Compost Bubbler

thingiverse

This is definitely a work in progress, though its current state functions as intended. When making ACT or Compost Tea, I'd normally add a little Ancient Forest to some cheesecloth and mix it with molasses and mycos in water, then bubble it for a few days. However, this crude practice didn't agitate the mixture to my liking. So, this is my first attempt to streamline the process. This design operates by using the Venturi effect to inject pumped air directly into a solution, raising the liquid up a pipe or column. It can then wash over the humus mixture and leach out the bottom in drips, like a coffee percolator. I still want to increase the flow to boost oxygenation and microbial life of the solution. This design requires a 2-gallon bucket, dual outlet aquarium pump, tubing, and a 220mm length of 1/2-inch PVC, plus 2 elbows and connecting pieces. The diameter of the PVC was too large, so the air wasn't lifting the water well. I had to decrease that diameter using the Reduction Files. Both the "30 start" and "30 stop" files account for 60mm, so I filled in the space between with four "40 mid" pieces. You may want custom-sized pieces, so I'm including the SCAD file, and you can adjust the height with the variable named "H". To make a screen, upload a simple disc into your slicer, and set your perimeters to whatever you want in the slicer settings. The tops and bottoms must be set to "0" zero. Then, you can adjust the mesh size with the percentage of infill. I've found about 25% to be perfect. FWIW, 40% will diffuse light to a minor degree, yet the solution was still not passing through well. Still, it's nice to have the ability to adjust that, and I can now see this having a possible application in DIY water filtration. I printed with PLA at .2 layer height. IDK if my print speeds were too quick or if the PLA at the end of the roll doesn't adhere well; I noticed some air sneaking out into the base support ring and leaking out into the solution, which is fine but does decrease the amount of water being lifted up the column. Maybe this would print better with PETG? If anyone has ideas on how to improve this design and help me get a little more bang out of my air pump, please share. The solution bubbles well when lifting water up the shaft, but I'd like to get better flow out of the Venturi if that's possible. Parts to print: 1. Dual Venturi Pump 2. Lid 3. Basket (holds about 1/4 cup) 4. Disc (25% infill, 0 tops and bottoms) 5. 30 start 6. 30 stop 7. 40 mid (four pieces)