Compost Tea Apparatus and Method

An apparatus for producing compost tea comprising:

• a water source comprising a tank provided with water,
• a moveable cart having a top surface, an A-Frame adapted to hingedly support an elongated container having an outlet mounts the top surface, a pump having an intake and a discharge also mounts the surface,
• the container having a bottom cap closing one end and a top cap closing the other end, the container having a cylindrical inner surface defining a vortex chamber provided with compost, a plurality of spray nozzles directing spray in a circumferential direction about the vortex chamber axis mount the inner surface,
• a filter mounted in the container to filter the water flowing from the spray nozzles to the container outlet, wherein the filter is cylindrical and has a closed top end and an open bottom end in communication with the vortex chamber, a filter outer surface spaced inwardly from the container inner surface defining a circumferential gap there-between that is in communication with the container outlet, so that water flowing from the vortex chamber is directed into the open end of the filter and flows through the filter into the circumferential gap which then directs the water toward the container outlet;
• a feed water line providing communication between the tank and the pump intake;
• a supply water line providing communication between the pump discharge and a manifold having a plurality of ports, a plurality of nozzle supply lines providing communication between the plurality of ports and the plurality of spray nozzles, a recirculation line providing communication between the container outlet and the tank, so that the pump draws water from the tank through the feed water line, pumps the water through the supply water line to the manifold which provides communication to each of the plurality of nozzle supply lines, the nozzle supply lines further providing the water to the spray nozzles which spray the water into the vortex chamber soaking and agitating the compost creating compost tea, the compost tea water flows from the vortex chamber through the filter and toward the outlet, and the recirculation line communicates the water from the outlet back to the tank.

An apparatus for producing compost tea comprising:

• water source comprising a tank provided with water;
• a moveable cart having a top surface, an A-Frame adapted to hingedly support an elongated container having an outlet mounts the top surface, a pump having an intake and a discharge also mounts the surface;
• the container having a bottom cap closing one end and an open end having a flange affixed thereto, a blind flange releasably coupling to the flange, the container having a cylindrical inner surface defining a vortex chamber provided with compost, a plurality of spray nozzles directing spray in a circumferential direction about the vortex chamber axis mount the inner surface;
• a filter mounted in the container to filter the water flowing from the spray nozzles to the container outlet, wherein the filter is cylindrical and has a closed top end and open end defining a filter outlet in communication with the container outlet, a filter outer surface spaced inwardly from the container inner surface, so that water flowing from the vortex chamber flows through the filter toward the container outlet;
• a feed water line providing communication between the tank and the pump intake;
• a supply water line providing communication between the pump discharge and a manifold having a plurality of ports, a plurality of nozzle supply lines providing communication between the plurality of ports and the plurality of spray nozzles, a recirculation line providing communication between the container outlet and the tank, so that the pump draws water from the tank through the feed water line, pumps the water through the supply water line to the manifold which provides communication to each of the plurality of nozzle supply lines, the nozzle supply lines further providing the water to the spray nozzles which spray the water into the vortex chamber soaking and agitating the compost creating compost tea water, the compost tea water flows from the vortex chamber through the filter and toward the outlet, and the recirculation line communicates the compost tea water from the outlet back to the tank.

An apparatus for producing compost tea comprising:

• a water source comprising a tank provided with water;
• a moveable cart having a top surface, an A-Frame adapted to hingedly support an elongated container having an inlet and a plurality of outlets mounts the top surface, a pump having an intake and a discharge also mounts the surface;
• the container having a bottom cap closing one end and a open end having a flange affixed thereto, a blind flange releasably coupling to the flange, the container having a cylindrical inner surface, an elongated manifold having a manifold cap closing one end and an open end defining an inlet opening in communication with the container inlet mounts inside the container, a plurality of spray nozzles mount on the manifold directing spray in a circumferential direction;
• a filter mounted in the container to filter the water flowing from the spray nozzles to the plurality of outlets, wherein the filter is cylindrical and has a closed end and an open end and an inner surface defining a vortex chamber provided with compost, a filter outer surface spaced inwardly from the container inner surface defining a circumferential gap there-between that is in communication with the plurality of outlets, a loop line provides communication between the plurality of outlets and a recirculation line, so that the water flowing in vortex chamber flows through the filter into the circumferential gap which then directs the water toward the plurality of outlets;
• a feed water line providing communication between the tank and the pump intake;
• a supply water line providing communication between the pump discharge and the manifold which communicates water to the plurality of spray nozzles mounted thereon, the recirculation line providing communication between the loop line and the tank, so that the pump draws water from the tank through the feed water line, pumps the water through the supply water line to the manifold which communicates the water to each of the plurality of spray nozzles which spray the water into the vortex chamber soaking and agitating the compost creating compost tea water, the compost tea water flows from the vortex chamber through the filter and toward the plurality of outlets, and the loop line communicates the compost tea water from the plurality of outlets to the recirculation line which in turn communicates the compost tea water back to the tank.

A method of producing compost tea comprising the steps of:

• providing a tank provided with water,
• providing a container having a vortex chamber, a plurality of spray nozzles mounted in the container and directing spray inside the vortex chamber, and an outlet,
• providing compost in the vortex chamber,
• providing a filter between the vortex chamber and the outlet,
• providing pump means having an intake and a discharge,
• providing a first communication means between the tank and the intake, a second communication means between the discharge and the plurality of spray nozzles, and a third communication means between the outlet and the tank,
• providing power means to the pump means to pump water from the tank to intake, from the intake to the container by the second communication means, into the container by the plurality of spray nozzles, so that water entering the vortex chamber through the plurality of spray nozzles soaks and agitates the compost filling the vortex chamber and entraining nutrients and micro-organisms from the compost into the water forming compost tea water, thence the compost tea water flows under pressure provided by the pump through the filter to the outlet and through the third communication line back to the tank,
• removing power means from the pump when the desired compost tea composition is obtained,
• disconnecting the first communication line and third communication line from the tank, and
• removing remaining compost from the vortex chamber.