spiral nozzles

Ckma

Member
I did a forum search and found nothing on this. Im wondering if anyone has used high pressure/low pressure full cone spray spiral nozzles? If you have what is your experiences?

I run vertical high pressure aero in conjunction with aquaponics as the base. I run fish waste through my big biofiltration unit then a swirl/radial solid filter that dumps into an independent tank which is filtered through <200 micron filter mesh and the pump is wrapped in 100 micron mesh. I tend to be able to run solid for a day or two before random things like hair end up clogging the nozzles and cause my roots to dry while im not watching.. I think these HP spiral nozzles may work and are rated at 20-50 microns water size ive seen ones also rated to 5 or so microns in the fogger style spiral nozzles.

Added: these are generally used for dust suppression and firefighting to help those looking for them....

They seem virtually uncloggable.. any advice?
 

Tex879

Member
This sounds very interesting! I've been trying to come up with a nozzle of my own design that resists clogging. Ultimately I'd like to experiment with organic fertilizer and microbes in true aero, and it doesn't surprise me the nozzles used traditionally here clogged quickly on you. Sounds like we both need the same thing in a nozzle, hopefully between the two of us we can find it. BTW how long have you been growing w/ aquaponics? I'd love to know how its worked out so far.
 

Ckma

Member
well so far Ive been running it solid for about a year and 1/2 without a water change. The flavors are stronger in the plants than reg hydro or dirt. I also get the added bonus of having free food for 8 months. I love aquaponics and in conjuction with vertical aero its pretty awesome. Ill be getting my first new spiral nozzles from china here soon (29th or so) so ill let you know how it goes. Unfortunately nobody really grows vertical aquaponic aero so the learning curve is pretty steep alot of your own research and trials
 

Tex879

Member
I'd love to eventually delve full bore into aqua, stuff like that is right up my alley. Have you ever heard of black soldier fly larvae? Aka phoenix worms, they're a popular reptile and fish feed. If you keep a bsfl bin around to raise em, u can feed them ANYTHING including dog shit, road kill, rancid leftovers. In fact I've heard the claim they'll keep a 5 gal sized bin empty of a 4-member family's daily waste (including toilet waste). Think of them as composting worms on steroids. Their migratory lifestage is used to mechanise an automatic feeder for commercial fish farms. YT is a great place to start if u wanna learn about em.

As far as my nozzle project, I've already started a thread on it "homemade air nozzles" and plan on posting my latest design their. I look forward to seeing how yours work out; it would be a welcomed shortcut!
 

Ckma

Member
Yeah I have heard of them the problem with them is that they work to well and put a heavy load on the wet/dry biofilter creating spikes and swings through the ammonia->nitrite -> nitrate process. So instead I use a predator tank, tilapia tank, trapdoor snail tank swirl radial filter tank to round out my feed sources and smooth out the conversion cycle.
 

Ckma

Member
tex 879 these nozzle are the shit. Unfortunately they are putting out to much volume to measure the spray so im still going to need slightly smaller nozzles but they are literally uncloggable... Im using a valve to control the flow now.. and already wont go back to my previous aero nozzles
 

Tex879

Member
Just saw this, sounds promising! Your results w/ this grow will be interesting for another reason: I've wondered if the microbes would be effected by the nozzles, or if there could be sufficient nutrient uptake w/o providing a home for the microbes to produce them (like in soil). Its a moot point of course with inorganic salts. I wonder if your biofilter is all the "home" they need; I've been thinking about incorporating one even w/o the fish. BTW does a smaller nozzle mean smaller orifice? How's the air consumption? Why can't you just dial back your spray times?
 

Ckma

Member
well the the benes grow in the root zone too, but the biofilter seems to be converting 100% of the waste with a light buildup in the radial swirl. The build up those is constantly being taken up by the snails tho... measured ph daily since the 7th sometimes twice a day.. im 6.2 + or - .2 with no issues with the fish snails or plants. With no deficiencies and no burn even on fresh seedlings which I actually find odd.(ill need to research why the concentrations of nutes isnt causing some sort of lock) So im not finding uptake a problem plant are growing rapidly. A smaller nozzle means thinner cuts in the side and tighter swirl in the spiral. The air consumption is fine so far may get to be an issue are roots clog the tubing but well see. I could dial back spray times but im getting solid growth regardless ... the issue is I want HP Aero not LP high flow.

so far the water is warm high 78 degrees which I thought would be a problem but it seems the phylum is completely kept in check by the benes.. and the increased rootzone temp is increasing the growth rates... im curious to see how this progresses.
 
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