Aerating compost tea

Hi there.  Say, I've never made compost tea but am going to try my hand at it this spring.  I collect all the compost from our local food co-op and so have an abundance of material to work with.  Quickly, however, I wonder what sort of methods (namely what devices) folks have employed for aerating compost teas.  Today I picked up an inexpensive Quick-Fill Electric Air Pump (120 Volts AC; 1.85 AMP) at a local thrift store.  This is the sort of pump typically used for filling air mattresses and the like.  Although some of those air pumps don't have much of a "kick" this one surely does.. sounds and acts like a little leaf blower here inside our yurt!  Has anyone had any luck with these devices?  Are they likely to overheat?  How long would I need to run the pump/aerate my compost at a time?  Could I run it for 20-30 mins, turn the pump off for a bit, and then fire it up again for another half hour, and so on?  Most recipes I've read call for 12-24 hours of aeration.  If 12 hours straight was too hard on the pump I thought about putting it on an intermediate timer.. has anyone tried this?

All told, I scored the air pump for two bucks and am just wondering if it's too good to be true.. thanks for your time!

My only reservation with one of these pumps is that they are probably designed for low duty cycles and may not last long in continuous use. For two bucks you can consider it an experiment, I guess.

I'm looking at a pond bubbler with a solar panel, since the compost operation is a fair distance from any mains power here.

you could certainly try intermitent 30 minute aeration, I would think to do no more than a 2 hour break at first though. This is the company whose pumps I've used the most and they are absolute work horses that can take all the abuse I have been able to dish out ecoplus air pump. For a 5 gallon batch the sun $20 version will work fine, the $33 one that is first on the google shopping link would last the rest of your life and could be passed on to your grandkids.
When you experiment with your air mattress pump just trust your nose, as long as your tea stays smelling fresh and sweet then things are going well. If you start to get a sewage smell then it sat too long (although aeration might get rid of that smell).

and typing this I am reminded that the very first attempt I ever made at compost tea we were living with absolutely zero electricity, it was spring and very chilly at night/in the morning, we heated up some big pots of water over the fire to add to our trash can full of cold spring water and would just take turns stirring it whenever there was some down time. It didn't get gross, though I don't know how effective it was. So you can't do any worse than that!

I am interested in the air pump referred to in the previous post, but can't seem to find it:  "For a 5 gallon batch the sun $20 version will work fine,"  Would you mind helping?  
I am looking for a solar powered low cost air pump to aerate a 5 gallon bucket of compost tea for home use.  Would this fit the bill?  Anyone else have any recommendations?  Would this work?  Or would it get clogged? https://www.ebay.com/itm/VIVOHOME-Solar-Power-Fountain-Bird-Bath-Water-Pump-Spray-Kit-Outdoor-Pond-Patio/352977558070?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=622206169052&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Alison Godlewski wrote:I am interested in the air pump referred to in the previous post, but can't seem to find it:  "For a 5 gallon batch the sun $20 version will work fine,"  Would you mind helping?  
I am looking for a solar powered low cost air pump to aerate a 5 gallon bucket of compost tea for home use.  Would this fit the bill?  Anyone else have any recommendations?  Would this work?  Or would it get clogged? https://www.ebay.com/itm/VIVOHOME-Solar-Power-Fountain-Bird-Bath-Water-Pump-Spray-Kit-Outdoor-Pond-Patio/352977558070?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=622206169052&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Hi I posted that and the "sun" in that post was some.kind of typo. https://www.chewy.com/ecoplus-fixed-flow-submersible-inline/dp/163960?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=EcoPlus&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhZr1BRCLARIsALjRVQPqzfiXuegQxiqYOaJExSaDp4Ts4u9Ob1pax93dxZcRIpKgIdsFX0gaAkpZEALw_wcB is the pump I was talking about, its not solar but could.be run off a very small solar set up. The one you linked to looks like it would work as well

thank you!!

Phil Stevens wrote:

I'm looking at a pond bubbler with a solar panel, since the compost operation is a fair distance from any mains power here.

did you end up getting one of these?
I wonder if they would work in a 20 gallon tub?

No, not yet...but it's still on the "list" along with a whole lot of round tuits....

I don't aerate for long, and I use a fish tank air pump with air stones.
The logic i have heard is that all you want to do is get the microbes happy in the water then use it immediately, and 30 mins of air is more than enough for a 5 gallon bucket, then use it immediately.

More air the better, I use a 110 liter per minute pump to airlift in my homemade 80 gallon vortex brewer. No airstone -they just break down, get clogged, reduce air flow etc. super simple setup. Cone bottom tank and the vortex action keeps the entire mix moving so there are no dead zones -no anerobic zones. I run the brewer continuously 24/7 from May to October, mixing and dispensing 2-3x a week. I make a vegetative tea from may through June, Transitioning tea in July and Bloom tea from Aug-October. I make most of the inputs but also use whatever organic inputs people gift me. Great thing about actively aerated compost is that it makes any fertilizer work better and you only need 25% of the recommended amount to get the same effect.
If y’all are interested I can post pictures and answer any questions. Actively Aerated Compost Tea (AACT) is a passion of mine for the last 15 years and I used to build 5-500 gallon units for people as a cottage business. I started learning from Elaine Ingham in 2010 and have since developed my own style and inputs and I never rely on microscope analysis of the tea, I rely on the feedback I get from the plants, which is truly incredible results -no disease, no pests, incredibly healthy plants that are glowing with exceptional yields and incredible taste!

Hi Tyler, would love to see some pictures!  Thank you.  

I gotta say Tyler Omand's reply was good!

Ceramic air bubblers ain't gonna cut it.  Additionally, bubbling for 30 min is not going to get the intended affect.
The whole point of super-aerating compost is to create aerobic conditions so that the mico-biology multiplies 4x maybe 10x.

I've added a chart of temps and length of aeration.
And here's a link (at bottom) to the most economical system kit I have found.  They used to have a 35gal setup kit with everything needed. Looks like they still have the parts for one but they cut out the barrel.  My 35 gal set was $300 delivered to the door.  You'd be amazed how much tea you actually go through in the garden.  
As Tyler mentioned... yeah I'm running mine 24/7.  It's a pump used for hydroponics systemes.  I have a 70L/min air pump for the 35gal barrel.

Recipes.  Each have their own, but this it what I use.
1 lbs worm castings/10 gal water (non chlorinated).  The castings I have have basalt rock dust and kelp added, OMRI organic
1/4 C molasses/10 gal water
40 mL liquid calcium acetate/10 gal water (made from ground egg shells and vinegar (1C ground eggshells to 8C 5% vinegar, let sit for 2-3 weeks))
1 t mycelium powder (I found a mix of 17 endo and ecto mycellium )
1.5 t legume inoculate (bac-T)

[edit]:  Once brewed for appropriate time, I dilute 1:4 (tea:water) before adding it to garden.

Have fun, but don't be intimidated.  It's rather simple, just need the right equipment.  As mentioned above, smell it, it should be sweet smelling.  If it smells sulfurous, it's gone anaerobic and should be discarded as you're now growing all the bad stuff

https://www.composttealab.com/
[edit]: there's lot's of pics of their 'snake bubblers' at their site.  It's essentially a food grade tube that's been formed with lots of holes to sit at the bottom of barrel.  They also have plans for sale for 250gal operations.

Patrick. Pinecrest Permaculture (also on FB...  Pinecrest Permaculture).