Constructing a Homebrew Atomix Air-Atomized Aeroponic System

I doubt if I'll try them all. For now I'll try different pressure settings for air and solution and different spray intervals. If I hit a home run I will post it to make it easier for future aero experimenters to find.

Make sure you measure the air and water pressure right at the nozzle in any testing. Someone using a different pipe diameter and/or pipe length will have a hard time replicating the settings otherwise. I dont use anything smaller than 3/8" to supply air to the nozzles.

I agree on the 3/8" to the nozzle for air. For multiple nozzles 1/2" for air is better then tee off to 3/8 for each nozzle. It would take a thread like Cavadge's (spelling?) to teach AA aero like he did HP aero and things would change in mid thread just like for him as he learned what worked and what could be improved upon. I wonder what ever happened to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he went to AAA.

For multiple nozzles, you can add a secondary receiver at the end of the line or tee`d in behind the solenoid on each chamber. I have 4-way manifolds attached to 4x 2L coke bottles which are cheap and easy to find. They have no problem handling AA air pressures but its a good idea to replace the bottles every so often. You keep the bottle cap (which has the fittings) and just replace the bottle, 2 second job.
Cant imagine why people think AA hardware is expensive lol

Had some fun doing some testing today, The high and mid level mist patterns match with the theory so thats a plus. The high level position will be used in the early stages to bathe the netpots in mist, hopefully negating any need to handwater from the top while the roots get established. As the roots grow down, a combination of mounting height and fan angle adjustments will keep them all in the direct mist plume. Once the roots reach the floor of the chamber, the nozzle will be down at the mid-level point and that should be it for the physical adjustments. Here`s an idea of what the mid level mist coverage looks like

Here`s a quick vid showing the 5-80 micron mist distribution from the viewpoint of a netpot. Every square inch of the chamber is evenly covered.. nowhere to hide.

Hey Atomizer

Did you get this new set-up up and running? How did it work out for you?

Hi Joe
It works pretty much as i envisaged it would. I`m currently testing a temperature control system for the chamber, It doesnt need it but i`d like it as a safety net for some outdoor AA next season.. Its pretty basic but it works (at least, indoors), a sensor inside the chamber decides whether the nozzle gets ambient temp or chilled compressed air based on the chamber air temp. The heart of the system is a cheap domestic fridge modded with a digital thermostat along with some other bits and pieces.
How`s your AA coming along?

Right now it's stalled. Lots of things kept me distracted or away from my hobby this last summer so I played in the dirt. I did better with AAA. I'll start up with it again in Jan. I do know from the harvest that trees are not a problem for some strains. It is more like a scree than a tree though. What one strain likes, another will be unhappy with. Even with all the f-ups of a first time grow I can say that tree farmer is definitely not exaggerating at all about what is possible with AAA or HPA. Fruit Spirit delivered 2.29 on the one plant I had. I can only imagine what it might have been if the nugs were harder like an experienced grower could do. I do have to add that the first grow was not pure AAA all the way thru. Once the roots hit the floor 32" below things really kicked into overdrive. Guess I'd have to call it a hybrid AAA/NFT system for the last 8 plus weeks. The next box will drain constantly where the last one did not. It drained once a week when the res was refilled. Once the system was setup it was really simple to use. Maintenance took about 40 minutes a week. Plus time to measure nutrient concentrates every so often. Forgot about adding chlorine every other day but that's quick.

I think I'll keep trying to dial in the Delavan nozzles for the next time. I'll reread fatman's contributions again to see what I missed the first time about Delavans. I don't know if he tried trees or not. I also want to try RO water next time. There are so many variables to try.

The thing that I wonder about with chilling the solution and/or the air is that in the gap between the chiller and the nozzle solenoid there is a fair amount of solution and, depending on the size of the air line, possibly more air than you'd use in a fraction of a second that the nozzle fires. How would you keep the air and/or solution chilled in that gap?

I insulate the airlines with armaflex insulation, AA uses more frequent mist pulses than hpa so the line doesnt get much time to heat up. Also, the volume of air used per pulse is far in excess of what the tube holds.The temperature differential isnt huge,20F-30F tops, you dont want to be firing arctic air into the chamber. I`m not using a chiller or even a coil of pipe inside the fridge to provide the chilled air..

Has anyone found good inexpensive AA nozzles? What about these http://www.mistcooling.com/air-water-nozzle.html

Very interested! I also have an easy 10$ timer arduino based that can cycle down to about 50 milliseconds if anyone needs info

I just ordered a few Bete 1/4XAAD050A nozzles in brass/nickel plated along with fresh solenoids and an RO system. I'll grow some of the more expensive strawberries on the planet. Maybe some medicine too.

The nozzles were $49.27 each. That's quite a bit more than the Tefens I used with my first HP aero run. These Bete's are about the same price as the Delavan waste oil nozzle set-ups I used last run. I do have more expensive hobbies but none cheaper to feed. It seems like most people are a bit protective about details of the nozzle's they use for AA aero. I could be wrong and just haven't seen it yet.

The arduino looks interesting but I haven't taken time to study it. I'm no programmer. I'm studying nutrition at the moment anyway.

OpenMinds4All said:

Has anyone found good inexpensive AA nozzles? What about these http://www.mistcooling.com/air-water-nozzle.html

Very interested! I also have an easy 10$ timer arduino based that can cycle down to about 50 milliseconds if anyone needs info

Click to expand...

The only way to tell if a nozzle is any good is to take a leap of faith and buy one. do you feel lucky?

That's true unless someone who's had success with a particular nozzle put's that info out there for others to benefit by not having to buy lots of expensive nozzles.

I can understand why it is said you should do the research about aeroponics so you can actually get a good grasp of it before you start buying components as opposed to expecting someone to lay it all out for you.

Different nozzles may not all work the same in containers of different shapes and sizes. Lots of variables.

Come on Atomizer, you're probably the one with the most experience with AA that's still posting here. Share that wealth of nozzle knowledge.

Most AA nozzles will do ok if they are matched to the chamber, but there will always be compromises. My rotary solves all of the most common issues but it wouldnt do too well in my rectangular chambers which are the wrong shape and have a traditional grid style planting layout. Ultimately, its not my cash so do the research to make an informed decision on the best nozzle for the job. With an $18 nozzle its not much of a risk. I had to put over $300 into the rotary with no guarantee it was going to work .)

Have you put the rotary beauty to work yet? I like it.

Its currently parked in a freezing cold garage so the answer to that one is a no. I need to free up a big chunk of space or create some. just not sure where yet

No heater in the garage?

nope, besides that i dont think it`ll work as good on its side