Ok man- wish u luck in your particular approach. I'm gonna focus on just getting hpa down before I try anything else. There are a few new variables to be working with already, and I'm going to take a paced, methodical approach. It will be interesting to compare our builds and results in the coming weeks and months- as we can all build off eachothers ideas and experiences...Hello Trichy you are right to much of a good thing is deadly!!!!!!!!!! I plan on using a small amout of pure oxygen in the mix and will get a oxygen monitor for testing pod and room NEVER try this without the right equipment and knowledge on what will and can happen.
I touched the wired to my vehicle battery momentarily just because the curiosity was killing me. It wasn't too bad- but I read it will get louder under pressure. I'd think it's not horribly bad- but just that the aquatechs are nearly silent. Either way it will not be hard to build a sound deadening chamber for the pump if necessary- mine being outside will probably not be an issue for me personally. If you size the accumulator big enough- it will only need to come on every few days or longer- and in that case you could just manually turn it on to top up the pressure during a good time of day for the noise.Thanks TB got the PM and found the other stuff. How loud is the flojet or have you tried it yet? I wrote reptile basics to get the specs on the pump psi rating for the aquatec 8800.
Well, more or less the first posts explain the bulk of this. There are also links to a couple other threads that are pretty detailed in the build- especially Cavadge's (he has got some mad building skills). All the info I've put into this thread is literally from hundreds of hours of reading and research, it's been quite an adventure. I intend to put the system together and take pics along the way, but not sure if it would be a complete step- by -step. It would definitely be enough info to copy if you were to follow the thread and resources, however... This probably sounds cliche- but if someone needed even more hand holding then what I've done by trying to extract and concentrate what I've gathered- they probably wouldn't be suited for this type of growing anyway... If you want to do this- there's just no way around needing to do a bit of research and learning- but in the end it will really help because you'll understand the hows and whys of the system, and be familiar enough to service it or make any necessary tweaks for your situation. I'm happy to help answer any individual questions along the way from my own understanding of it all though, and there are others lurking about who have been growing this way for years now and seem quite happy to help anyone who is humble enough to take their advice...Just wondering if you were going to do a step by step (with Pics) build of your system?
Thanks Kdn- that was sort of what I was thinking. I should only barely drain the battery being on for 4-5 minutes at 9 amps every few days. I'll try the car battery because it's the cheapest and easiest. Even if only it lasts for a year or 2 I'd be happy... The solenoids and timer's draw are barely anything too.Its really a matter of picking a maxium outage time then estimating if the battery's amphr rating is enough (no less then 50% discharge on a car battery or 20% on a deep cycle) as long as you dont discharge a battery too much it will last quite well. If you need more capacity add another battery in parallel, or for another option 2 6v deep cycles in series.
Thanks... I kinda figured 12v @9amp creates a similar electron flow as 120v @1.5 amp. (I'm sure the watts are about the same). I really don't know if it will make a difference- but I already purchased everything 12v. Luckily my pressure switch was only 26 bucks- so I'll just keep a spare on hand in case...Stay away from 12v pumps, Most pressure switches cant handle the increased amps and fail much quicker. If you want security in the event of power failure. Tee a 12v into your accumulator with a battery and a tender, just be sure to add a check valve between the pump and system. Stick with 110v and just don't clean it with a garden hose...
Its highly unlikely the switch will fail. If you`re worried about the contacts wearing out ..simply wire the pressure switch to the 12v pump via a 12v 30A automotive relay (dirt cheap). Stay away from 110v. pumps.. they will fail in a power outage.Stay away from 12v pumps, Most pressure switches cant handle the increased amps and fail much quicker. If you want security in the event of power failure. Tee a 12v into your accumulator with a battery and a tender, just be sure to add a check valve between the pump and system. Stick with 110v and just don't clean it with a garden hose...
Good advice- best of both worlds...Its highly unlikely the switch will fail. If you`re worried about the contacts wearing out ..simply wire the pressure switch to the 12v pump via a 12v 30A automotive relay (dirt cheap). Stay away from 110v. pumps.. they will fail in a power outage.
Thanks for the input aerojunkie. I am curious about your setup myself- feel free to describe it in as much detail as you want to. I am planning to bypass the pump's onboard pressure switch for a (hopefully) better quility and adjustable external one. Not sure where your pressure setting advice comes from. My accumulator and pump both are spec'd up to 150 psi- so I plan to cut in around 110psi and out around 140psi. (Was thinkin I might as well use the capabilities of the equipment) as I specifically looked for higher pressure rated components. I would not stand for a pump only lasting 2 weeks. Even though the manufacturer notes a certain life expectancy- 2 weeks is rediculous and I'd think even they would also agree. You'd think that a manufacturer of a 12v pump would build a product that could work in the 12v conditions it was made for- but perhaps since shureflo pumps are so noisy I wonder if they are lower quality anyway. There is a self priming rating on my pump of 8 feet, which I assume can be converted to about 3.5 psi. I plan to have things set up in a way that the pump will not regularly intake any air- but I am still unclear without actually testing things if the 10" 1 micron cartridge filter I have will work on the inlet side of the pump. When I blew through the filter I encountered no resistance to my lungs- although I suspect water will be a different story as it's density and surface tension will undoubtedly make a difference.you may have better luck with aquatech or a remote pressure switch, but 4 of my 7 shurflo 12v pumps are sitting in a box with failed contacts. Shurflo wouldnt warranty any of them stating the pumps all have a cycle life expectancy. Im sure this is the case for 110 as well, however my 110 pumps are lasting much longer than the 2+- weeks the 12v held up for. 12v pumps are my reason for switching to air atomized, that and the fact that i can replace 20+ nozzles/chamber with 1 nozzle if desired... I recommend 2.
Best of luck to you - and don't be afraid to spend it...
P.S. Scratch the check valve in my first post and just set the pressure switch to cycle on @ 70 and off @ 90... Just remember that most, if not all, HP diaphragm pumps WILL NOT self-prime with back pressure.
No worries man, I appreciate anyone's interest at any level. I am in the tropics and plan to give the outdoors a go- so co2 will not be possible. The summer temps will regularly reach 95f or so, humidity averages 60-80% and there are constant trade winds- also I am at sea level for ambient co2 purposes. I will have to see what all this translates into and how I will deal with it. I'm thinking to add a few drops of chlorine to my nutes and don't know if a little extra potassium would benefit transpiration in my situation, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.TB - Im going to have to apologize, but I have not read your whole thread... Will you be inducing co2?