Re: [compost_tea] same recipe

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 19:51:55 -0800


  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Anthony Quinlan
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 7:07 PM
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] same recipe


  I had similar thoughts about free compost, but just a messy nightmare job=
 to strain then get frustrated spraying it.

  Thanks.

  I use free compost. I use a Wayne syphon pump. On the end of the hose I=
 put into the tea, I attach a cylindrical bubbler. These are designed for =
watering but it works great to suck in water over a larger area than the ho=
se nozzle. I wrap this with three layers of window screen and tie wrap the=
 screen down so the window screen covers the holes (about 1/2" each) but do=
esn't obscure them. Then I insert this in a commercial nylon filter bag us=
ed in the food processing industry. This bag has a pvc frame I made to kee=
p the bag from collapsing onto the bubbler when the pump is drawing water. =
 The bag is a 200 micron which means things 200 microns or smaller pass thr=
ough the net. I use the bag because it allows me to have a greater area to=
 suck stuff through and it avoids cloging. However, even with this I get s=
ome small clogging and have to wash after every 100 to 150 gallons. I just=
 pull it out and hose it off.

  I called the company that makes the filter bag and asked how I could crea=
te a filter for the bubbler. They were very helpful and told me that to ge=
t an allowable passthrough of _at_300 microns, to wrap the thing with three la=
yers of ordinary window screen. Their other solution was to buy a commerci=
al diffuse filter at about $400. Obviously I opted for the low-tech approa=
ch.

  If I keep all my equipment clean, which I do, I never have problems.

  I designed a brewer for a local water treatment plant here and they grabb=
ed a pump they use in bio-digesters. It is all stainless and is submersibl=
e. It can suck at 10G per minutek, breaks down and cleans in a snap, and t=
hey cost $250. I ordered one through them and I will report how it works. =
 

  The Wayne I use cost $100. It is lubricant free and self-priming. It ha=
s worked great for the year and a half I have been using it. Cleans up rea=
l easy and the pump portions are all stainless. The only limitation is tha=
t you are not supposed to run it for longer than 30 minutes.

  When I am finished, I take the little bit of compost tea and the used com=
post and put it back into my compost pile.

  For brewers, I use different containers and design aerators for them. I =
have designed a 225G based on ag T-Bins. These are $275 each commercially =
and the air pump costs about $400 ($700 retail) wholesale. They are design=
ed for commercial Koi production and mericulture. So I separate my brewing=
 from the extraction process. I even have designed a gravity system using =
the same filtering methodology but no pump.

  Anyway, thanks for the answers. I would like to encourage everyone who d=
oes any experimentation to try to control it as much as possible. Most of =
us aren't scientists but we can use the scientific to minimize variables in=
 our procedures. I home school my son so every thing I do with the brewers=
 and brewing he makes into a science project. He is entering a state scien=
ce fair and is going to explain how biology can be used to restore soil. H=
e is using compost tea and I just finished setting up a video tap for our m=
icroscope. He is getting to be quite a stickler about procedures.

  Anyway, have fun.

  Ted Peterson
  Earth-Wise/Spirit of the Earth



Received on Wed Feb 25 2004 - 23:52:02 EST

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