Under Construction!
There is a lot of content to migrate from the old website, it might take a while to get this page fully up to date.
For now, I’ll slowly post a lot of the old completed projects as articles on the main page, and then link them all here.
Completed projects / milestones:
DIY cheap, simple, Modular Aquaponic Growbeds
- Oct 2014: MKI 1200 x 130 grow bed. -Retired
- Jan 2015: MKII 1200 x 150 grow bed. – Retired 22/6/2016
- Feb 2015: MKIII 1200 x 160 grow bed. – Currently operating
- Jun 2015: MKIV 800 x 160 grow bed. – Currently operating
- Jul 2015: MKV 1100 x 120 Slimline grow bed. – Currently operating
- Oct 2015: MKVI 1100 x 160 Fatline grow bed. – Currently operating
DIY Aquaponics system low pressure gravity Header Tank Manifold
- Oct 2014: MKI 1.5L Prototype. – Retired
- May 2015: MKII 2L 7x6mm, 2x8mm, prioritized flow, Manual start. – Currently operating
- Oct 2015: MKIII 5L 9x6mm, 1x8mm prioritized flow, Auto start. – Currently operating
The Whitman Micro controller / Data-Logger
- Sep 2015: Prototype wired
- Sep 2015: Operating system and user interface written.
- Sep 2015: Menu framework and UI functionality + sounds added.
- Sep 2015: Menu pages and prototype variables integrated.
- Sep 2015: Temperature sensors integrated.
- Aug 2016: 8gb SD card added
- Aug 2016: All operating system display loads from SD card, memory saved.
- Aug 2016: On-board clock with battery added.
DIY Water heater prototypes
- Jan 2015: Utra cheap Coil heater Medium
- Mar 2015: Utra cheap Coil heater Small, enclosed.
Aquaponic Fishtank DIY design and construction
- Aug 2014: Chain multiple small tanks with zero plumbing prototype, guppies. – Running. 250L Approx
- Oct 2015: I.B.C. Cut and installed with timber housing, silver perch. – Running- 600L Approx
- Jul 2015: MKI Timber tank with plastic lining design and construction – Fill for lining testing.
- Oct 2015: MKI Timber tank connected to system, Jade Perch. – Currently operating. Click for article @PracticalSustainability.
Swirl Filters
Bio filters
Old content aside, here’s the list of potential new projects we’re looking at!
Future Projects:
At the moment we have no budget and i’m working on the digital media stuff in my spare time. As soon as I get some money together these kinds of projects will go ahead. – Chris
1: Test popular DIY water filters against each other .
Filters are an important part of all; hydroponics, Aquaponics, rain collection, water recycling, and potable water systems. Choosing a more efficient and simple filter design means saving many hours of cleaning the filter – over the lifetime of the system. Some designs are SO simple to make, it may be easier to make two of them in series than build a single, more complex filter for the same result.
Project goals:
- Research which styles of swirl filter are most commonly used, as well as other possible designs. (possibly with surveys of Aquaponics groups)
- Pick the top three popular designs, as well as make some experimental untested ones.
- Build all chosen filter designs, as cheaply as possible.
- Full photo documentation of construction for online tutorials of each filter type.
- Run all filters off the same Header Tank Manifold, feed them the same dirty water + small debris, and see what they collect.
- Observe and report the results.
- Connect the best filter for large solids to the best filter for small particles – and see how clean we can get the output.
- Observe and report the results.
- Investigate the possibility of running these as pre-filters for a low maintenance Slow Sand Filter project in the future.
2: Test DIY solar water heaters against each other .
After the success of the first two ultra-cheap solar water heater tests, this is definitely a topic that needs investigation! A simple cheap unit that heats up enough water for a few warm showers may be easy to build.
Project goals:
- Research which styles of DIY solar water heater are most commonly used, as well as other possible designs.
- Focus is on low DIY difficulty and low price.
- Build a few common designs, and some experimental ones. All roughly the same size in terms of solar absorber area.
- Document all construction for use in later DIY articles.
- Buy some cheap 30L+ Styrofoam boxes, one for each type of heater built.
- Observe and report the results. Water temperature taken every hour and graphed.
- Publish results.
- Consider further testing.
3: Potable water filter for under $20.
The list!:
//under construction!!
Building a solar dehydrator
DIY solar cooking
DIY potato box
DIY basic garden construction essentials
Hugelkultur 101
Vermiculture – BSF larvae or meal worms
Composting techniques
The Chinese wheelbarrow
Hydraulic ram pumps
Fresnel lens heat generation
Cooking (both recipes etc and as a showcase of using greener cooking methods)
Heating water with compost heaps
Water filtration
Building a self ventilating compost toilet
Building vertical axis wind turbines from everyday materials
Solar water and air heating for the home
Greenhouses and Hoop houses
Vehicles, energy, biodiesel, gasification and transport
Methods for greener refrigeration
Food preservation sustainably (bottling, salt curing, pickling jams, dehydrating etc)
Water collection, storage & management
Insulation
Conserving electricity in the home
Adobe (earth) building
Trough mirrors for creating steam and purifying water
Building and maintain a chicken coop
Aquaponics system setup and techniques
Green shower and bathroom facilities
Building a fully functional green workshop
Permaculture basics