Here we take a look at my finished automatic bell siphons for my aquaponics setup. It takes lots of experimentations but I will explain the basics.
Have something to add? Please consider leaving a comment, or if you want to stay updated you can subscribe to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.
25 Responses to Automatic Bell Siphon Aquaponics Tips & Tricks
no, as he explained in the video, if you have the slits or holes in the bell placed properly and at the proper size or larger, you’re fine. the idea is allow air in immediately when the water level is at it’s lowest or you could have a runaway siphon drying up your bed. as you seen in the video, his slits are thin, but long/wide.
I tried to find info on how a bell siphon works on google. the text explanations weren’t working. your physical explanation and demonstration is just what I needed. thanks 🙂
i do not use the air hose setup, i try to not over-complicate things. as long as you spend the time to get the slots right and the downspout right i have never needed an air hose.
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 10:55 am Reply
I noticed you don’t use the “air hose” coming out of the top of your bell syphon. Do you need it or not?
very informative video, btw did anyone tell you, your voice sounds like the actor ”John Cho” from the harold and kumar movies. I actually thought this was his video. Keep up the good work sir. ps please do not be offended by my John Cho comment, i am not trying to troll you.
Thank you very , very much !! Great vid. I think the best on youtube. What is the hight of the 2 inch pvc bell sifon for this particular tray ( Home Depot cement mix )? Thank you !!!!!!!
just the speed of the water flowing into the standpipe, if it is not fast enough if does not pull enough air down and trigger the siphon
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 1:20 pm Reply
thanks for the video, as the pressure is set by the head of the water hight i would assume the auto siphon would work the same regard less of the input flow. what difference did the hieght of the bell make?
Exactly. Just something that is thick/rigid plastic that will not crack or wear from sunlight or heavy mediums. Thanks for watching ;)-
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 3:13 pm Reply
The grow beds that hes using come from most hardware stores and are usualy found in the concrete dpt. Used for mixing small batches of concrete. The come in assorted sizes and are very inexpensive. Plus the fact that they are black eliminates any light from producing algea on the rocks on each side panels in the water zone. Plus the light wont get to the roots if they should wander to the outter walls.
bet thing to do is a greenhouse or some sort of structure to keep out of the elements. depends really on your fish but you can get a heater if necessary.
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 3:55 pm Reply
Thanks for the video very helpfull. I live in upstate New York and I’m planning on getting one of this started at home. My fear is the winter…. how to people handle it?
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 5:39 pm Reply
ooohhhh..ok i was wondering about that cuz even in a hydroponics garden they normally only spray the roots or water drips off of them..so that makes sense..ty
your plants would drown. the roots need oxygen ;)-
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 6:38 pm Reply
i get how it works..i just dont understand the point of it…why do you want to keep draining ur plant bed? why not just have the downspout and thats it?
Little trick You can use Electrical conduit connector 1 inch they will screw together tighter than pvc. then white pvc will fit in the gray elec. pvc . next you can take one end and heat it up over a flame so it gets soft then jam a screwdriver end in it (Handle) and flare it out .
In your video you mention that the diameter of the pipes, the length of your drain pipe, and the heights of your bell siphon all make a difference on how quickly the siphon starts and stops. Can you tell me what your specific dimensions of your bell siphon are that help it to start and stop so well?
Thanks for sharing
Rob'O O'Donnell
October 4, 2012 at 9:43 am
no, as he explained in the video, if you have the slits or holes in the bell placed properly and at the proper size or larger, you’re fine. the idea is allow air in immediately when the water level is at it’s lowest or you could have a runaway siphon drying up your bed. as you seen in the video, his slits are thin, but long/wide.
flamedrag18
October 4, 2012 at 10:31 am
I tried to find info on how a bell siphon works on google. the text explanations weren’t working. your physical explanation and demonstration is just what I needed. thanks 🙂
flamedrag18
October 4, 2012 at 10:40 am
i do not use the air hose setup, i try to not over-complicate things. as long as you spend the time to get the slots right and the downspout right i have never needed an air hose.
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 10:55 am
I noticed you don’t use the “air hose” coming out of the top of your bell syphon. Do you need it or not?
bradgray51
October 4, 2012 at 11:52 am
excellent
808quake
October 4, 2012 at 12:09 pm
very informative video, btw did anyone tell you, your voice sounds like the actor ”John Cho” from the harold and kumar movies. I actually thought this was his video. Keep up the good work sir. ps please do not be offended by my John Cho comment, i am not trying to troll you.
Canoots
October 4, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Thank you very , very much !! Great vid. I think the best on youtube. What is the hight of the 2 inch pvc bell sifon for this particular tray ( Home Depot cement mix )? Thank you !!!!!!!
aleckaki
October 4, 2012 at 1:15 pm
just the speed of the water flowing into the standpipe, if it is not fast enough if does not pull enough air down and trigger the siphon
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 1:20 pm
thanks for the video, as the pressure is set by the head of the water hight i would assume the auto siphon would work the same regard less of the input flow. what difference did the hieght of the bell make?
wemme
October 4, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Exactly. Just something that is thick/rigid plastic that will not crack or wear from sunlight or heavy mediums. Thanks for watching ;)-
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 3:13 pm
The grow beds that hes using come from most hardware stores and are usualy found in the concrete dpt. Used for mixing small batches of concrete. The come in assorted sizes and are very inexpensive. Plus the fact that they are black eliminates any light from producing algea on the rocks on each side panels in the water zone. Plus the light wont get to the roots if they should wander to the outter walls.
Oxymoto
October 4, 2012 at 3:30 pm
bet thing to do is a greenhouse or some sort of structure to keep out of the elements. depends really on your fish but you can get a heater if necessary.
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Thanks for the video very helpfull. I live in upstate New York and I’m planning on getting one of this started at home. My fear is the winter…. how to people handle it?
Norbin Cruz
October 4, 2012 at 4:10 pm
aquaponic Services dot com
tunashack
October 4, 2012 at 4:15 pm
This is good information.
tunashack
October 4, 2012 at 4:39 pm
you bet! thanks for watching ;)-
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 5:39 pm
ooohhhh..ok i was wondering about that cuz even in a hydroponics garden they normally only spray the roots or water drips off of them..so that makes sense..ty
hardhatg69
October 4, 2012 at 6:32 pm
your plants would drown. the roots need oxygen ;)-
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 6:38 pm
i get how it works..i just dont understand the point of it…why do you want to keep draining ur plant bed? why not just have the downspout and thats it?
hardhatg69
October 4, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Little trick You can use Electrical conduit connector 1 inch they will screw together tighter than pvc. then white pvc will fit in the gray elec. pvc . next you can take one end and heat it up over a flame so it gets soft then jam a screwdriver end in it (Handle) and flare it out .
majpoopiepants
October 4, 2012 at 7:52 pm
In your video you mention that the diameter of the pipes, the length of your drain pipe, and the heights of your bell siphon all make a difference on how quickly the siphon starts and stops. Can you tell me what your specific dimensions of your bell siphon are that help it to start and stop so well?
sweep1884
October 4, 2012 at 8:37 pm
I want to do this. Have you thought about hooking it up to a big tank with fish in it?
ozmangolfer
October 4, 2012 at 8:54 pm
thanks for watching! ;)-
indoorharvestgardens
October 4, 2012 at 9:26 pm
Awesome video, just learning this and your a huge help!
ozmangolfer
October 4, 2012 at 10:14 pm