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  1. #1
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    Split barn-crawlspace project (simple and cheap)

    I am fortunate to have an empty building (1000 sq ft?) with a massive crawsplace, working electric and faucet 30' away. The building is in excellent condition and is a steel roof on a concrete block wall and foundation. Used to be for raising pigs.

    I want to raise fish and veggies as simply and cheaply as possible.
    Fish: I think I can pull up the flooring against the deepest wall (southern) and drop two 300 galllon rubbermaid or IBC tanks below the outside soil surface (not much, maybe a 1' but the crawlspace is what will govern much of the temperature). This will insulate the fish tanks and keep them at near constant temperatures, regardless of outside temperatures (hot summers here which I'm concerned will drive down air saturations of the water). This probably rules out Tilapia as it will be too cool and heating the tanks will be painful as the heat will just get mostly rejected to the soil. However, I like catfish and think my family will, too, given the chance to raise them ourselves. There won't be any sun to grow algae and I'll be able to protect the tanks from predators (we have hawks, racoons, possums, etc). If anyone thinks a future option would be good, I can place styrofoam insulation underneath the tanks in case I ever decide to heat them. Will give me unlimited access to the fish (nothing above them) and I can put chicken wire over the tanks if the fish decide to jump. If I ever get really motivated I could floor it back in, resulting in no loss of barn sqft.

    Veggies: Since this is all on the southern wall I can go outside the barn and build a support system, utilizing an existing concrete block outrigging. This will put the veggies up high, out of the reach of animals (family goats included) and yet give 100% of natural sunlight exposure. Disadvantage is that the veggies will be up high but I can build a ladder system and realistically, they are only 6' above the soil surface. Additionally, in the future I plan on enclosing this structure as a mini-greenhouse to lengthen the growing season. At first I am hoping to grow cucumbers and perhaps lettuce. We love black-seeded simpson lettuce! Once again, no loss of barn sqft.

    Pump: Due to the height difference between the two (guess is 8') I would like to use a 1/5 hp sump pump. At zero head, it claims 25 gpm which should still provide a lot of flow at 8' of head. Advantage of the sump pump is reliability, cost, and the ability to pump up to 25' of head. Also easily replaceable/cheap so I could go ahead and order a spare to have on hand. Or better, wire in two with a timer to share run-time, giving me a lot of redundancy.

    Misc: I feel comfortable drilling through the concrete wall to pass plumbing lines. I live in VA which has pretty moderate weather. Would like to use gravel as that is cheap. On well water so I have a cheap, near-limitless supply of good water. Doing it this way will give me a ton of grow-room for additional capacity.

    Questions:
    Does this sound doable?
    Is the pump too powerful or is it good to have that much extra capacity? If too powerful, perhaps I can set it on a timer.
    Recommendations?

  2. #2
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    Re: Split barn-crawlspace project (simple and cheap)

    Welcome! Sounds as if you've got the room that most of us only wish we had!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Isthelifeforme
    ...snip...
    Pump: Due to the height difference between the two (guess is 8') I would like to use a 1/5 hp sump pump. At zero head, it claims 25 gpm which should still provide a lot of flow at 8' of head. Advantage of the sump pump is reliability, cost, and the ability to pump up to 25' of head. Also easily replaceable/cheap so I could go ahead and order a spare to have on hand. Or better, wire in two with a timer to share run-time, giving me a lot of redundancy.

    ...snip...Questions:
    Does this sound doable?
    Is the pump too powerful or is it good to have that much extra capacity? If too powerful, perhaps I can set it on a timer.
    Recommendations?
    As to your pump, you would be surprised at the falloff of the capacity of pumps when going higher. I would try to find the "pump curve" for the pump you've got. That will give you the flow vs. height that it's capable of. With two pumps, you've certainly got redundancy! I'm interested in how you would plumb them so you aren't sending the water to the second pump instead of to the grow bed. Remember, water wants to take the path of least resistance.

    You said "sump pump". Are the pumps metal? The leaching of metals from the pump can create a potentially lethal concentration for the fish (and humans?) in the water. I would investigate this more thoroughly before using a metal pump.

    Keep us posted and remember that we like pictures!
    Scott
    Jesup (S.E.), Georgia, USA

  3. #3
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    Re: Split barn-crawlspace project (simple and cheap)

    Have you looked at the pond pumps? fairly cheap and made to run 24/7, the other would be a swimming pool pump plumbed in lots of them on Craigs list welcome aboard
    don't let the long hair fool ya, it's bright RED underneath

  4. #4
    Moderator JCO's Avatar
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    Re: Split barn-crawlspace project (simple and cheap)

    Welcome...you've come to the right place for answers.
    JCO
    Irish eyes are always smiling but
    • "In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success"
    so never forget
    • "MAN IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION"

  5. #5
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Split barn-crawlspace project (simple and cheap)

    Hi, can you post a few pictures of the barn and area where your doing this ?
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  6. #6
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    Re: Split barn-crawlspace project (simple and cheap)

    I didn't get a chance to take pictures today but I did pick up 2 IBC's. Lid is already cut but I plan on using the 2 bases. Also lined up 2 300 gallon tanks for the fish. Just didn't have room for them today. I didn't have time for that either but I have learned to move quickly on good deals on Craigslist. Plus, this guy has quite a bit of experience with aquaponics and will be a good source of local knowledge (where to buy fish and supplies).

    Plan is to get this running before the growing season starts. For fish, I'll start with goldfish for a few weeks, then shift to channel cat fingerlings from a bait store. If those survive the first year, maybe shift to Tilapia.

    As far as the pump, those are good recommendations and I will know better when I drill and take physical measurements. It seems to me that if you maintain a neutral ph (perhaps slightly base but definitely not acidic), if you minimize water temp, and buy a reliable pump, then corrosion of the internal metals should be minimum. Can't be worse than the stuff I see corroding in all of my favorite fishing spots. At worst I would mostly expect to see iron in the motor which would only add iron (nutrient) to the water. How would it be different than my cast iron well pump that I use for drinking water? But certainly all of you have more experience than me in this area.

  7. #7
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    Re: Split barn-crawlspace project (simple and cheap)

    Quote Originally Posted by davidstcldfl
    Hi, can you post a few pictures of the barn and area where your doing this ?
    This was designed as a pig barn and we have no plans to raise pigs. The threshold of the door is, as you would expect, at floor level. I can pull up those floor boards and have access to the area underneath which I believe will remain at ground temperature (blue tilapia maybe?). The picture was taken facing Northeast so I have a lot of South-facing sun exposure. And the concrete block outrigging will support a gravel bed nicely I think.
    Attached Images Attached Images

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