Re: [compost_tea] Building a Brewer

From: Robert Norsen <bnbrew_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 21:46:10 -0700 (PDT)

Topic near and dear to me too, Jack, for the past 8 years.You are not wrong but I think trying the hard way to achieve yur objective. You are trying to bring the air to the water that needs aeration. With circulation you can easily bring the water to the air for aeration. You are concerned about a pile of silt on the bottom that might become anaerobic. That is a good concern. If you release enough air hard off against one side at the bottom of the 'tank' and nowhere else the rising air will carry water up fast on one side. The rush of water to replace the rising water will carry silt with it. There may be a little very heavy sand or rock but all silt that carries material that could cause concentrated microbial action enough to cause anaerobic conditions - will be caried on the swift current.
 
Of course when you shut down the system to see what went on, the silt will drop down to form a layer thick enough to be concerned about. Secret is lots of air and only on one side rising to make the water move. A few holes in the vertical pipe right near the bottom on both sides of the bottom 1 inch or in the cap. This can also be your extractor system. Remove the extractor after a few hours. Put the aerator / circulator back down to the bottom.
 
Strain after the brew? well - if you strain early in the brew cycle by confining the compost to an extactor chamber when the microbe content is low you take out some. microbes. Then if you contiue the brew to multiply bactria and grow the fungi in size - and can spray that mix without another filtering it seems reasonable that the filtering is before the numbers build up. One would lose less of what you came for.- Apply the life forms. If you allow the ACT to settle a few minutes before you take the ACT, then take it at a level above the silt, filtering the ACT may not be needed. Silt is removed in a different way later. Never gets into the ACT.
 
The silt forms a great material to augment your compost pile. Probably has more value than the original compost.

jackarias <gcolby1_at_san.rr.com> wrote:
This topic is very near and dear to me.

Instead of using 3/4" pipe why not use 1/2"? Also instead of making
only an "X" for the airflow to get in the center it seems to me that
in addition to the "X" it would be easy to put a "T" connetor on
each end of each part of the "X" and then using the 1/2" PVC to the
flexible 1/2" drip adapter one could make a complete circle around
the edge of the trash can using the flexible 1/2" drip tubing around
the outside of the center cross "X". My hope is that there would be
no dead spots on the edges but maybe this is overkill and
unnecessary. (The adapter is a donut shaped circle that fits inside
the 1/2" connector with a more narrow opening that holds the
flexible drip supply line using friction. They cost about $0.30 each
at an irrigation supply store.)

I would appreciate any comments/suggestions or arguments against
this idea.

I am using a 30 gal bucket with a shop vacume to blow air through
the system. It is putting out a lot of air so I bleed off much of
the air flow. I initially tried soaker hose but I felt the bubbles
are too small so then I burned holes every 2" along the soaker hose.
Also the soaker hose will absorbe water and I fear biofilm in
the long run. Another drawback with the soaker hose is that it has
no regidity so it is more difficult to space it around the bottom of
the 30 gal. trash barrel even with weights.

With the last batch of AACT I brewed I put in the amount of humus
that ALASKAN HUMAS recommends in additon to the fungal compost but
rather than putting it in bags I reasoned it would work better to
leave it loose and strain it before I applied it. When I was done
with the brew there was a lot of "sludge" in the center of the
bucket and I'm concerned that it could easily go anaerobic unless I
get air moving in the center of the bucket as well as around the
outside. My original thought was that the rolling water would mix
everything well but that was not the case.

I'm get a digital camera tomorrow and I would be happy to supply
images if it would help to troubleshoot my homemade system. I
started with the KIS 5 gal. brewer but I want to make much more at a
time and I don't have the $$$$ funds for the 28 gal. system they
offer.





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Received on Mon Jul 19 2004 - 08:57:59 EDT

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