DIY water dripper

[djhexadron]

Hey all, i have been browsing around looing for some ideas on this, finally compiling all my info from web links and members from CF, I have found a way to make one for about 15.00usd,

Yeah some would say "you can just buy the one at your local pet store" and they are right, probably for about the same price in materials, but Im the type of person that says the heck with the system!

The way Ive been doing it so far was with a plastic cup, with a pin hole at the bottom and a lid with a pin hole as well, as many are aware there is no control over the drip, and this method gets old fast especially if you work an 8-5.

So here it goes,

Parts List;

A - Water Tank this on holds 6 cups and I bought it from the dollar store -- for one dollar

B - 1/4" 1foot piece of poly tube from Lowes in the plumbing section ( price per foot" )

C - 1/4" threaded side (female) / hose side quick connect fitting from Lowes - plumbing

D - 1/4" threaded side (male) / hose side quick connect fitting From Lowes - plumbing

E - 1/4" water valve hose quick connect on both sides from Lowes - plumbing

F - #92 O-ring 2 count from Lowes - plumbing

Tools List;

A - Your hands, or someone else's

B - Sharpie

C - Drill Bit ( im using a 1/8" bit )

D - Drill ( you can tinker with the tools needed )

Ok, before you start make sure you disinfect all parts, I fill my sink with warm water and soap, and let all the materials soak,

First thing, you will need to measure out the hole needing to be cut, you will need to pick the flattest / lowest surface on the water tank, and measure it out with the sharpie. IMPORTANT - you will need to make the hole only big enough there were you have to screw in Part "D", you don't want it to just slip in. as you can see in the photo, the outer circle was the closest I get to the outer threading, so I had to draw a circle within the circle.

Ok once you got it measured, you will need to cut out the hole, member measure twice cut once !, with the bit I made 3 small holes in the inner circle, then "milled" the rest out by dragging the water tank against the drill bit. once it is cut, you will need to clean the area and make sure to remove all plastic that is sticking up around the openings, ( inner and outer ) , also at this point give the water tank another scrub with soap and water to remove the sharpie.
** please excuse the sloppy hole I made, with the right bit it would have looked more presentable **

Next you will need to "sandwich" the water tank between both O-rings with Part "D" going into the water tank from the outside * Part "D" needs to be screwed in, if it just slips into the water tank, you may experience a leak,
Once you have part "D" screwed in from the outside, you will then need to install part "C" from the inside to complete the "sandwich" Make sure you have both parts "D" and "C" super tight!

OOOKAY so now all you have to do is measure and cut your 1/4" hose to your liking, and I believe if you boil water you can shape the hose any way you need it to be. Once you have it to your liking, connect the hoses between part "D" and part "E", fill the water tank and test for leaks !! hopefully your results are like mine and you have complete success !!!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL AND THANK YOU FOR LOOKING AT MY FIRST THREAD !!!

 

[kplatvoet]

I like your choice of materials - for the "drip part" I have 3 chameleons one has the "little dripper" and the others have had various home made ones with pinholes and other items I've gotten from Lowes - (I should have used some O rings) mine work but the valve you used is simpler - I think it would work with more than one dripper coming out of the same water source - something I have been trying to get to work. (my goal is to have one that works off a pump sprayer that I can put on the floor or off my misting system so I don't have to lift the water so high or fill so many containers) Work on that next please I'm an idea person- but figuring the supplies is a bit of a problem What I like about this most is how easy your directions are to follow- a big plus-

 

[djhexadron]

Thanks Kplatvoet !!

And ur idea of a self filled system would work ( a little more costly ) but I found that if you have reptimist system, you can use that as a water feeder, as long as your not using any misting nozzles , let me refrase that, you can use misting nozzles as long as you use them together IE: if you have 2 water containers that you are filling, then you would run a splitter, 2 lines, and at the end of each line you will either have to have them BOTH nozzled or open due to water pressure.

I actually tinkered around with it my self but that repimist system is all I got for humidity and I wasn't getting enough water flow to my dripper. I have a new set up with the mistking that I will be putting together on my chams new enclosure, I'll probably try teeing off of that to my dripper some how so all I gave to worry about is filling up the 5 gallon water bucket.

 

[melble68]

I love creating things like this. I've done one that I've used this winter for Luke's indoor enclosure that I used a container from Walmart and the extra valve that I got w/ my big dripper. I love the pieces you used "C,D, and F" to go all the way thru w/ nice big threads and the rubber O rings. Thanks for sharing. Dripper 2.0 just got some more ideas.

 

[djhexadron]

Not a problem Melble68!!
thank you for the positive feedback, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[torhne]

would almost be worth it to get a brita from a 2nd hand store or something, filter the water going in right?