Aquaponics - Absurdly low energy system test result

I rigged something of a test to see if I could use my powerhead to create the zero head system I keep banging on about.

I'm not sure what the results mean.

It's very difficult to measure the flow when you can lift the pipe out of the water to check, but I think the test went some way to proving the concept.

When I turned on the pump I got around a 2.5 cm difference in water level between the grow bed and the the fish tank. I think that means that If I have a pipe joining the two, I should see all that head equal out. As it is I did have a pipe, but I suspect there was some air in it and I'm not sure how effective it was, but there was definitely flow.

Another major problem with my test is that I didnt want to break apart my powerhead. If I broke it and put the impeller into a tight fitting tube, I think I would move a LOT more water. As it was there was an inch of free space around the impeller where water could flow back past it the wrong way.




This video shows the pump being turned on at around 5seconds into the video, and it shifting 1cm deep of water from a completely full half blue barrel in 20 seconds.

So I think if I break the case off and commit to the design, I should be able to double my flow.

I made that double number up. Really I have no idea.

I think the flow I got was around 800LPH from a 12 watt powerhead, but as I said, there is a lot I can do to make it better.

for one thing, using a corrugated pipe is a bad idea, as is using siphons to go up and over rather than using bigger pipes directly connected. These were necessary because I didn't want to drill holes in the grow beds as I plan on using them differently.

I'll do some more tests, but for now I want to do a system expansion, and make a decent sized system that will feed us.



120 Things in 20 years, where we have industrial design standards, above which we will not go.