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applestar
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These are the folks that drive twenty miles to save twenty cents; those of us in the garden center trades are very familiar with them.
I know someone who does that! -- Goes WAY out of his way to buy gasoline for his low fuel-efficient truck of all things :lol:

DoubleDogFarm
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Thanks HG. :wink:

Apple,

Similar story. I have a friend that drove across town for a gallon of milk. Probably spent $2.00 in gas to save .50


Eric
Last edited by DoubleDogFarm on Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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farmerlon
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The Helpful Gardener wrote: ... And no, you don't need a Sweetwater for a five gallon bucket, ever. I was throwing that out there to show how seriously the pros take the aeration leg of the triangle. I think we all should make sure we have that well covered rather than just doing the minimum to get by, which can lead to very poor result. ...
HG
All of your points are well taken with me. :D
I have no problem with buying "the best" when that is what I need.
The system that DoubleDog's brother has (posted above) looks impressive; it's apparent that he is "in the business" of making lots of compost tea (either for himself, or as a commercial venture). For him, I assume that system is practical, and it's likely a very good investment for the return that he gets from it.
I would certainly never argue with that. :D

Though the Sweetwater pump is much larger than anything I would need at this time, it's good to know about it anyway.
The suggestions you made are appreciated by me. :)

The Helpful Gardener
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[url=https://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/1026/Sweetwater-Linear-II-Air-Pump-Outdoor-190-max-depth-13-x-9-x-8-140-running-watts]Sweetwater does make some smaller pumps[/url]...

Still expensive, but lower energy consumption and two to three times the life of a cheap pump makes it worth a look. Quieter too.

Initial outlay is a poor indicator of overall economy. Start factoring in all the details and I can make a pretty good argument for the more expensive pump being cheaper in the long run, while delivering superior performance and product. All depends in how you look at it...

Do NOT forget the check valve when using air pumps; ruining a $300 pump because of a power outage hurts a lot more than losing that K-Mart special.

HG

DoubleDogFarm
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Do NOT forget the check valve when using air pumps; ruining a $300 pump because of a power outage hurts a lot more than losing that K-Mart special.
If you look at our setup, no check valve is needed. The plumbing goes up over and down. If you look at the middle we have a bleeder ( throttle). The white hose is our muffler. This Spencer pump puts out more air than is needed even with a 25 gallon batch tank. Have not tested, but I'm thinking with this weep hole no siphon will ruin the pump.

Eric

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soil
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Do NOT forget the check valve when using air pumps; ruining a $300 pump because of a power outage hurts a lot more than losing that K-Mart special.
all you need to do is make sure the pump is above the water level, then gravity wont let the water ruin your pump. no matter what.

my 2 cents are that spending money on a good pump and building a good ACT brewer is far worth it in the long run. specially if you make weekly or even more batches of ACT. sure its cheaper to buy the cheap pump, but when that ACT doesn't make what a good pump will make, and when you have to start dealing with plant health/soil problems and having to spend money to fix them. youll wish you had made a good ACT brewer in the first place.

The Helpful Gardener
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Bingo, Soil! Spot on!

And yes the air above the water line works too...

HG

z man
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The Helpful Gardener wrote:Bingo, Soil! Spot on!

And yes the air above the water line works too...

HG
HG,

What pump do you use?

zman

The Helpful Gardener
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I have not been making tea since I was doing it commercially, but am getting the gear together for this coming year. I will be getting a Sweetwater.

HG

z man
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The Helpful Gardener wrote:I have not been making tea since I was doing it commercially, but am getting the gear together for this coming year. I will be getting a Sweetwater.

HG
HG,

What is your thought on the Pondmaster AP-100 pump? New on e-bay for around $140.

z man

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soil
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What pump do you use?

zman
I use this pump, I can brew up to 80 gallons of tea, then if I want to I can dilute that 1:5 for a hell of a lot of tea. the company sent my package FAST 3 days I think. well worth it.

https://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=6511



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