HD Aquaponics - Ep.19 - Solar hot water heater, floating raft dwc lettuce, tilapia

[zilla4you]

@dontlikenumbers.. i have had copper in my aquaponics system for a while now.. it doesnt affect the fish at all as far as i can tell.. i wouldnt put it directly in the tank itself but i do use it to heat the tank water using a rocket mass heater connected to a pump in the fish tank.. any credible research on your claim? just wondering, love to read it if there is.

[zilla4you]

also if you place the air pumps in the greenhouse they will pull warmer air to put through the totes.. cold air = cold water

[zilla4you]

look into a rocket mass heater.. run copper piping inside and pump ur fish tank water through it.. i am heating water 5 degrees warmer than the water in the 275 tote and it raises about 5 degrees an hour.. once ur to temp you can use tank heaters over night to maintain temp.

[dontlikenumbers]

Do NOT use copper in your system! It is toxic to fish. And make sure any plastic you use is food grade. What poisons them can poison you.

[tdbt3c]

Those peppers look amazing. I've got a bell pepper growing in a Topsy Turvy. Growing good I must say, but underperforming. It's probably 3 times the size of yours, but has only set on two peppers so far. Darn lazy plant...

[ekampel]

Where are you located to have water so cold? I am in Montana and had a similar problem, so instead of Tilapia which like warm water, I am using rainbow trout. My current water temp is 40 and has been down to 33. The trout get sluggish when it is in the low 30's but survive. They are much more lively this week in the 40's temps

[joeshittheragman42]

If the system is indoors with no flying insects, bees, flys, etc do you have to hand pollinate all the plants?

[paulluna45]

use compost to warm your tanks, if you study it out it will work in the winter.

[JWayneCox]

Try using copper pipe instead of PVC for your solar panel. You also need to be able to insulate the panel so it doesn't cool the water. You also might want to consider putting the panel inside the greenhouse.

[TheHossUSMC]

Why not install a clear top on the tanks and put a mirrored funnel down to the tops just like a solar oven?

[grandmastermicochero]

how can you regulate the temp of the water once it enters the tilapia tank so you wont be raising the temp too high??

[edpozek]

@grandmastermicochero The water heater actually melted over the summer so it's not doing anything other than giving cover to my aerator. We're not too sure how we're going to heat the tanks in the summer.

[myclem6674]

@edpozek I made something similar to heat my house water using flexable copper bubing and a $20 "solar" controller from harbor freight. The system easily heats all the hot water we (3 of us) can use and then some.

[PostPetroleumPrepper]

@tgvas hey this is andrew under a different account, and in the winter they will have an opposite effect and cool the water down more.

[DaveTheyCallme]

Could you share what water temps. youre getting out of the Collector ? Also, Pex Tubing for a Collector will hold up much better than PVC in the long run. Im building a Collector out of 300' of 3/4" Pex Tubing right now in an enclosed Wood Box which will thermosyphon into my Water Heater Tank (hopefully) , otherwise ill use a 12 vdc pump for circulation. Any problem with expansion of the PVC yet ? Give us the outlet temps please. Thanks.

[toppersailor96]

build an insulated shed around both tanks and if need be install a heater into the insulated shed

[edpozek]

@toppersailor96 Yeah, that's the plan at the end of the summer.

[andrewbentley83]

I used to install real panels and to shorten it up, this will not work in the winter at all in fact the smaller pipes will freeze and break you must drain the system each winter even in cali/Florida etc.

[edpozek]

@andrewbentley83 Yeah we have already removed the heat exchange due to the intense heat that ended up melting the pipe inside. We're working on other options.

[tgvas]

@andrewbentley83 Could you use Wirsbo hePEX tubing used for home heating, they may not break when they freeze?

[SpeedGimp]

On a cold day, you're going to lose alot of heat when the wind blows across those exposed pipes. You may want to consider insulating them. At the very least, you can try covering them with automotive header wrap and scrap liner. If you want to get extreme, I bet you can get creative with expanding insulation foam and something (like a cardboard box) to constrain the foam while it sets, but this might make it a hassle to repair sections of pipe.

[SpeedGimp]

@SpeedGimp Silly me; I just realized something. You probably already know this, but they make slip-on foam rubber insulation sleeves for applications like this.

[edpozek]

@SpeedGimp Yeah I was thinking about those foam covers after reading your comment. I will pick some up next time I'm in town.

[marthale7]

If you used PVC for the hot box, then I hope it was rated for high temps. PVC of low grade may leach dixons or other chemicals into your fish water, because it is low grade PVC. Excelllent idea / videos. Cheers.

[KayakFisher01]

The Solar Heater should heat the water really well, infact maybe too well if the flow of water is slow. Is the piping Cpvc or pvc inside the solar collector? Cpvc can handle the heat but pvc will warp eventually and may leak. If you do have problems the pipe can be changed over with a pvc/cpvc adapter. Of course you will have to rebuild the cuts of your unit in time.

user/richallenmusic has good luck with solar air heaters. Maybe one to heat the greenhouse?

[edpozek]

@KayakFisher01 Yeah, I see that the max temp for PVC is 140 degrees, I know I'll be going above that so I guess I will be replacing parts as needed. Thanks for the heads up.

[KayakFisher01]

@edpozek Later I noticed your system is not pressurized, I would try it just the way it is and see how it works. Pulling all if it out seems a waste since there is NO pressure on the line. Just see how long it lasts, it make not have any problems for years. If it springs a leak later on, fix it then. We always had people plumb a water heater with PVC and then complained later that it leaks, usually near the water heater itself due to the heat and the expansion of the hot water.

[bestestmama]

that is a fantastic idea!!!

and the lettuce sometimes grows funny, but it works! it all tasts the same lol

[TheArmagarden]

Let me start off with Great idea,is their enough surface aria to heat up your tanks in the winter and did you have to slow down the water movement threw it any to take advantage off the solar chamber ?

[edpozek]

@TheArmagarden Honestly, I don't know. I will have to play with the flow to find the best speed to run through the collector. I will be keeping you guys updated on the progress or problems.

[redneckscorner]

The solar water heater is a great idea, I look forward to seeing how much of a gain in temp you get.