I do not like how this particular aquaponics system turned out, but it was one of my first and I learned many things from it. One of those things was how to build an autosiphon.
As water fills up about 2 or 3 inches past the top of the pipe bends, air pressure from above forces water into the pipes which starts the siphon. It flows pretty quickly until suction breaks on the bottom, then it back washes a small bit and refills.
The entire cycle on this system is about 25 minutes. I can adjust how much water, and how often it flows by raising the height of the bends and by adjusting how much water flows in.
This small system floods 4 grow beds below, and I actually need to lower it a bit as the grow beds don’t drain as fast as I’d like. I’m focusing on other systems now though, and will rebuild this one when time permits.
Anyway, this isn’t a pro design, but I wanted to offer this in case it helps someone else. It is 100% reliable and requires zero maintenance.
The top is covered to prevent algae, which could clog up the system and rob nutrients.
