# DIY Auto Misters



## *Sazzle* (Aug 1, 2008)

I have been trying to get info on making your own automatic misting, but havent had much luck. Has anyone here got any info about them and how to go about making one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks


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## fixitsan (Apr 15, 2008)

*Sazzle* said:


> I have been trying to get info on making your own automatic misting, but havent had much luck. Has anyone here got any info about them and how to go about making one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks



You need a short duration cyclic timer, something that you can set for , say , 5-15 seconds every 4 hours, or similar.

You need a pump obviously, and for that I was starting to look at car replacement windscreen washer pumps which are available for a couple of pounds in Halfords, and for the jets some misting sporay heads designed for greenhouses and automatic watering systems.


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

what you wanna do is go to b&q they do a part that converts normal 3/4 " pipe screw fitting so you can attach it straight to a pump - into a 4 way 6mm hose fitting. that way you can then run lots of normal 6mm hose straight froma pump with lots of presure.then all you'll need to get is the misting parts which loads of people like pollywog and dartfrog supply for like a few quid each. or maybe someone knows how to build them?


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## *Sazzle* (Aug 1, 2008)

Brilliant. Thanks for the replies guys. Will have a go at the weekend now I know where to start :2thumb:


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## Munkys Mummy (Feb 23, 2007)

If you manage, will you make me one :lol2:


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## *Sazzle* (Aug 1, 2008)

Munkys Mummy said:


> If you manage, will you make me one :lol2:


Haha, I think you should wait to see how it turns out before saying you want one. I could end up flooding my house or something equally as stupid knowing me :blush:


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## Munkys Mummy (Feb 23, 2007)

I'll be keeping an eye out to see how you are getting on, so loads of updates please, lol


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

I looked into this a year or so back and the problem I kept running into was pressure, finding a pump which could provide sufficient pressure proved difficult, you need a lot of pressure to produce a true mist.
I messed about with windscreen washer pumps etc, but the pressure was nowhere near high enough and the best I could produce was a sprinkler system, not a mister!
There are suitable pumps available, but prices are pretty high for decent ones.


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

don't know how true but i think there is company called gardena that make garden watering systems and they also produce a misting attachment.-- i think


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## fixitsan (Apr 15, 2008)

Graham said:


> I looked into this a year or so back and the problem I kept running into was pressure, finding a pump which could provide sufficient pressure proved difficult, you need a lot of pressure to produce a true mist.
> I messed about with windscreen washer pumps etc, but the pressure was nowhere near high enough and the best I could produce was a sprinkler system, not a mister!
> There are suitable pumps available, but prices are pretty high for decent ones.


I suggested the washer pump because I'[ve noticed a couple which produce good pressure, but didn't really make a note of them at the time (when working as a mechanic for a friend). 

My only concern with pumps and so on is the risk of leaks. I think it makes sense to try to fit the equipment wihtin a sump of some sort, or at least have a large drip tray, possibly disguised as something else underneath the equipment.

I don't know where you can get a suitable cheap timer from. I have a few ex-equipment timers which can run in 'one-shot' mode which could be used witha plug in timer to produce a regular short duration spray, from what I've read on other forums most people choose a single spray duration of below 30 seconds.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

The most suitable pumps I've found are those used in high quality espresso makers, cheap machines just use steam pressure, but the better ones such as Gaggia use a pump that operates at pressures high enough to produce a true mist, but they are not exactly cheap as spares!
Another thing to watch for is the material used in the construction of the pump, some metals such as copper can cause problems in vivs.


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## Heim (Aug 3, 2008)

Im not an expert, so someone more in the know could possible comment on this pump:

BNIB 12V Diaphragm pump with built in pressure switch on eBay, also, Boats Parts Maintenance, Boats Watercraft, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 15-Oct-08 20:41:49 BST)

Its rated at a max of 35 PSI, which I believe is the pressure required to create a fine mist (and seeing as you wouldnt have it running for long or often, shouldnt cause too much greif).

For a total of £20 including delivery, it would certainly be an affordable step in creating a custom misting system.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

It might be suitable.

One other way to do this, provided that air blowing into the viv wouldn't be a problem, is to use a system working on the same priciple as an airbrush, where air is blown across the top of a tube creating a vacuum which sucks up and then atomises the water. This would work on quite low pressure.

Another alternative might be to use an air pump to pressurise a container part-filled with water, rather like a pressurized plant sprayer. This would require higher pressure to work, but the pump would probably be fairly cheap (portable car tyre pump?) and you wouldn't have air blowing into the viv, just a spray of water. 

On the subject of timers, a cheap plug-in digital timer can be set for as little as 60 seconds several times a day.


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