Flooding in Mullumbimby, is SAB OK?

[Benzito]

I saw last night in the news that there has been some flooding at mullumbimby, with all the rain there's been in the past few days.

I remembered all the little plants I had seen on the mountain side at Wandjina Gardens, and suddenly I was gripped with panic.

OH MY GOD! I HOPE WANDJINA GARDENS IS OK! I HOPE THE ETHNOBOTANICALS ARE OK!

So, are they?

Any damage sustained? Any work on the Ethnobotanical gardens pushed back?

I hope nothing too disastrous has occurred for you guys.

What about Darcy? Did it flood at Billinudgel?

[Torsten]

we get flooded in a few times every year. It's part of the wet season cycle and the plants are fine with it. we have our flood kit so we don't starve and usualy just have a few relaxing days at home then

The only reason it made the enws is that it is totally out of season. But then again, last year we had 3 floods out of season and none in the season itself. Rain is good. I don't really mind WHEN it falls.

[Benzito]

Excellent news T!

I mean, the mountains behind Wandjina Gardens are basically jungle, I figured the plants should all be used to some heavy rainfall.

So, that little driveway of yours must turn into a moat when it floods? hehe, I can just picture that. :D

[AndyAmine.]

Yeah, it sure has been pissing down and I imagine its been worse down Mullum way.

My balconey got flooded out lastnight, water came into my bedroom and all.. not cool.

The wind is the biggest problem wiht all these crazy storms, they keep ripping off my foliage and drying out the leaves on my cappi.

Torsten, do you guys cover all your cacti when a storm front comes in or where they only out in the open for dislpaly during the EB04 event?

[Benzito]

When I visited SAB at the start of the year, all the cacti were out in full sun, uncovered.

Well, at least, I saw cacti out and exposed.

There may be more kept somewhere else, but a large amount of them were unprotected.

So, Torsten, do you cover them when a storm comes?

If not, what would be cause enough for you to cover them?

Biblical flood?

[Torsten]

water sensitive cacti are under cover, but that is less than 1% of the collection. The rest are fully exposed. We sometimes try and protect them for the spring storms which often have hail. It's the hail that is the problem.

we are flooded in for a day or two whenever it floods. This is a big one. The good thing is that it drains within 12 hours after it stops raining. We've got some amazing water cascades happening today. Sadly lots of erosion too.

[Happy Cadaver]

Benzito:

I hope nothing too disastrous has occurred for you guys.

What about Darcy? Did it flood at Billinudgel?

No idea Benzito, we're on permanent holiday from Billinudgel, got sick of the flooding...and just in time by th esounds of it.

[Benzito]

Permanent holiday?

Isn't Herbalistics located in Billinudgel?

How does that work? A really good drip irrigation system?

That also packs, and ships, orders?

[planthelper]

my place recieved only moderate amounts of rain,

but it made it possible to pull out weed's, sow lawn instead, and to finish the vegie patch!

allthough some places get frost's in town, i haven't had any yet, so i decided to carry the kava plant outside again, as inside she suffers badly from amphids over winter.

i think she will be ok outdoors because my daytime teperatures get quite high.

next year i will plant kava out in my garden, and 7 years after that i will harvest, lol.

sorry for my sidetracking but i thought i will tell you a bit about what's happening in my garden.

as my area is low rainfall, all cacti should be happy as larry here, but i haven't had time to plant them out yet.

i plan to have an automated irrigation system, but right now the footvalve or whatever is still leaking of my pump and this make using timers impossible.

i chopped down many trees to let in more light, the small ones even myselfe, oh what a feeling (felling?!) to play big tough boy with the chainsaw, metal wedge and sledge hammer.

after tough chain saw guy, all the tree matter has to be transported to the transfere station.

bla, bla i tell you because i would not know who else to tell...

what i mean is, it's hard to work without ever getting aproval! hmm, well sometimes i padd my own shoulder.

oh there is so much work to be done, thank god that my place is only small compared to wanjina gardens.

[ 01. July 2005, 07:23: Message edited by: planthelper ]

[Benzito]

PH: A new foot valve for your pump should only set you back $20-30, or so, and it will stop the pump from cycling when not in use.

The other option is to just prime your pump every time you use it, before it is switched on.

But, I'd just go buy the damn one-way valve if I were you.

Let me know if you need any help with your pump, I sell them for a living.

[Darklight]

Benzito:

Let me know if you need any help with your pump, I sell them for a living.

That's handy to know Maybe we need a trades directory somewhere, even if people aren't interested in selling they might be prepared to offer advice and help. I couldn't have got thru my aircon crisis w/o mescalito for example, the company who sold my unit was expensively useless for backup

[Benzito]

Yeah, I operate within mainly the rural and domestic markets.

Alot of irrigation and cow watering type stuff, along with household pressure, bore pumps, sewerage treatment, etc.

So, if any of you growers ever need help selecting a pump for your irrigation or something: give me a bell.

I won't try and sell you the products my employers actually import, just give you advice that applies to all pumps, in general.

[planthelper]

as dl says handy to know!

now i ask you kindly for your expert advice...

first i had the brass footvalve that came with the onga pump and it leaked badly.

so i travell to rocky they fix it, come home it still leaks. next time the replaced the brass thingy with the plastic ball thingy, and it still leaks. maybe it leaks aswell from the points where the hose fittings are in place, allthough i even did put that plumber sealent there, but i suppose it's wrong for poly pipes as it didn't set.

i pulled the footvalve out of the bore about 15 times and it's still leaking, which means as you say priming everytime i use it. i would like to put a timer on the thing, but as it is now i can't for obvious reasons.

this on going pump problem causes me lots of grieve, for the time beeing i gave simply up...

but please professionall pumpman benzito, tell me what to do and i will do it.

as said i don't know if it's the footvalve or the the hoseclamps which are leaking.

is there a way of testing the thing for any leakage?

my next ideas where to buy better hose clamps, the one with two srcews instead of one.

plz help!

[reshroomED]

Hey ph.

First eliminate any leaks in the pipework. Hose clamps etc aren't really suitable. Better with compression-type fittings to suit your pipes.

If your footer-valve is passing, I'm pretty sure there's a new 2" bronze non-return valve floating around in the shed. It's designed for air-service so should be no problems on hydro. Probably need a few reducing bushes etc to fit it though. But it's yours for the postage if you need it.

pm me

ed

[reshroomED]

Darklight:

Maybe we need a trades directory somewhere, even if people aren't interested in selling they might be prepared to offer advice and help. I couldn't have got thru my aircon crisis w/o mescalito for example, the company who sold my unit was expensively useless for backup

That's a good idea dl.

There is a disgusting mark-up on electrical/electronic parts and a worse attitude from most domestic OEM sevice depts. Even when you're in the know, they rip you. I once ordered an $800-odd part for a lab viscometer from the manufacturer's only agent in Oz (tried to cut out the middle-man first, but the Co was Dutch and we couldn't communicate well). By mistake, I queried my order with the Melborne branch instead of Sydney and was quoted $200 less. I assume that they still made a profit, just not as good. But when you need a part you need it. The bastards have got you.

I design, build, and maintain measurement and control systems for a living (or used to when I was working). This involved repair of anything that measures (from pressure gauges in pipe-lines to AA spectrometers in labs) and their associated outputs and devices for over 20yrs.

As such, I'm willing to offer advice with any electrical/automation/measurement problems.

Also have access to hard-to-get (read impossible/too expensive) exotic spare parts ie for high-tech lab equipment. For that matter, I still have many trade contacts for purchase of new gear. Could probably tee up a good discount (from wholesale price) on a reasonable purchase of electronic equipment.

PLC's are cheap as chips these days, suitable to many domestic automation applications. Around the $500 mark for 12in/8out. More than enough to monitor/control all variables in a green-house-type situation. I'll happily write a program for anyone interested in such to their specs.

These offers only apply to regular forum members, of course.

ed

[Benzito]

Planthelper, listen to Ed.

He is right. If you want a pump to self prime it has to have a perfectly sealed suction line.

At sea level, a jet pump (I'm assuming your Onga is a jet) can lift water, on the suction side, a maximum of approximately 10M. That is assuming the pipework is air-tight and there are no leaks, and no bizarre atmospheric pressure anomalies.

So, your pump can 'suck' (it doesn't technically suck it, but that term will do) water up about 10M, but on the outlet side it can probably 'push' the water up to 30-50m or so. Depending on the pump, of course.

So, that gives you an idea of how much harder work it is for the pump to 'suck' water up. For that reason, you cannot have a single leak in the line.

You should have pipework with threaded fittings at the ends, or compression fittings. Something that will seal.

Just use some teflon thread-tape to get a good seal on the threads.

Perhaps you should send me a PM planthelper, I'm sure this is hi-jacking the topic slightly.

Just send me a PM, and we can talk business. Maybe you could even call me at work, but we can discuss that privately.

(Sorry to hi-jack guys)

[Happy Cadaver]

Benzito:

Permanent holiday?

Isn't Herbalistics located in Billinudgel?

How does that work? A really good drip irrigation system?

That also packs, and ships, orders?

Sounds great but no, we've just relocated to South East QLD. Got out just in time too

[planthelper]

thx 4 you advice, ed and benzito.

hey, darcy wellcome to qld!

[AndyAmine.]

Wellcome to the area Darcy!

Where about's are you, Im on the Gold Coast, maybe we could meet up sometime?

[ergoamide]

Yeh Darcy i'm just outside toowoomba it would b great 2 meet ya.

[Happy Cadaver]

Thanks guys, heard about the monkey on the way back today, left me beside the road with a sav in my hand again.

Edited March 13, 2007 by darcy

[AndyAmine.]

Sounds good to me D', Ive been wanting to meet Ergo since I met him as well.

I just missed the Brizzy meet today which Im not very happy about but such is life I guess.. I also got a 20km speeding fine as well so I guess the gods were telling me something.. LOL

Are there any other West of Brizbanites or Gold coasters out there?

[ergoamide]

Bumme di couldnt make it on sat eitha. poo poo. Hey darcy wouldnt happen 2 live in Ladely would u thats the only place close 2 gatton that comes 2 mind atm

[ 12. July 2005, 09:10: Message edited by: ergoamide ]