Aquaponics Swirl Filter Tips and Tricks

Check out this video to see an easy way to keep an aquaponics swirl filter (radial flow) clean and other tips on design. I have been running this particular filter for a few months now and have been able to test the design I have implemented. I have been so happy with the amount of solids that are collected by the filter and it has been an excellent source of fertilizer for my garden and indoor plants. It has not been perfect however and I have made some adjustments and additions since my initial setup.

The first issue I ran into was an issue with how the solids collected on the bottom of the barrel. When I opened the drain at the bottom only the solids that were close to the drain would be sucked down leaving piles of waste on the bottom of the filter. I have since remedied this by adding a simple piece of garden hose to the drain with a small dowel connected as a handle. This allows me to clean the bottom of the filter with a kind of vacuum, similar to a pool vacuum. This has been working great! Takes me about 2 minutes to clean off the bottom of the filter.

Another issue I ran into was with algae buildup on the sides of the swirl filter. This was caused by my nearby grow lights shinning into the filter. Water + light = algae! I have since added some cheap mylar sheets (emergency blankets) to the walls of the grow beds to reflect the majority of the light back into the growing area. This has just about stopped any further algae from growing on the nearby fish tanks and swirl filter.

The last issue I had to tackle was with the drain plumbing on the setup. In the summer I was able to come down with a 5 gallon bucket every few days and fill up with the swirl filter waste and take it out to the garden. In the winter here in Michigan I dont have enough indoor plants to keep up with the waste. Although I dont like wasting perfectly good fertilizer I had to implement some plumbing to take the swirl filter waste straight to a nearby floor drain (this goes to our sump pump and is pumped outside). So now I can either fill up a small watering can with the rich fertilizer for some plants or drain it off to waste just to keep the filter clean.

The system overall has been working great and with these fine tunings I can now easily clean the filter as well as keep it clean from algae and too much buildup on the bottom.

 

 

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This post has been shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop

 

 

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Cooling Season Tips Tricks Annual Air Conditioning Maintenance

There are a few simple steps to follow when getting your home A/C unit ready to fire up for the season. The first thing to check is the outside condenser unit. This tends to get the most wear and tear since it is sitting outside. There are many different types of these units depending on where you live in the country or the world but they all have a few things in common.

1.) Check the electrical disconnect for wasps! They seem to love to get in here and make a nest so early in the year it is a good idea to check this and make sure no nesting has begun. You should also inspect the "Line set" or refrigerant lines connecting from the inside of the home to the outside condenser. The larger one should be well insulated from the outside air so make sure that the insulation has not come off or deteriorated. If so, replace with correct size rubber pipe insulation from your local hardware.

2.) Clean the condenser unit. The easiest way to do this is to use your garden hose. Start at the top and spray down at an angle toward the ground back and forth until you get to the bottom. Repeat this to clean and debris and dust from the fins on all sides.

3.) Moving inside the first thing to do is replace or clean your air filter depending on the type you have. If you are using the cheap ones like I have in our home you need to change the twice per season or four times per year. This is important! If you do not change the filter you are lower the efficiency of the unit and costing yourself more money!

4.)  Turn off your humidifier if you have one. This usually requires doing two things. If your model has an air flow bypass there should be a damper that needs to be turned off. You also need to turn the humidistat off, usually setting to 0 or in OFF position. This prevents water from just running through to the drain all season long.

5.) The last thing that I normally do is balance the air flow to the house. This isnt as complicated as it might sound and just requires a bit of forethought and knowing where the dampers are located. Each air vent in your home will have a corresponding 6" pipe coming off of the main "truck" line duct. Each one of these should have a damper located near the trunk line. It is best to figure out where each one of these leads and then label them to make this process easier each year. For the cooling season you want to force most of the air to the upper floors of your home so it is best to close all dampers and registers that feed air to the basement. I also close off the ones leading to our bathrooms as I dont see the need to cool these tiny rooms where you dont spend much time (hopefully). I also reduce the air flow to about 50% to all of my 1st floor registers and then make sure all of the second floor are full open. Now if you only have one floor just make sure the 1st floor is all open and the basement is all closed. If you have trouble with humidity in the basement you can leave one or two vents open down there to keep the moisture down.

If you follow these simple steps each year when you fire up that A/C unit you will be on the way to a much cooler and cheaper cooling season! It is also a great idea to raise the thermostat temp during the day or when you are not at home and then lower it at night or when you need the cooling the most. This can make a huge difference in your bill!.

        

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the: 

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Internet Tips and Tricks Faster cheaper more stable internet connect

Internet running slowly? Need to get through those power outages without dropping connection? In this tutorial I will share few ways to speed up your home internet service, protect from power outages, and even save  some money on your bill in some cases.

These tips and tricks are gong to apply to those with cable or DSL type internet service mostly but some other types will benefit as well so stay tuned to see what applies to you. The first tip is in regards to hooking up a cable or DSL modem and I will break it down separately for each.

Cable modems - When hooking up a cable modem you should always hookup to the first spilt of the coax cable as soon as it enters your home. In most cases your cable comes in the basement or crawl space and then splits with one or two large splitters to all of your cable jacks in the home. Instead, purchase one good 2 way splitter and install that as soon as the cable enters the home. One leg will go directly to your modem and the other can go to the larger splitters that feed the TVs.

DSL modems - DSL service is provided via phone lines. As with cable it is important to have a dedicated phone jack or line run directly from the outside junction box to your DSL modem. This might require a call to your provider for a free setup but in most cases just follow the lines to make sure it goes directly out to your outside phone connection. With DSL it is also important to make sure you have filters on any phones in your home. These filters are provided by your service provider in most cases or they can be purchased online - http://amzn.to/1PA8Duj.

Purchasing VS. Renting - No matter what kind of internet provider you have in most cases they will provide a modem to you when you sign up for service. But dont be surprised if they are charging you anywhere from $3-$15 per month for that equipment. You can pickup a cable or DSL modem online or at Best Buy/Walmart for less than $60 in many cases. This saves you the monthly fee and also allows you to have newer better equipment. Check with your provider for recommendations on a new modem for the best possible service to your area.

Power protection - Once you have your own nice new modem and router you should provide some basic protection  for them. Using a small network battery backup will protect your equipment and also allow you to get on the internet right through a 3-4 hour power outage. These are inexpensive devices and can be setup in minutes. - Battery backup - http://amzn.to/1kxqJCm

Wireless Interference - A properly placed wireless router can be the difference between blazing fast and slow as molasses. The best place for a wireless router is UP HIGH, the higher the better in most cases. You also need to think about what is near the router, cordless phones, microwaves, Christmas lights, TV equipment, speakers, etc. All of these things can dramatically interfere with your wireless signal and slow you down. The orientation of the router is also important. If it is designed to lay down flat, lay it down flat. If it has as stand or legs to stand it up vertically try standing it up. You can also change the orientation and see if signal improves in certain areas as you change it. Above all else it is important to start with a good wireless router. I have a few options below this article of models that I have found to be good. Make sure you have a dual band N or a newer AC standard wireless router and place it in a central location in your home, on the middle level if you have a 2 or 3 story home will be best.


Eliminating dead spots or weak signal areas - If you have followed all of the steps above and you still have weak signal in some areas you can try a couple of things. I did a video on adding a second router here - https://youtu.be/n3plXzZ1Ckc, that can be a great way to solve this issue. If that is not an option consider purchasing a powerline wireless extender - http://amzn.to/1OvyKPN

Check out the full Tips and Tricks video here -

https://youtu.be/H-RsG9a6gFY

Network Battery Backup - http://amzn.to/1kxqJCm

Motorola Modem - http://amzn.to/1YpGydc

Dead spot terminator - http://amzn.to/1OvyKPN

DSL filters - http://amzn.to/1PA8Duj

Netgear router - http://amzn.to/1OvAgl1

Cisco router - http://amzn.to/1OvAkRD

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living

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Aquaponics System Design Tips and Tricks

Designing a new aquaponics system? Already have a system and want to make some improvements? In this video, I discuss some of the things I have learned so far with my system and things I wish I would have done differently.


Here are some of the topics I cover:


1.  What type of rock (grow medium) to use and how to test the rock before you add it to your grow beds.

2.  What the optimal water level is for the grow beds to prevent algae from forming on rocks.

3.  Best positioning of sump tank that will give you more growing space and ease of access to plants.

4.  Alternatives to topping off your system reusing water from various home appliances.

5.  Best placement of grow beds in your basement or greenhouse.

6.  The optimal amount of fish you should start out with.

This post has been shared at:  HomeAcre Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, The Backyard Farming Connection, Homestead Barn Hop

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