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Post by LoveSalads on Dec 10, 2023 14:07:14 GMT -5
Aerovoir vapor lock. I am using 4 aerovoir to feed 6 aerogardens mostly bounty's and, 1 farm. Every one of them at 1 point or another stop feeding water. Somehow air seems to find its way in. My guess is the primer ball . Anyone else have this problem or know of a fix ¿ .......  |
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Post by scarfguy on Dec 10, 2023 19:30:19 GMT -5
Aerovoir vapor lock. I am using 4 aerovoir to feed 6 aerogardens mostly bounty's and, 1 farm. Every one of them at 1 point or another stop feeding water. Somehow air seems to find its way in. My guess is the primer ball . Anyone else have this problem or know of a fix ¿ .......
Are you putting hydrogen peroxide in the aerovoir to inhibit algae growth by any chance?
I put 3ml of H2O2 in my aerovoirs for algae control and I find that as the aerovoir sits, some oxygen comes out of solution. Sometimes it creates bubble big enough to stop the syphon.
Not really an issue once I understood what was happening. I check the water level in all of the AGs every morning and catch any aerovoirs that stopped overnight.
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Post by LoveSalads on Dec 10, 2023 19:49:07 GMT -5
Nothing added to the aerovoir's . I use the boxes they came in to cover the tanks so, no algae problems except in the lines. I cut slits in the box to see water level that part doesn't work to well. I have both types so is a mystery for me. Thx for the reply..... Bob
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Post by lynnee on Dec 10, 2023 20:03:53 GMT -5
Nothing added to the aerovoir's . I use the boxes they came in to cover the tanks so, no algae problems except in the lines. I cut slits in the box to see water level that part doesn't work to well. I have both types so is a mystery for me. Thx for the reply..... Bob Is the Aerovoir tube placed all the way into the reservoir, as close as it can get to the bottom? I find that the tube can ride up in a Farm in particular, stopping the water flow. If the tube is fully inserted, then you probably need to adjust the height of the Aerovoir tank a little, either slightly higher or lower. The height will be right per the AG instructions if the AG and Aerovoir are both on the same hard, level surface, but small things like carpets or sloping surfaces can throw them off. When filling the Aerovoir, it's a good idea to use the bulb to clear the air bubbles every time.  |
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Post by LoveSalads on Dec 10, 2023 20:31:35 GMT -5
I do check the tubes every couple days so yes they are seated. With tomatoes and peppers growing so many months the roots tend to crawl right up that tube. Whenever they stop I lift the tubes and then pump the ball until it burps once at least. The reason I notice they stop is I can hear the water falling from the deck. I jack all my aervoir's up 3 pieces of cardboard just to keep that water fall quieter. The only one I do not put carboard under is the Farm. I took the riser off and use multi magazines for the desired level. The newer bounty(2019) is the right height no cardboard needed. I would eliminate the pump ball but those are hard to lift up without spilling them. Does your aerovoir stop ?
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Post by lynnee on Dec 11, 2023 13:36:48 GMT -5
By "pump ball", you mean the water level indicator? That is completely independent of everything else, and you don't need to use it at all. It does NOT control the pump in normal conditions. I guess that it notifies the pump controller to shut the pump down partially if the water level is extremely low, as when you're draining the reservoir for an R&R. I wish that I understood siphons better, but I think you may have the Aerovoir heights wrong if you're putting "magazines" under them. Or maybe you need to remove the Aerovoir stand? Do you still have the instructions? Here's a link, see Step 2 and the Tips: assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt1427bdf7bce86b53/blt2d23a17c94ed97d1/62d5ab89b351a93690520f8f/AeroVoir_2020_User_Guide.pdfI always have to squeeze the bulb several times to get the bubbles out. The guide says you don't have to squeeze the bulb to get rid of air bubbles if you lift the Aerovoir higher than the reservoir. Something that could be happening is that roots are growing under the tube outlet and lifting it, or that roots growing into the tube are blocking it. I don't have the latter problem. If my Aerovoir stops delivering water, I reseat the tube and pump out the air bubbles. I look at the water level in the "Fill to here" opening from time to time to make sure that the Aerovoir isn't blocked. Generally my Aerovoirs are problem-free. |
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Post by LoveSalads on Dec 12, 2023 17:47:30 GMT -5
Primer Pump is what I meant by pump ball(squeeze ball). Thank you for all the suggestions and posting the link to the aerovoir directions. For the most part they work well. I will be driving around for the holidays so, I am a wee bit worried about 5 gardens of tomatoes drying up. Not much I can do about it anyway. Last night I was sitting at the end of my bed listening for water running(waterfall). That is how I tell possibly one of the aerovoir's has stopped. The garden's get noisier when the water level drops hence ,waterfall. While i was sitting there each aerovoir 1 after the other burped to let me know all is well. I had to laugh then went to sleep. The added pieces of cardboard underneath some of the aerovoir's is so when I lift up the water-fill area I can see some water/movement. Tomatoes are a Poppin..........yummyyyyyy
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Post by lynnee on Dec 13, 2023 2:47:41 GMT -5
LoveSalads, this evening I was hearing “waterfall” sounds from one Farm. Sure enough, the Aerovoir had stopped adding water to the reservoir. At the corner where the Aerovoir tube entered, the Farm deck had been forced upwards from the bowl about a quarter of an inch, due to the weight of a developing bush tomato seedling. (The deck was already warped a little from previous large pepper plants.). The displacement caused an airlock in the Aerovoir tubing. The fix is to use tape (I use painter’s masking tape) to tape the warped deck to the reservoir bowl in the corner where the Aerovoir tube enters. After you reposition the Aerovoir tube and clear the air bubbles, the Aerovoir should work normally. FWIW, all of my Farm decks are a bit warped from the weight of previously grown plants. I disinfect the decks in the top rack of the dishwasher, but the warping happens before they go into the dishwasher. I tape the decks to the reservoirs when they come out of the dishwasher (still warm) to help them regain their shapes as much as possible. The decks and reservoirs work fine despite the warping. I originally observed the warping when I removed from a Farm a mature green pepper plant that had produced many full-sized peppers. The plant had lots of branches that filled the width of the Farm, so it was quite heavy. Deck warping doesn’t seem to happen with my Bounties. 
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