misting
- Thread starter Tighe
- Start date
Vegas Chad
Avid Member
I have not herd many good things about the Big Apple mist Kit... Pro mist would be better but you pay for it. Mist King is good too... Also check out Herpmist.com. Alot of members are getting the last system as of late.
davider
Avid Member
LaserGecko
New Member
Do you have access to a pressurized water source? If you do, you don't need a misting pump. You just need a solenoid, a timer, and some plumbing.
If you don't have water in the room, you'll need a system with a pump.
Piston pumps are noisy. I don't know if Big Apple is using the same "standard" or "junior" piston pump or not (but at least they're using a reasonable markup if they are).
A real misting system with a good diaphragm pump will last virtually forever and run almost silently. You'll hear the sound of the mist long before you hear the pump driving it. Just don't buy a pump that will burn out, melt, or require an expensive repair if you run it for more than five minutes or accidentally run it dry. That's an expensive mistake to make!
As for nozzles, the acetal plastic nozzles on the market are more resistant to hard water than the brass ones. If you're using RO water, that's a moot point, though. They both produce a fine mist with about a 50-60 micron droplet size, give or take. Some folks prefer the brass ones because of a reduced output, but I've seen them rated for about an ounce a minute, so it looks like a wash to me. Some people like the different patterns and flow rates of the various acetal colored nozzles. (Flow rate depends on the pressure and the size of the orifice no matter which one you use.)
Don't worry though, it's really not that complicated.
If you don't have water in the room, you'll need a system with a pump.
Piston pumps are noisy. I don't know if Big Apple is using the same "standard" or "junior" piston pump or not (but at least they're using a reasonable markup if they are).
A real misting system with a good diaphragm pump will last virtually forever and run almost silently. You'll hear the sound of the mist long before you hear the pump driving it. Just don't buy a pump that will burn out, melt, or require an expensive repair if you run it for more than five minutes or accidentally run it dry. That's an expensive mistake to make!
As for nozzles, the acetal plastic nozzles on the market are more resistant to hard water than the brass ones. If you're using RO water, that's a moot point, though. They both produce a fine mist with about a 50-60 micron droplet size, give or take. Some folks prefer the brass ones because of a reduced output, but I've seen them rated for about an ounce a minute, so it looks like a wash to me. Some people like the different patterns and flow rates of the various acetal colored nozzles. (Flow rate depends on the pressure and the size of the orifice no matter which one you use.)
Don't worry though, it's really not that complicated.
bg77
New Member
I do not have a Herpmist yet, but I will in the next few months. I have heard nothing but good things about them. I have contacted them on a few occasions with a quick response everytime. I beleive the pump is a good one smiliar to Promist, I heard the nozzles a great. The only thing I thought was a little high in price was for the resevoir, but you can get around that very easy.
dodolah
Retired Moderator
just contact Jason (Laser Gecko). he's the owner of the company.
I have one and I love it!
bg77
New Member
No you can get your own resevoir....I dont think I would use a fish pump???
If you were to get the "Big Enchalada" from Herpmist, I dont think you can go wrong. You get alot/more for the same price as the others.
Smitty
New Member
I've tried the fish pump method and it really depends on your dispersment method. If you want a fine mist, you will NOT find a fish pump with enough power to push the water into a mist (at least not one less than the cost of a different, better pump designed to do it).
I did have a misting setup with a fish pump and a spinning dropper style. You can see a video of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQz4bT1oNwI
I don't use any of that stuff anymore because I've hooked my misting system up to a water line in the house now.
I did have a misting setup with a fish pump and a spinning dropper style. You can see a video of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQz4bT1oNwI
I don't use any of that stuff anymore because I've hooked my misting system up to a water line in the house now.
LaserGecko
New Member
You can use anything that will hold water with a flat surface into which you can drill a 5/8" hole: an aquarium, Rubbermaid container, bathtub, etc. Those big Rubbermaids are pretty tough. We recently used three of them to hold gasoline while my mechanic buddy and I drained my completely full gas tank to swap out a fuel pump seal. (Certainly not a good nor safe idea, but better than dumping it on the ground.) They were pretty unwieldy when that full of liquid, though! We looked around for someone with a video camera in the bushes, just in case.
I'm like everyone else; I don't like paying out the wazoo for something that I can get myself, so I thought it would be cheesy to sell a $5 Home Depot bucket online. Unfortunately, that reservoir is expensive because it's made for food service use, so I only make about $5 on it. It's more of a "convenience" item, plus it's slightly smaller than a five gallon bucket so it doesn't take up as much room.
Whatever you do, try to use something that's translucent! Having to lift the lid to check your water level turns into a PITA after you do it a couple hundred times.
If you find a cheap one that works, let me know! Fish pumps are made for water circulation. A good misting pump needs to not mind having its output severely restricted while maintaining a fairly high pressure. To get an idea about the difference in required force, set an adjustable spray bottle on "stream", then increase it to a finer and finer mist. An aquarium pump is about the equivalent of the "stream" setting, so it won't work with real misting nozzles.
Anyway, regardless of where or from whom you buy it, get a good misting system if you choose to buy one. Don't be tempted by the HabbaMist. It's money better put towards a real system (spoken as a cham keeper with a HabbaMist in the closet).
