Re: [compost_tea] Re: confused and alarmed

From: Jason Austin <jason.austin_at_shaw.ca>
Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 20:36:43 -0800

spigold wrote:

> Hallelujah
> I have joined the list recently and have noticed the deafening
> silence on the practical aspects of CT, especially the "how to build"
> kind. I can understand peoples greed, lets call it what it is, to
> recover their "expenses" in developing brewers. I challenge you to
> let go of these notions of getting rich and share your knowledge with
> others. snip .........
>
> (I will now crawl under my compost for safety)


Spigold - Any fool can build a brewer, but you have to get out from
under that compost heap to do it. The easy part is making the brewer.
 The hard part is making it better, and perservering through scores of
trials to find that elusive better blend of ingredients for different
needs. When you have done that for a few months or years spigold,
then come back and see if you are prepared to give away all you have
learned through your hard work for those too lazy to try themselves.

Strangely enough though, there are many who do willingly share their
knowledge. Bestir yourself and read the posts in the archives, and
the links to other sites. You will see all sorts of suggestions on
brewers, aeration, and formulas. And if you make that effort, you will
see how in the last year alone that thinking has changed and is still
changing.

Apart from your bleating today spigold, I see you have made just one
post to this list. On June 12th at 6:44pm you asked Bob Norsen:

> Robert could you please be more specific about the introduction of
> air? What about recirculating the tea and having it splash over
> something (screen) before it reenters the container? I would like to
> use a sump pump for pumping the tea to the field and would like it to
> serve as the aerator also, any ideas?
> Spigold

At 9:52pm that same day you had a detailed reply from Bob:

> See below, spigold ( is that your name? - if So, Hi ! ))
>
> spigold <spigold_at_yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Robert could you please be more specific about the introduction of
> air? Yes, I spent a few years designing and testing a system that does
> 50 to 250 g a time. Recently we achieved SFI test 97815, AB 65, TB
> 11008, AF 19.7, TF 102, HD 3.5 The brewer costs retail less than what
> you will spend building your own. What about recirculating the tea
> and having it splash over
> something (screen) before it reenters the container? I would like to
> use a sump pump for pumping the tea to the field and would like it to
> serve as the aerator also, any ideas? Your sump pump will work OK as
> a one time device to deliver the ACT. If you use it to circulate and
> aerate your ACT the microbes going thru the pump repeatedly will be
> (1) discouraged from propagating. (2) be killed in large numbers by
> the violence of the pump. (3) the noise of the pump will drive you
> nuts. (4 ) the cost of electric power is about 7 times what it needs
> to be. Air is what aeration is about. use air. Air will circulate
> the water faster than your sump pump but Oh so gently. You need to
> circulate ALL the water to escape stagnant areas such as on the
> bottom. Do lots of arms deep in the tank to learn what your air is
> doing. Try an an all glass tank or a tank with a glass window. Use a
> light and under water viewing box ( glass bottom boat ). Add some
> particulates to watch the action. Test the actual cfmproduction from
> your air pump. Test at the depth of the air release.
>
> THEN test to find the shape of whatever you use as a compost holder.
> How well does your air also extract the microbes from the compost? Is
> the action quite strong but not violent? Will the microbes escape
> easily into the container? Will the system retain the compost, only
> allow particles that carry the fungi escape in small enough size to go
> thru your application system? Do a few thousand $ in tests to assure
> that these estimates are right.
>
> Make sure your selections are of such character and quality that your
> system will produce for several years without being a maintenance or
> cleaning problem. Try to make it so easy to use and clean that you
> will not become agrivated by it. Be sure it is quiet because ou will
> sleep by it many nights. Let me know how you make out. It can be
> fun. It is a thrill to achieve all that - and more. Bob


Most people would show gratitude to Bob for his fast and practical help
spigold. Did you thank him? If you did it must have been privately
because you sure didn't thank him on the list.

Read the archives and learn spigold. If you can't figure it out, and
it is not in the archives, then ask a question on the list, and have the
decency to show appreciation for those good people who are kind enough
to give their time to help you. Walk a mile in their shoes before you
blather on about greed.


Jason Austin




Received on Sun Dec 21 2003 - 00:06:43 EST

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