Misting system question

[Andrew27]

I tried the mistking. I really did! But after I spent 2 hours trying to hook it up ( I am NOT a handy man) it had a leak in the tubing. It was way too complicated for me, so i just returned it and I am now getting a monsoon. I know people say they come home to a flood with a monsoon, but this is because when you fill the tank up to the top, moisture gets in the electronics, leading the timer to go hay wire going off like every minute. (shame on exo terra). However, It is better than nothing. It is a 2.5 gallon reservoir, so I can still fill it up halfway, or even 3/4 of the way. So, this question IS NOT about which one I should get......



So, I have some quations about the monsoon....

1. How often are you supposed to replace the filter?

2. I know they recommend distilled water, but that isnt good for chams to drink, plus I do not have a reliable source of it. Will it be ok if I use reptisafe and just put in bottled or tap water?

3. Will the system still work properly if the tank runs out of water while I am not home?

Thank you everyone so much

 

[nightanole]

As for 2. The only reason to use distilled is to keep the system from clogging if you are using well water. You can also use other filtered water like RO, or just plain tap water if you can keep the system clean or just clean with vinegar a little more often.

 

[Andrew27]

As for 2. The only reason to use distilled is to keep the system from clogging if you are using well water. You can also use other filtered water like RO, or just plain tap water if you can keep the system clean or just clean with vinegar a little more often.

Thank you!

 

[Carlton]

2. I know they recommend distilled water, but that isnt good for chams to drink, plus I do not have a reliable source of it. Will it be ok if I use reptisafe and just put in bottled or tap water?

3. Will the system still work properly if the tank runs out of water while I am not home?

Thank you everyone so much

Just remember that MINERALS in the water can eventually clog the nozzles. These are naturally occurring elements in your water and don't have anything to do with how safe it is for consumption (unless you are talking about toxic heavy metals). Minerals won't be removed by reptisafe at all I don't think. Bottled and tap water have minerals depending on the source. It varies a lot but doesn't mean your water isn't safe to use. AFAIK reptisafe removes treatment chemicals (chlorine, chloramine and maybe fluoride?) but won't change the mineral content. If you know you have hard water because you get rust or calcium deposits on house fixtures (sink, shower, bathtub, etc), you can filter some if not all of it out, or clean your misting system more often. Vinegar will work if you don't let it go too long.

 

[Carlton]

3. Will the system still work properly if the tank runs out of water while I am not home?

Thank you everyone so much

The instructions for the monsoon should tell you whether the pump can safely run dry or not. Haven't used it myself so don't know. Some misting system pumps can and others can't. If the instructions don't say, I'd call and find out or it could be a costly mistake!

 

[Decadancin]

You should have asked us! You need to push the tubes all the way in, and then gently pull them out so they wont leak. (If you just push them in and leave them you will have a river ) As for the monsoon, mine failed very quickly, and I did not fill mine to the top. I would put 1 gallon in at a time just so water wasn't sitting too long. You can always use a separate timer if yours fails, but for the price, I wanted it to work for more than a month! I do not remember if it can run dry, sorry. I do agree that it is a great looking unit, and very simple to set up, so good luck!!! (hope yours works perfectly )

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

You should have asked us! You need to push the tubes all the way in, and then gently pull them out so they wont leak.

Bingo! I learned this the hard way...got all 4 cages set up, stepped back beaming with pride that I got them an awesome new misting system, turned it on, and flooded the whole area. I agree the instructions for the mistking are...lacking in certain areas. A pointer like "the tubes will feel like they have been pushed in all the way, but they actually need to pushed in much further to prevent leaks" would have been nice.

 

[chamillionaire3]

Bingo! I learned this the hard way...got all 4 cages set up, stepped back beaming with pride that I got them an awesome new misting system, turned it on, and flooded the whole area. I agree the instructions for the mistking are...lacking in certain areas. A pointer like "the tubes will feel like they have been pushed in all the way, but they actually need to pushed in much further to prevent leaks" would have been nice.

yupp same thing happened to me also. flooded the area till i realized how to seal the tubes. my other problem was that my water bucket was too low from my nozzles so it wouldnt prime but i quickley fixed this. but yeah you deff should have asked, we would have been more than willing to help

 

[Decadancin]

Bingo! I learned this the hard way...got all 4 cages set up, stepped back beaming with pride that I got them an awesome new misting system, turned it on, and flooded the whole area. I agree the instructions for the mistking are...lacking in certain areas. A pointer like "the tubes will feel like they have been pushed in all the way, but they actually need to pushed in much further to prevent leaks" would have been nice.

Ha Ha, I'm glad I'm not the only one to turn it on and scream "Turn it off!!!"

 

[tkilgour]

You could always try an aquazamp rain dome.

 

[nightanole]

You could always try an aquazamp rain dome.

Same tech, still have to pull tube out to "set" it.

 

[Andrew27]

Just remember that MINERALS in the water can eventually clog the nozzles. These are naturally occurring elements in your water and don't have anything to do with how safe it is for consumption (unless you are talking about toxic heavy metals). Minerals won't be removed by reptisafe at all I don't think. Bottled and tap water have minerals depending on the source. It varies a lot but doesn't mean your water isn't safe to use. AFAIK reptisafe removes treatment chemicals (chlorine, chloramine and maybe fluoride?) but won't change the mineral content. If you know you have hard water because you get rust or calcium deposits on house fixtures (sink, shower, bathtub, etc), you can filter some if not all of it out, or clean your misting system more often. Vinegar will work if you don't let it go too long.

Yes I have hard water because I get calcium deposits on the shower etc. I would need to run out to Walmart everytime I needed RO or Distilled water, and I live like 9-10 miles away from it. How would I be able to filter out the minerals? I know the monsoon already comes with a filter, but do I have to do anything more than that?

 

[Carlton]

Yes I have hard water because I get calcium deposits on the shower etc. I would need to run out to Walmart everytime I needed RO or Distilled water, and I live like 9-10 miles away from it. How would I be able to filter out the minerals? I know the monsoon already comes with a filter, but do I have to do anything more than that?

Sorry, no idea what type of filter the monsoon comes with. Again, maybe a question for the manufacturer if it's not in the instructions. It could be a simple biological sponge filter that will aerate the water and start removing ammonia and nitrates like fish aquarium filters do. It could be a sediment filter to remove particles that could damage your pump or block nozzles. Do some research on sink filter attachments to see if any affect the water's calcium content. I don't use them so don't know offhand. I installed a small RO undersink system years ago that takes out enough to keep my misters/foggers very clean. It produces and stores about a gallon at a time and has a small secondary faucet mounted next to my kitchen sink faucet. Works really really well.

 

[tkilgour]

RODI will not completely stop the hard water issue. They help significantly, but not completely. You will need to install a whole house water conditioning system. They are expensive but effective. (Nothing like an old school water softner, spending away on salt and wasting away on water)

This takes care of all the water in the house. No more mineral deposits on the shower heads, dishwasher, misting nozzles or dishes. Then under the sink is a 6 stage RODI that is used for the drinking water, reptiles, misting systems, hydroponics, and reef aquariums. Perfect water w/o any contaminants or junk from the city. The PPM is 0.00.

Here is an example of the one I use:

http://www.uswatersystems.com/shop/products/Synergy-Hybrid-Continuous-Water-Conditioner.html

 

[Denash]

Just got the aquazamp and I'm really impressed with the quality. I had another brand before and my chameleon would run away from the mist but with the aquazamp raindome he actually walks over to stand under the rain drops. Plus it's made entirely in the U.S.

 

[tkilgour]

Aquazamp is awesome! Kevin is a stand up guy too. Marty at Mistking is also very helpful.

 

[summoner12]

Same tech, still have to pull tube out to "set" it.

I've never had this issue. The AquaZamp fittings have a very tight fit. They even have dual O-rings. I've never had someone contact me about any leaks... With the AquaZamp fittings if you've pushed the tubing in all of the way you pretty much just leave it alone and let the water pressure set the collet's grip. It all works like a chinese finger trap.

 

[tkilgour]

I've never had this issue. The AquaZamp fittings have a very tight fit. They even have dual O-rings. I've never had someone contact me about any leaks... With the AquaZamp fittings if you've pushed the tubing in all of the way you pretty much just leave it alone and let the water pressure set the collet's grip. It all works like a chinese finger trap.

Well said, my friend!

 

[danTHAman152000]

I have a cousin that sells water softeners for a living. He hooked up our house with a 3 way water softener system at our house several years ago.

Do you guys use Na or K for the filtration system? Years ago the K was a dollar or two more than Na, but these days it has skyrocketed in price! So now we have to avoid using our soft water with our plants.

We had another filtration system under our sink for a drinking water spicket. I was pleased when looking for some cleaning products under there and noticed it's a 3 gallon RO system! I had no idea!

And here I was, about to buy a separate pricey RO system to use in my MistKing.

I have a question though. I set up my MistKing with the rain nozzle, and it worked fine one day and then the next day the nozzle was clogged. I did have the soft water in there, but I would imagine it would take time before clogging the nozzles. I swapped out the nozzle with the second nozzle included and it has worked fine even with the soft water.

Any idea about what I should do to unclog the nozzle? How much vinegar do you run through the system to clean it out? And if there is some debris caught in the nozzle, how do you remove that?

 

[tkilgour]

No, water softeners are out dated and wasteful. Many people have the same probs as you mention. The new thing is a whole house water filtration system, like the one I posted earlier. They are far more efficient.


Just soak the nozzle in apple cider vinegar over night and wipe it down and rinse. It should be good.