bakki towers

[Bob Hart]

Mike,

Had a good day yesterday and got mine finally up and running. Unfortuatly it was very noisy, which I hope was down to my design of how the water enters the pond. Picture below of the bottom tier's outlet chute-bend. Didnt think it would matter to have the 12" curved round into a 6" exit, but it was very noisy entering the pond.

Have now dismantled and will be it altered so it is 12" exit.

[dick benbow]

Mike,
i haven't gotten my media yet, but should see it in a week or so. will add it to my existing pond with same koi I've kept for years. will be able to tell if anything changes.

[Grove]

Bob

Thanks for keeping us all up to speed on whats happening.

You dont say if you have insulated the actual tower, against the cold yet?.

Some Quick questions about the towers, how much space do you think that you need to be able to access the towers for maintenace. ie how big a gap have you/will you leave when you enclose the unit for maintenace?

Have been following the Bakki trail with interest, However on the Koi-Bito DVD it shows the main ponds being cleaned out, but doesnt say why, where the towers added after the pond construction so that the pond design is at fault or is it seaonal maintenance?

Mike S - when are you going to update your website, with more Bakki news, well impressed with your other Momataro news.

G

[Bob Hart]

Grove,

Tower will be insulated with Poly carb. Had the outlet been 'quieter' yesterday, I would have been purchasing some this weekend. Wanted to run it a week without it, just to see the increased running hours of my boiler.

Lots more info on my trials and tribulations on KoiChat, too much to post here.

[Bob Hart]

I'd appreciate some advice please.

During this thread I've made comment to 'not' being a scientist and I've also said that I would be covering my shower/tower with Polycarbonate to keep it warmer.

The advice I'd appreciate concerns how enclosed the shower can be. The shower will 'gas-off', but what exactly is it gassing off and if I enclose the shower fully, will this gas be able to escape? If it cant escape, will it get readsorbed, or condensate back into the water?

Have read about pond covers and leaving gaps to allow air flow, is it the same here?

My thoughts were to enclose the shower as much as possible to stop winds chilling the water and to stop (as best it can) the water going through it being coolled by cold ambient air. But also to leave some holes or similar at the top of the end/sides to allow the 'gas' to escape? or the shower to breath.

Am I getting concerned for nothing, or am I on the right track?

[JasonS]

If you can pump warmer air into it, that might be a plus. But the energy savings in having warmer air vs. the energy loss in cooling the water a bit is problably offset by the energy to pump the air.

Don't close it too tightly, like a pond cover. But it should take care of 80% of the loss you'd otherwise have while still letting fresh air in.

[MikeM]

Bob: I keep plant aquaria using wet/dry filters. If the sump area is kept covered, I maintain an adequate CO2 level, which the plants like. If open, CO2 gasses off.

[dick benbow]

Hi Bob,
Like your idea to enclose the showers. it will help curb some of the chilling, cut some of the noise and probably re-direct any errant splashes.
You do need to be concerned about the air/gas exchange. you do want to allow escapement to allow gas to leave . I would suggest you enter
some air from a blower ( the warm idea was good!) at the bottom of the
enclosure and drill some vent holes at the top. that way the water drops down and the warm air rises and excapes. in the process a thourough mixing of air is made in the chamber to keep Bh bacteria really in a total
aerobic environment.
i'm still waiting for my media to arrive. I think it left by 20 mule team instead of ups. I have been slowly raising the pond temp to rid the koi of winter and to begin the process of providing warmth and food for the new filter medium residents. ( gotta make em feel welcome!)
I enjoy learning something new, so it's fun to think and dream in the winter. this past weekend in Washington state was like spring. sunny, blue skies, 62 degrees F. ( i swore I could read the lips of my koi to the effect
"c'mon scrooge, break out the good food and let's celebrate the arrival of spring and the end of the winter fast)
Am toying with some other ideas this year but we'll see how things go.
I have big mostly drop dead georgeous koi. It makes me a nervous wreck
every spring when I move them outside. we have lots of kids in the neighborhood, stolen koi and bonsai etc. are an everyday occurance in the news. am thinking of maybe bringing the best of the babies I breed and raising them up. I miss the joys of watching youngsters grow and change. but i love the grace of a mature koi. If something ever happened to the large koi I could never replace them. this winter all the vacant lots got bought up and are getting new families many of which are from russia
Ah the joys of modern society! (lol)

[Bob Hart]

Dick,
It definity sounds like you're getting excited.

One difference between USA and UK, is that our goverment would 'give' the houses away, the Russians wouldnt have to buy them.

Anyway, here's a few shower pics.

Will perhaps need to think about the enclosure, currently have 'wrapped' it up like a Xmas present!

[dick benbow]

The Photos are really helpful! thanks so much for posting them. I liked what you did to control sunlight and noise. keep us informed as to results
as you see them. only concern was the ability of the unit to breathe, that is exchange gas and introduce air. maybe if you lifted the bottom piece up off the ground a few inches and left a space just under the top that would address the concern?