Mist King ultimate setup questions

[GreenChameleons]

Does everyone use the valve that can be closed off from the resouir to the pump? The instructions say to cut a piece of tubing 2ft long from the res to the pump should 25ft of tubing be enough for 2 enclosures? Do you guys use the clips that secure the tubing to the enclosure? I read the instructions probably 5 times. The zip drip system came with this setup. I’m just trying to figure out how everyone does theirs so I don’t screw up and do something completely wrong. Bucket is already setup with the coupling. I measured out an inch and used the 9/16 drill bit for the hole but I noticed that the bucket is flush with the floor but it’s raised slightly from where it sits. I measured an inch from the bottom but that gap that is a barrier so it probably is exactly an inch because of the extra plastic they put around the edge. Should that matter all that much since it may not be exactly an inch from bottom due to the extra plastic that was designed to keep the bottom of the bucket exactly on the floor? The last piece of tubing coming out of the last nozzles fitting on top goes to the zip drip right. I just wanted make sure I interpreted the instructions correctly or not. I was trying to find how to setup the mist king ultimate system on YouTube but it’s all the starter systems lol.

 

[GreenChameleons]

Also does anyone heat their water in the reservoir with something for the winter?

 

[celeste_knitter]

I have an ultimate - my bulkhead is not exactly 1" from the bottom...a couple inches is more like it. You just don't want to put it at the top or middle. You also don't want to heat the water for a couple of reasons: potential for algae growth & by the time the water comes out of the misters, it will be cool anyways so what's the point! You have a basking light for heat, misting is for hydration and fluids.

Make sure to put the pump lower than the reservoir though! And only use distilled water or RO water, or you will have mineral deposits clogging the misters.

The timer is what stumped me - but I finally figured it out...there are some good threads here to help. When you are programming it, the left side is the clock time you want it to come on. The right side is the amount of time you want it to run.
For example - if you want it to come on at 8:00 am and run for 5 min the timer would look like this
08:00:00 00:05:00
Do NOT do what I was trying to do: 08:00:00 08:05:00 which will have it run for 8 hrs and 5 min!

I did use the cage clamps because the tubing is under a lot of pressure, and it will move as it runs, so you want to loosely attach it to the cage so things don't get knocked around...or in my case my cat doesn't become interested. I found zip tying the lines together and then attaching the zip tie to the cage clip produced the best aesthetics.

and yes the piece that comes from the nozzles, goes into the zip drip - those drawings are not the best in the instructions.

Hope this helps!

 

[GreenChameleons]

I have an ultimate - my bulkhead is not exactly 1" from the bottom...a couple inches is more like it. You just don't want to put it at the top or middle. You also don't want to heat the water for a couple of reasons: potential for algae growth & by the time the water comes out of the misters, it will be cool anyways so what's the point! You have a basking light for heat, misting is for hydration and fluids.

Make sure to put the pump lower than the reservoir though! And only use distilled water or RO water, or you will have mineral deposits clogging the misters.

The timer is what stumped me - but I finally figured it out...there are some good threads here to help. When you are programming it, the left side is the clock time you want it to come on. The right side is the amount of time you want it to run.
For example - if you want it to come on at 8:00 am and run for 5 min the timer would look like this
08:00:00 00:05:00
Do NOT do what I was trying to do: 08:00:00 08:05:00 which will have it run for 8 hrs and 5 min!

I did use the cage clamps because the tubing is under a lot of pressure, and it will move as it runs, so you want to loosely attach it to the cage so things don't get knocked around...or in my case my cat doesn't become interested. I found zip tying the lines together and then attaching the zip tie to the cage clip produced the best aesthetics.

and yes the piece that comes from the nozzles, goes into the zip drip - those drawings are not the best in the instructions.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the tips much appreciated! I’m guessing you have to cut tubing in between the enclosure nozzles as well right?

 

[celeste_knitter]

Thanks for the tips much appreciated! I’m guessing you have to cut tubing in between the enclosure nozzles as well right?

Yes, you do have to cut the tubing between the nozzles since they have built in t fixtures. It's not a bad setup & looks clean after. If you run out of tubing your local hardware store has 1/4" tubing but make sure to get the kind rated for high pressure. I couldn't find any black, but found clear at cheap prices.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I do have a heater in my resovior but mine is self refilling so the water cycles regularly preventing algae from getting a good foothold. I only use the heater during the winter to keep the resovior at room temperature, never above 80. Even though I have my water warmed a bit it is still ice cold coming out of the nozzle. Mist King nozzles produce such a fine mist that the water loses all its heat energy as soon as it hits the air. If you want warm rain for your Cham your going to have to use a combination of a heated resovior and garden soaker hose for the water to retain any heat.

 

[GreenChameleons]

I do have a heater in my resovior but mine is self refilling so the water cycles regularly preventing algae from getting a good foothold. I only use the heater during the winter to keep the resovior at room temperature, never above 80. Even though I have my water warmed a bit it is still ice cold coming out of the nozzle. Mist King nozzles produce such a fine mist that the water loses all its heat energy as soon as it hits the air. If you want warm rain for your Cham your going to have to use a combination of a heated resovior and garden soaker hose for the water to retain any heat.

Good to know thank you!

 

[ERKleRose]

I read somewhere, I think here, that garden soaker hoses can contain chemicals, so be careful when choosing

 

[Brodybreaux25]

What doesn’t contain chemicals nowadays? But it never hurts to play it safe.

 

[GreenChameleons]

I probably should have just gotten the seconds timer opposed to the repeat cycle timer.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I probably should have just gotten the seconds timer opposed to the repeat cycle timer.

What’s the difference?

 

[celeste_knitter]

What’s the difference?

From the Mistking site: MistKing repeat cycle timer is an ideal choice for aeroponic and other growers that use our misting systems. You can now control misting with separate repeating ON and OFF intervals for day and night. This repeat cycle timer goes beyond flexible. While many other RCT rely on a photo cell to switch from day to night mode, we use the timers internal clock to accurately specify when the switch should occur. This is much more precise. Example:
Mist 5 sec every 2 minutes during the day & mist 10 sec every 20 min at night."

Main features of MistKing Seconds Timer ST-24

• Backlit LCD Control Panel
• 10 programmable events (P0-P9).
• Ability to precisely schedule start time for each program.
• Ability to precisely set misting duration for each program.
• Option to schedule each program either on a specific day of the week or repeating daily.
• Manual override allows for misting without affecting timer setup.
• This timer has a rechargeable battery that keeps settings in case of a power failure.
• Low voltage, connects to existing MistKing power supply.
• Designed specifically for use with MistKing misting systems.
  
  Example:
  P0: Mist 25 sec at 8:00 am every day of the week
  P1: Mist 2 min at 4:00 pm every day of the week
  P2: Mist 4 min at 7:00 pm every Wednesday only
  
  With this timer you now have the freedom and total control. Mist for a few seconds in the morning then for a few minutes in the afternoon and set up a schedule as you please.
  

The seconds timer is what comes in the kits, though there is the option to "upgrade" to the cycle or humidity versions. The seconds timer is what I would recommend for chameleon or reptile keepers unless you are in a very arid location, then possibly the humidity one.

 

[GreenChameleons]

From the Mistking site: MistKing repeat cycle timer is an ideal choice for aeroponic and other growers that use our misting systems. You can now control misting with separate repeating ON and OFF intervals for day and night. This repeat cycle timer goes beyond flexible. While many other RCT rely on a photo cell to switch from day to night mode, we use the timers internal clock to accurately specify when the switch should occur. This is much more precise. Example:
Mist 5 sec every 2 minutes during the day & mist 10 sec every 20 min at night."

Main features of MistKing Seconds Timer ST-24

• Backlit LCD Control Panel
• 10 programmable events (P0-P9).
• Ability to precisely schedule start time for each program.
• Ability to precisely set misting duration for each program.
• Option to schedule each program either on a specific day of the week or repeating daily.
• Manual override allows for misting without affecting timer setup.
• This timer has a rechargeable battery that keeps settings in case of a power failure.
• Low voltage, connects to existing MistKing power supply.
• Designed specifically for use with MistKing misting systems.
  
  Example:
  P0: Mist 25 sec at 8:00 am every day of the week
  P1: Mist 2 min at 4:00 pm every day of the week
  P2: Mist 4 min at 7:00 pm every Wednesday only
  
  With this timer you now have the freedom and total control. Mist for a few seconds in the morning then for a few minutes in the afternoon and set up a schedule as you please.

The seconds timer is what comes in the kits, though there is the option to "upgrade" to the cycle or humidity versions. The seconds timer is what I would recommend for chameleon or reptile keepers unless you are in a very arid location, then possibly the humidity one.

So I did get the wrong one then? Repeat Cycle Timer is mainly for plants not animals...just my luck...

 

[GreenChameleons]

I guess I’ll have to send it back to Mist King for an exchange wasn’t really aware of that.

 

[GreenChameleons]

I was thinking it was like a step up from the Seconds Timer man was I ever so wrong. That will be like 2-3 weeks for them to receive the Repeat timer then probably another 2-3 weeks to get the exchange for the seconds timer probably.

 

[GreenChameleons]

What’s the difference?

From Ryan at Mist King:
“The Repeat Cycle Timer allows for one setting repeated as many times as needed.”

 

[celeste_knitter]

Yeah, if you want the same misting duration you can make the cycle timer work but the seconds timer is much more flexible for chams. At least they will let you exchange it!

 

[GreenChameleons]

Yeah, if you want the same misting duration you can make the cycle timer work but the seconds timer is much more flexible for chams. At least they will let you exchange it!

I wish they would let me exchange it but I’m screwed now! Bought starlight from mist king directly and they just give me vague answers when I email them.

 

[ERKleRose]

I wish they would let me exchange it but I’m screwed now! Bought starlight from mist king directly and they just give me vague answers when I email them.

You’re not screwed. The timer you got still works, it’s just not as customizable

 

[GreenChameleons]

I’ve had the worst luck with the whole entire thing.