Kyle,
Indeed the effects of misting are wonderful in most aspects. I have done a few set-ups with them in the past, however inexpensive high-pressure pumps haven't lasted much over a year for me, and I have had occasional issues with algae & such plugging the misting heads at times, however I did eventually get that part solved.
I currently have a nice large high-pressure pump sitting on my workbench (somewhere!) waiting for me to get around to experimenting with misting again, however with the simple RainMaker set-up currently working as well as the auto-waterer using standard tubes, it has fallen to the "back burner" as far as important projects are concerned. Actually I am not sure that my going back to the "misting" type set-ups is needed at this point, or even worth the added effort & expense.
But on to what you wrote, in the beginning I also did worry a little about the "falling water" issues you mentioned, however found that by positioning the pot well or slightly moving/adjusting it (watching as the water falls) in the first place, to avoid direct contact with dripping water on sensitive areas, solved the problem altogether. Even the Dews I have in the system are doing well under it, but then I do keep an eye on them just in case. Most plants seem to grow out under the dripping/raining water in a way so that they avoid the possibly damaging stream. I can't say they are smart or do it by choice, but once I set the plants & system up, I haven't encountered any problems after that. (But it is prudent to be sure to watch where you place the plants in the beginning, and to carefully check them with the water running, to avoid any water forcefully coming down right on a sensitive area of a plant.) Even when using the auto-watering system with the tubes, the water can forcefully uproot a plant in a short time if it isn't positioned well (or if the pump/flow is strong).
Your solution of zip-ties into the end of each hose was certainly inventive! DO be sure to watch to make sure they don't work their way out over time, but otherwise it seems a viable and inventive/creative solution.
I have taken a lighter/flame/soldering iron to melt the ends of the tubing down a bit at times, but whether it works well seems dependent on the type of plastic the tubing is made of. (Like most things it is a trial & error sort of development.) When positioning tubes becomes a problem, I have also used irrigation stakes I got from the hydroponics store, which poke into the media/pot & hold the tube in a good position.
Your ideas & solutions show good sense and inventiveness in how to solve things. Something nice to see here!
Some other thoughts on what you wrote/mentioned...
For my smaller set-ups I generally use lower rated/smaller pumps than what you apparently have. I believe they are rated at around 2.9' or 4.6' head, about 190 to 264 gph, and run at less than 30 watts. They pump out the water relatively slowly, but which I have found makes using a normal digital timer (that has increments in minutes) an effective way to control them. (See below*.)
One of the advantages to the RainMaker system is that you can use oversized holes, so pressure isn't an issue. High volume helps, but a lot of pressure isn't necessary at all.
By keeping the height of the tubing a bit low (no need to have the tubes run a foot above the plants, although for some of my Neps and Sarrs I do...!), then water dripping from the tubes likely won't do any damage even if it does hit in a sensitive spot. (Disclaimer: Use your own judgment here, as your experience/results may vary!)
I have a good draining media that I top with a bit of "cut/minced up live sphagnum. In s short time it grows and sprouts up, turning into a live blanket very quickly and then helps to protect the media & plant roots from the falling water.
Also, *the slower pumping water takes slightly less than a minute to fill the cup/pot (the space from the level of the planting media to the brim), so using a common digital timer that has one minute increments works perfectly in both the automatic-waterer (with the tubes) and the RainMaker set-ups. (When I tried a faster/higher volume pump, it overflowed the pots in that time, and did also greatly stir up pieces of media.)
In time even with a slower pump (or even when watering by hand) the water can begin to flush media particles thru the pot. (You can see the results of this in any nursery at the end of the growing season, after months of watering the plants, where the roots are all showing and the media is half flushed from the pot!)
To avoid this however, I use great care preparing the pots, often using some landscape fabric (or other things) for a lower layer in my drainage media in each pot. And like your use of fiberglass, I also use it as a coverage over the "shelf" to prevent particles from draining right into the water reservoir below. (And indeed I do get a growth of sphagnum moss growing on it, even though I don't plant it there!)
Since you are growing many orchids and other things in addition to CP's, I don't see why you couldn't just adjust the timer (or just the flow) to the orchids so that they get watered less frequently (or just with less water) as that should keep any issues with possible rot 'at bay'. I have done this with some of my plants and have had no problems at all. It is no different than you watering the plants yourself, and you only need to figure out what schedule you need to set to water them (automatically). Indeed conditions may change in the house, whereby heat or air conditioning may make adjustments to your watering schedule necessary at times. But beyond that there should be no worry about rotting. In fact you can always do a set-up using 2 smaller pumps with 2 separate tubing runs, all in one "bin/tank", so that half of it gets watered more often than the other half.
I also grow a few orchids and other plants in with my CP's, and they all seem to do well together in these systems. The plants are no more flooded than with normal watering by hand, and while the wonderful cloud of mist looks amazingly like a mountain-high clouded tropical rainforest, I have had terrific results with the RainMaker system, and a lot less problems than I did when doing the misting systems.
The rain wets the leaves which adds to the humidity as well as giving the plants the moist leaves they seem to want. At the same time, it cycles thru a dry period which allows for the plants to recover from the moist conditions & saturated air, preventing the rot/fungus & overly wet environment that leads to them. When it does rain, it also moves the air about enough to circulate it well and avoid the stale environment, even without using fans.
IME, the foggy/cloudy environment of misting looks great and seems healthy for the plants, but I have had better luck with the raining environment, as it seems the cycle of wet & dry (well, "dryer") give the plants more of what they experience in nature... or at least what they appreciate more in this artificial environ.
Some plants do seem better for the auto-watering system with the tubes, as they don't appreciate having water on their leaves. (Indeed, one size doesn't fit all!) Another benefit to that system is that it pumps water right to the media/roots, so evaporation is kept to a minimum, thus making refilling the system an even rarer occurrence!
As with everything, what works best for one person may not be best for everyone, so above all I would suggest continuing to experiment and watch what your plants tell you as to what they like.
Your idea of adding holes to the tubing seems like a good idea too, and something I have done also. I can only say that it sometimes works a little different than expected, but the main thing is that adjustments of various kinds can be made to tweak the system, which makes it very versatile for a variety of sizes and set-ups.
As you have noticed also, the whole automated situation takes a lot of the daily work out of it! If nothing else, that alone is worth doing it for. I also have not yet done my greenhouse with a complete self/auto-watering system. I need to increase my water gathering system first, so it will be a while before I get it done. Also, as I still often change my greenhouse set-up and the types of plants that are in it, I have not yet settled down to any one set-up that would accommodate every change I make. But it is an idea I do hope to someday make a reality.
Again Kyle, you are doing a great job and creating a grow area that will be the envy of many here! Good Luck & keep upthe good work!
Paul
PS: I realize I have made this even more "text-heavy", however at some point when someone actually wants to make one of these themselves, I believe they will appreciate all these words!