provides a good spot for fungal hyphae to grow. Also a few anaerobes are okay, maybe good. Some anaerobes (& facultative anaerobes) are very beneficial and anaerobes which are pathogens can boost the anti-pathogen strength of your microbial consortia similar to germs and your immune system.

[Scrappy4]

Still a work in progress, but I'm getting closer.

I'm using an eco air 3 commercial pump. It is rated at 65 liters per minute, I would not go any smaller for an air lift design as it is barely enough to force the tea up and over.

But just the pump and diffuser in the tank without the air lift return up riser agitates better than the air lift, but i have no way to measure dissolved O2 difference each way.

The tank came with threaded nuts embedded on one side of the tank, so I screwed the tank to the plywood, then U bolted the plywood to the cart.

The bottom pic shows the homemade diffuser. It is simply a piece of pvc that has been plugged and jammed into the female end of the barbed fitting, and is inside of the return up-riser. It has tiny holes drilled on an angle to force the air up......scrappy










Diffuser:

[Microbeman]

Originally Posted by Scrappy4

Still a work in progress, but I'm getting closer.

I'm using an eco air 3 commercial pump. It is rated at 65 liters per minute, I would not go any smaller for an air lift design as it is barely enough to force the tea up and over.

But just the pump and diffuser in the tank without the air lift return up riser agitates better than the air lift, but i have no way to measure dissolved O2 difference each way.

The tank came with threaded nuts embedded on one side of the tank, so I screwed the tank to the plywood, then U bolted the plywood to the cart.

The bottom pic shows the homemade diffuser. It is simply a piece of pvc that has been plugged and jammed into the female end of the barbed fitting, and is inside of the return up-riser. It has tiny holes drilled on an angle to force the air up......scrappy










Diffuser:

The air lift works on the principle of a full container (or almost) That's why your flow is low. You'd be better not to use the screw in brass fitting for your airline, as noted on my webpage. It restricts your CFM by at least 20%. (quote below)

https://www.microbeorganics.com/#So_Y...ost_Tea_Brewer
All of these pumps come with a little threaded brass fitting for screwing into the air output. DO NOT USE THESE! Put them in your parts drawer. These constrict the air and reduce your CFM by at least 20%. Rather, find tubing which slides over the nipple into which the threads are tapped. In the case of the Eco Plus 5 and the Hailea, 5/8ths inside diameter works. Slide the air tubing over and secure with a gear clamp. The Eco Plus has a very short nipple so I score the metal with a couple of swipes with a hacksaw to create barbs for the tubing to grip. You can find tubing at a building supply like Home Depot or Rona in Canada. I use the braided reinforced stuff which does not kink

[Scrappy4]

The pics show two gallons of tea in the ten gallon brewer. I started with one gallon and got some drips for a return flow, then worked my way up in liquid just to check the flow at different levels. Your right MM as the head pressure from more water increases so does the flow.

But, and there's always a but isn't there? When I plugged the upriser with a rubber bung, the agitation inside the tank was much better, it actually was moving the cart a little, and with the splashing around inside I suspect the dissolved O was close to the same. I've read MM's links showing that breaking the surface tension ups the dissolved O greatly, so I don't say that without some thought, it really agitated that much more without the air dump, but that effect might decrease when the tank gets more filled, I'll have to think/smoke on it....

Anyway I'm kicking around the idea to simplify by using a T on the bottom. One leg going up to the tank, the middle leg to a piece of plastic tubing for a simple to clean drain that could be secured near the top of the cart somehow, and the last leg going to the air supply line....scrappy

[Microbeman]

The airlift does not just increase dissolved O2 by breaking the surface, the spacetime continuume times the equivalency diameter divided by pii times the elevation normalcey factor continues the worm warp tesseract. Just kidding! The pressure created in the riser increases the dissolved O2 capacity of your CFM output. To see the real math look for the PDF I posted earlier.