User Manual

]Introduction

To whom it may concern,

My name is Joseph Morphew. I spent the past 6 months working on an aquaponics system. My two partners and I worked very hard on this project. We poured blood, sweat, and tears into this system. It is too good to be allowed to die with our walking across Goodrich in two weeks. We spent all together close to 500 hours on this, and now we entrust it to you. Our system was specifically intended to provide a solution to a societal problem, but we’ll settle for helping out the school.

It is our understanding that our system will be used by the culinary arts teachers as a learning tool. This guide will explore all necessary information regarding using and maintaining the structure. It will contain documentation of the necessary information for the plants we plan on growing, but for certain additional plants more research will be required. The structure of our system prohibits the growth of root plants and most vines. As for fish, the tank is designed for a limited number of large fish because they will be more efficient in producing waste as larger organisms are typically less efficient than smaller ones. Less efficiency is what we’re after here, as we’re designing a system that harvests waste. While there is potential for the use of bottom feeders, we did not design the system to include them. In order to facilitate modularity, certain aspects of the system can be removed and replaced without compromising the rest of the system. This is intended to allow for different types of plants to be grown in the system. The levels can be raised or lowered to fit different plant sizes.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for maintaining our system in our absence. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Todd Hunter at any hour of the day or night.

Support Structure

Raising and lowering the levels:

When we designed the support structure, we were largely focused on making it modular so as to accommodate as many different combinations of plants as possible. In order to shift the height, first turn off the entire system by shutting off the power strip.
Then wait about two minutes for the water to drain from the system.
Once this has finished, remove the PVC connections between the levels by pulling and twisting one side at a time.
At this point, a rubber mallet can be used to loosen the levels of the shelving unit. To do this, tap on the bottom of the corner. The level will come loose.
With another person stabilizing it, remove the spacers attached to the vertical supports.
Raise or lower the level to the desired level, replace the spacers, and tap the top of each corner with a rubber mallet to make sure it is stable.
Then cut PVC pipe to fit the connections between the levels, as the lengths have changed.
Once they are replaced, the adjustment is finished and the system can be rebooted.

Fixing the pipe:

If one piece of PVC pipe containing plants ever breaks, there isn’t much that can be done short of replacing it all.

To do this, first power off the system by turning off and unplugging the power strip.

Ensure that the live plug is far away from any water that may have spilled on the ground from the broken pipe.

To replace the pipe, first cut 2 inch PVC to fit the pipe that needed replacing. Then cut three to four equally spaced rectangular holes in the pipe. They each need to be one inch deep and two inches long.
Clean the pipe of any dust.
At this point you can attach the 90 degree connectors. To do this, first mark out where the pipe is level. Then apply primer to the first 1-2 inches of the pipe and the inside of the joint. Once it dries, apply adhesive to both sides and push them together, ensuring that the joint remains at a 90 degree angle with the holes. Hold it for 30 second to a minute and it should, at this point, be cured.
Repeat this process for all of the 90 degree joints, but do not connect the pieces yet.
Take put the pipes onto the system and cut the pieces needed for the connections between the pipes.
Put it on the system at this point to make the angles easier.
You can then use the same process to seal the connecting pieces at the appropriate angles.
Finally, use two additional 90 degree bends to connect it to the other levels. At this point the baskets can be replaced and the system can be reactivated. Watch for a few minutes to ensure that the seals are water tight.

Fixing the baskets:

If a basket is broken, 3D print a new basket. The design schematics will be attached.

Preview attachment Basket 1.stl

Raising and lowering pipes:

The pipes are set at fixed angles by the cement we used to bond them together. They are held there by the PVC supports we made ourselves. If you’re planning on increasing or decreasing the height differential between the entry and exit point by too much, you’re going to need to cut new pipes.

Follow the instructions under “fixing the pipe” up to the point where you’re attaching it all to the each other on the shelf.
At this point you can make new supports. Cut pieces of 1 inch PVC to the desired length and drill holes in the top and bottom of each.
Then attach a piece of corrugated plastic to the bottom and use zip ties to attach it to the shelf.
Finally attach your new pipes to the the supports and use the “fixing the pipe” instructions to seal them in place.

Pumps

Fixing the connection to the pipes:

If the connection between the pumps and the pipes is compromised, first turn off the system by turning off and unplugging the power strip.
Then ensure that the pump is outside of the water and on some paper towels so it doesn’t get the surrounding area wet.
If the connection is broken, reseal it by using the instructions listed under “fixing the pipe”. If only the vinyl is broken, you may need to cut a new piece of vinyl, depending on if the vinyl itself is compromised or if it is purely an issue with the connection.
To attach it fully apply a tiny amount of dish soap to the outside of the jagged connection piece.
Then go to town pushing and twisting the vinyl onto the connector.
Put the pump back into the water.
At this point you can restart the system by plugging the power strip back in and turning it on.

Fixing the pump itself:

If the pump itself is broken, order a new one.

Electrical

Fixing the relays:

If my math is correct, the relays should require replacement about once per year.

In order to replace the relays, first turn off the system. If you try to replace the electrical relays without first turning off the electricity, maybe you have earned the jolt you’re about to get.
Make sure the system is off and unplugged before going forward unless you want to get shocked.
Turn off the system by turning off the power strip, then unplug the power strip.
Then use a screwdriver to remove the white cover to the electrical box.
Make sure you double check that the power is off.
Replace the relays, making absolutely sure that the wires are in the exact position they were prior
Then you can replace the white cover.
Finally you can turn the system back on by plugging in the system and turning on the power strip.

Fixing the wiring:

I advise asking Mr. Hunter for help with this. We spent about a week trying to get this to work, and replacing it will probably take just as long or longer. Consult him, but if you want to do it yourself, I can’t stop you but just note that you were warned.

First read the previous tutorial and follow the instructions up to the point where you replace the relays.
MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THE POWER IS OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After that you can replace the wires, making sure that they’re arranged exactly how they were before
Then replace the white covers.

Once again I advise you to consult Mr. Hunter on this and make him do it, but I can’t control what happens to the system after I graduate.

Plants

Putting in plants:

If you’re starting with seedlings, first remove them from their pot and rinse off the root systems.
Make sure that all of the dirt is off of the root systems and set them on a paper towel while you complete the next step.
To prepare the basket, remove all of the growth substrate except a small layer on the bottom.
Then slowly layer the plant onto the substrate, intertwining the roots with the clay pebbles.
Repeat this process for as many plants as you have to put in.

If you’re starting from seeds, first you need to sprout the seeds. To do this, place it in a well fertilized seed starter and water daily. When the plant is about two to three inches tall with a few leaves, it is ready to transfer to the system.

**Remember that the system cannot work with root vegetables, uncontrolled vines, or plants with woody stalks. The root systems need to remain relatively small and maintain stability, and those plants would struggle to maintain that.

Maintaining plants:

Different plants require different kinds of maintenance. Trimming fruit bearing plants will be crucial to ensuring that the plant doesn’t get too heavy. Just trim some of the non-fruit-bearing leaves on occasion, making sure it doesn’t interfere with the other plants. Some plants like strawberries require the leaves to be wet sometimes so certain plants will require a spritzing. Spritz them with a spray bottle full of water. If you want to use vines, you need a structure that they can attach to. Use large gauge wire to create a tomato cage and attach it to the basket. Trim the tomato vines on occasion to make sure they don’t get too big. Likewise, make sure they’re not interfering with the other plants. Use common sense. Make sure the plants are growing properly and that they’re being hit by the growth lights.

Harvesting plants:

How you harvest the plants will depend on which kinds of plants you have in the system. Many plants like lettuce and spinach will require the entire plant to be uprooted and replaced. Some others can get by with just picking a fruit. Strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and other such plants are great examples. Just pick the fruit and then go about your day. In the case of herbs, simply cut off the part you want and leave the rest. Be sure to wash whatever you want to use.

Making sure plants don’t die:

Each plant requires a different ambient temperature to grow successfully. Where different plants are placed will depend on the water temperature in the fish tank compared to the air temperature of the area. If the air temperature is greater than the water temperature, then you’ll need to place the plants that require the most heat on the bottom. If the air temperature is lower than the water temperature, you need to place the warmest plants on the top. If the two temperatures are similar, it should not matter where the plants are located, as long as the temperature remains within their ideal range. In addition, maintaining fertalization levels will be very important until fish are installed in the system. Research the nutrient intake for the plants you’re growing and work out the math for how often you need to fertalize the water. For about 15 cilantro plants, three tablespoons of liquid fertilizer is recomended.

Fixing the arduinos

Fixing the arduinos themselves:

If the arduinos are out of commission, you may need to replace them entirely. They’re computers, so they’re verys sensitive to water. Water is everywhere in our system so you may need to replace the arduinos. To do that you’ll need to get one from the robotics section of the makerspace.

Once you have your arduino, you’ll need to power off the entire system and unplug it.
First, set up the physical structure of the arduino in exactly the same format as you found it unless you intend on changing the functionality of the automation system.
Next, plug in the new arduinos to a computer capable of both accessing the internet and coding the arduinos.
After that you’ll need to upload the code. You can do this by opening the coding interface and plugging in the code from either Github or the flashdrive.
Then reattach all of the systems connected to the arduinos.
Finally, you can plug the entire system back in and power it back on.

Fixing the code:

If you’re planning on fixing the arduino code, you probably know more about coding languages than I do, so you’re on your own for that. There’s probably somebody in Engineering Robotics 2 that can help, but I only got as far as Engineering Robotics 1, so I didn’t do much with arduinos.

Fish

As I write this, the system contains no fish. The resources to install tilapia should be there. These will be instructions to install and maintain the fish. Unlike the rest of the instructions, we have done no testing. This means I cannot guarantee their effectiveness. Trial and error is your friend, but if you break my system I will hunt you down and send you a strongly worded email.

First, you’ll need to research what temperature the fish are best suited for. Set the heater to that temperature.
Make sure that the plants can handle that temperature using the entry under “plants”.
Then find the chemicals that the fish need to survive and put them in the water.
At this point, you need to install pump two and the settling tank so the fish and the plants can coexist.
Then do trial and error until it works.

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