diy dripper/mister

[dohc97]

Im new around here and still learning so i have a few questions before i start buying everything in kits or premade. This particular thread concerns drippers/misters. Considering the expense of an automated mister im thinking of going diy with this, i dont have the time to mist my chameleon by hand in the mornings so that is the reason for me wanting an auto system. Has anyone around here used a toms aqualifter pump to serve as the power? pumps 3.5 gph but i have no idea how much pressure is needed for a mist nozzle. Or should i just do some type of drip system using this same pump? thanks for the patience with this newbie and whatever help i might get.

Jose

 

[RealIzeRecognIze]

I need help with making a dripped as well if anyone could help
My automated one just seems like a waste of money and I'm scared it will scare my cham so I don't even use it.

 

[dohc97]

i was also thinking of just using the aqualifter pump with the nozzle from a spray bottle. anyone try that?

 

[Wykd]

In my blog I have info on a pump driven dripper.

As far as diy misters.... the pump is the cost factor even when you are doing a DIY. A pump with enuff power to push under the pressure to mist is what will cost you. You can spend over 100.00 trying to make a diy mister, or just buy a prefabbed kit for 100.00 /shrug

Actually the lowest I have seen a comparable pump is about 90.00 by itself a 50pd booster pump The pressure to push a mister nozzle is around 60+ psi I believe and thats if you are going diy and get the nozzles etc.. from lowes/home depot. The misters we buy use 75psi.

 

[Wykd]

of course the sudden BAM of a mister will startle the chameleon, it will even startle them if you use a misting bottle.

Thats another reason you let the mister run for 5 minutes or so... they get adjusted and the water movement action stimulates their need to move and get water.

 

[dohc97]

so pretty much it seems like ill do better just buying a kit. thinking about going with a raindome over a misting system.

Jose

 

[Ryan8283]

I have a rain dome and my chameleons love it they seem to drink more now then when it was just mist

 

[dohc97]

i have read that it might be better to just let him decide if he wants to get wet, which the raindome allows him to do versus the misting system that just sprays down the entire cage.

 

[Wykd]

depends on size of enclosure my misting system will cover about 50-60% of inside space of my 2x2x4, and completely covered my 18x18x36. Placement is everything.

 

[mrfixit01]

I built my own system. It wasn't that hard and was cheaper than a package system. If I was going to do it again I would buy a MistKing or a raindome already in a kit. Mine doesn't spray all over the place like MistKing does. I have very fine mist nozzles that stay within a foot pattern at 3 feet. Can't say I'd recommend anyone else going through what I did to find and build this one, though. Spend $100 and buy a kit - save yourself some time and headaches.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/does-anyone-have-video-share-mist-systems-86429/

 

[dohc97]

im pretty certain i can diy a dripper using an aqualifter pump, i think that is what i might be heading to. coming from the reef hobby i have tons of spare stuff laying around such as tubing, pvc tubing, fittings, pumps and we have a strong diy community as support. Dont get me wrong chameleon setups are cheap compared to what a full blown reef ends up at but i cant really support 2 expensive hobbies so im trying to do the chameleon on a budget.

 

[northcham]

I am also wondering if some of my old 300-400gph reef pumps woulld work for a misting pump? Or I was thinking of a PVC loop on top the cage with holes drilled in it to rain down like is made for fish/frogs, but I guess that would not add the same amount of humidity as a mister for the amount of water used?

 

[dohc97]

I was thinking of something similar, pvc cap with tiny holes drilled on it to act like a mini shower head? using the aqualifter pump. but i think im just daydreaming at this point, ill probably just go ahead with a kit.

Jose

 

[mrfixit01]

I was thinking of something similar, pvc cap with tiny holes drilled on it to act like a mini shower head? using the aqualifter pump. but i think im just daydreaming at this point, ill probably just go ahead with a kit.

Jose

I agree with you. I think you'll appreciate the simplicity and peace of mind from something like even the $99 MistKing (which is my fav).

 

[Wykd]

the "Rain Bar" would work without the use of a booster pump. The booster pump is needed force the water thru the microscopic hole in the misting heads. But if you just going to drill really small holes in some pvc or tubing then it would not be a mister but a drip system and would be fine. I am automating my drip system with a small submersible pump, air line and air valves across all my enclosures. Since my water for the mister is automated may as well automate the drippers so i dont have to fill them either.

 

[Slug]

I just made my own DIY drip system. I will post pics later and possibly make a video to post on my page on Youtube. It is pretty simple. All I used was a submersible pump, some 1/4 inch tubing, some connectors and some drip heads from Lowes. The video will be pretty detailed since I couldn't find very many videos that actually included how to put them together, they just showed them in action.

I'll keep you posted. So far my Senegal loves it!

 

[ealizard]

I was thinking of the same thing using a sub, pump and tubing but the pvc would add more spots to drip ,cool thanks
also was thinking of using a pump sprayer hooked to tubing to make a dripper?

 

[mrfixit01]

I just made my own DIY drip system. I will post pics later and possibly make a video to post on my page on Youtube. It is pretty simple. All I used was a submersible pump, some 1/4 inch tubing, some connectors and some drip heads from Lowes. The video will be pretty detailed since I couldn't find very many videos that actually included how to put them together, they just showed them in action.

I'll keep you posted. So far my Senegal loves it!

Slug, I have a thread under Enclosures and Supplies
https://www.chameleonforums.com/does-anyone-have-video-share-mist-systems-86429/
So would you post your youtube thread on there when you have it uploaded?
Thanks.

 

[dohc97]

I just made my own DIY drip system. I will post pics later and possibly make a video to post on my page on Youtube. It is pretty simple. All I used was a submersible pump, some 1/4 inch tubing, some connectors and some drip heads from Lowes. The video will be pretty detailed since I couldn't find very many videos that actually included how to put them together, they just showed them in action.

I'll keep you posted. So far my Senegal loves it!

sounds very interesting to me, please do post more info on this, thanks

 

[NorCalAnthony]

I built a mister and dripper system for around $80 and it works great. I used a couple of Aquazamp submersible pumps from a hydroponics shop, a portable misting system like you would use on your patio, some 1/4" drip line, and some 1/4" elbows, T's, and drip nozzles. I have both pumps set on a digital timer to come on for two minutes every couple of hours and it keeps my humidity around 65% and then around 90%+ when the system kicks on. The only downside is that the pumps are a little loud when they first kick on but are pretty much unnoticable after that. I'm pretty happy with the setup and I have both a mist and drip system for less than what the basic Mistking and Aquazamp kits go for. Here's a link to my build thread https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-first-cage-build-84441/ Good luck and let me know if I can answer any questions.