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Low-cost drip irrigation systems?

  • Thread starter seedjar
  • Start date

seedjar

Let's positive thinking!
I've been thinking about adding a drip irrigation or misting system to my setup for a while now. Does anyone have experience with these types of things? I'm not looking to spend more than $100, but it would be nice to have something to keep my Neps and other damp-not-soaked-type plants happy when I'm not there to mist them every day. Any ideas/references would be great.
Thanks,
~Joe
 
I have used an outdoor drip system to water roses before. I imagine that you could use the same type hose, a water pump used for a pond, a new trash barrel (for rainwater) and a timer for a DIY setup.
 
i went to a garden centre a short while ago, and they had drip irrigation systems that feed off a water barrel for around £20. it didn't have a timer, but there is a tap to control the speed with which the water drips out. the main drawback is if the barrel runs out of water (especially if you keep goldfish in there).
 
That's the kind of thing I'm looking for, ad, except that ideally I want to build a setup from parts (as I'm a broke college student who needs to save money at every possible opportunity.) Eyeing those types of kits is what got me on this whole kick to begin with. I know I can find a reservoir and I'm pretty sure I can find a pump with enough lift capacity, but I don't know where to find good deals on spray heads and the like, nor can I find information about what kind of pressure is needed to drive them. What kind of pump do you use for the mister in your greenhouse? If I could manage, I'd like to use misting heads so that I could replace my humidifier.
~Joe
 
You should be able to buy the tubes, emitters, T-connectors etc from Home Depot or the such. It should be easy to just take a bucket and attach a suitable nozzle/valve and use a simple gravity feed (i.e. put the bucket higher then the plants). Probably cost you $20-30.
 
using a pump you are not going to get a good spray!. I have a pretty good sized pump for a pond fountain. I think it is the 35 dollar one lowes sells. Of course there is bigger pumps. I bought the rain heads and it did not pump enough water to spray effectively. Just use the 1/4 in tubing with no end on it into each pot. I will take pictures fo my circ bog once I redo it. It does not drain fast enough the way I have it now it needs a layer of gravel on the bottom. But it is complete with the pump and reservour and if your not looking to do anything fancy. The pump and tubing is less than 50 bucks. I jsut spent more on other thigns building my circ bog. Also some parts I did nto need as well.
 
oh just one side note. you want one main line then tap off it with your 1/4 tubing. The t's are not going to give you sufficient water flow out each devide. If you have one main line then tap off it it works alot better. I went the T rought already. I will have some pictures soon of what I have going on.
 
seed- my fogger pump is 1000psi. Pump is pretty $$ at about $700 lol (good thing i got it end of season sale :D)

Line emmiters and such is cheap, I use those daily for my "real" job... The pump will be the expensive part. Drip systems have pressure regulators on them at 30-40psi. So that's the pressure you'll aim for from a pump. But also look for flow. Although most drippers are only 1/4-5 gallons per hour each. There are pressure regulated pumps (like a aquatec aquajet 5800 seris variable speed pump i'm getting rid of :p) but they are pretty expensive too. A fountain pump would probably work. But you'd need some type of relief (like a T in the line near the pump, pumping back into the bucket with a shut off valve to still direct water though the drippers) problem with a fountain pump is they are high flow, low pressure.
 
  • #10
I'm pretty sure this is going to have to be pump-driven. I'm trying to rig this for a five-foot-tall terrarium in my bedroom, and there's only two or three feet of clearance tops that's truly 'above' the area I'm going to be misting. I'm going to try to put the reservoir at least chest-high, but it needs to be accessible for refilling, so just gravity fed isn't going to cut it. I'll be able to put it high enough that I'll only need a foot or so of lift, but that's the best I can do in all likelihood.
~Joe
 
  • #11
Yeah, if you're going to mist as opposed to drip feed, you'll need a pump.
 
  • #12
I know it's more than you want to spend, but this is probably ideal for a raise in humidity in a chamber... I looked at these kits before for my smaller g/h but never got one (went with the aquafogger 400 instead... too big for a grow chamber though, and too loud for your room :p)


info, scroll down to "rain making jr kit"

cheaper price on ebay for that item


edit:
Yeah, if you're going to mist as opposed to drip feed, you'll need a pump.
yep, and higher pressure too... kit above would be ideal i think, and is barely over your $100
 
  • #13
So, I'm going to need as much pressure as the sum of the pressure regulators on all of my misting heads I assume? Sounds like drip feed might be a better idea... I have to sleep next to this thing after all. It sounds like misting isn't very economic for the scale I'm looking at anyways. I can get a little ultrasonic fogger for $30 and I need to add a fan anyways.
~Joe
 
  • #14
The lower the pressure on a "misting" system.. the bigger the "drops" so you'll end up with more of a spray than a mist... That's why my kit is 1000psi so it makes a dry fog and not a wet mist.
 
  • #15
That makes sense, but what I'm asking is how the pressure distributes along the line. If I have two heads that spray at 30-40PSI each, do I need a minimum of 30PSI on the line, or 60?
~Joe
 
  • #16
well, the heads don't spray "at" a psi. They will spray no matter. But there is an ideal spray PSI. You just need a pump that can create the pressure, and keep that pressure up with whatever flow you're going to have. So the pressure maintains while the sprayers are spraying, tha't's where the flow comes in.

My heads are .008 orfice. @ 1000PSI I use .020 gallons per min per head. At 22 heads.. I use .44 gals per min. So I need a pump that can maintain 1000psi with at least .44 gallons per min flow.

So 2 sprayer heads at a recomended 30PSI, you only need 30. not 60. But the pressures I gave before were for drips, not sprayers. I dont' know if the sprayers need the same pressure or not. Does that help?
 
  • #17
Yes, very much so. Thanks!
~Joe
 
  • #18
What about an idea like what I've read here before using one of those ultrasonic fog makers and having it blown into your enclosure? that would prolly be REALLY cheep.
 
  • #19
Well, I already have a humidifier inside the terrarium. I definetly plan on replacing it with a more compact fogger. A mister would have been nice since it could do double duty as a humidifier and a watering system. I think I'm going to see what I can't do to put together a drip system and have a separate humidity source.
~Joe
 
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