my gravity fed air atomizing aeroponic system

oxanaca said:

damn there you go making this things easy again
the main reason i was thinking of running bigger air lines was because i have a 50psi pressure differential pressure switch. and i thought if i got my nessisry pressure regulator setting down to the mid 40s i could take full advantage of this.
i would really like my air compressor to last until the end of june. after that it will get a little hot in here

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I`d just run the tank 55-105 psi if the compressor can cope., it`d be cheaper than spending another $100+ on a new regulator, airline and fittings.
The atomix used a single 6mm line from the compressor that was tee`d off to the two nozzles underneath the chamber so they weren`t too fussed about pressure loss.

6mm is the size im running now, alright ill just use it. ill have to go 55-100psi though. this thing wont even go 105psi. thats why i didnt bother with a pressure relief valve, i once tested it with a short piece of brass pipe with a gauge at the end of it and even after 5 minutes of reaching 100psi, still 100.

im sure your about to tell me i should add one now though.

Sounds like the thermal cutout might beat the relief valve to it. You have a fair sized tank so you should get a reasonable amount of runtime with 45psi differential.
I dont know how high mine goes, probably somewhere between major carnage and complete devastion

my next air compressor will look something like this, a silent air compressor just seems unnecessary to me. as you cant grow in an appartment anyways as the nozzles are loud as hell. i remember the neibour next door bangin on my door asking what that sound was at 3Am


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200396621_200396621?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Air Compressors-_-Single Stage Electric Air Compressors-_-211113&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=211113&gclid=CNHz_MqPu7YCFfA-MgodvQIA7A

hey one question, have you ever tryed any delavan siphon nozzles before? The only reason i chose them was because they were cheap and because fatman told me they worked. but hes all talk and no walk on here, when it comes to pictures, so i have no way of verifying his results. he taught me how to build the most awsome cheap watercooled reflectors though. sorry for raising your blood pressure.

I`ve never tried delevans as they are no cheaper here new than most other AA nozzles. Buying from the states isnt an option due to the import duty and tax. I dont find the nozzles that noisey inside an insulated chamber, less intrusive than an air pump running 24/7 anyway. The belt drive compressor looks good, it would only need to run once a day for 6 minutes with 2 nozzles if your lucky.
I`m in the process of upgrading my homebrew into a twin drive, it`ll be near silent with 26.5% the output of your 80gal belt drive

Atomizer said:

I`ve never tried delevans as they are no cheaper here new than most other AA nozzles. Buying from the states isnt an option due to the import duty and tax. I dont find the nozzles that noisey inside an insulated chamber, less intrusive than an air pump running 24/7 anyway. The belt drive compressor looks good, it would only need to run once a day for 6 minutes with 2 nozzles if your lucky.
I`m in the process of upgrading my homebrew into a twin drive, it`ll be near silent with 26.5% the output of your 80gal belt drive
View attachment 2606830

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Damn man, you make this an art form. Don't want to hijack, but what AA nozzles do you recommend trying and what price can I expect? I ran quotes through ispray.com and BETE but they were way too expensive.

...BTW, Oxanaca: I would DEFINITELY love to test drive your gpa's nozzles. I wish I had family with a machine shop, I have 10 million ideas that all require those resources. If you guys want some side projects I'd keep you busy and your project funds full.

jamesvagabond said:

...BTW, Oxanaca: I would DEFINITELY love to test drive your gpa's nozzles. I wish I had family with a machine shop, I have 10 million ideas that all require those resources. If you guys want some side projects I'd keep you busy and your project funds full.

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i dont think ill ever try to do that, it was sort of a stoned idea. im sort of sold on AA. i will be converting my current chamber to hpa though and doing one run seeing as i already own all the part to do it.

jamesvagabond said:

Damn man, you make this an art form. Don't want to hijack, but what AA nozzles do you recommend trying and what price can I expect? I ran quotes through ispray.com and BETE but they were way too expensive.

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your definitely not hijacking. ive been trying to get this out of him for a while.

Atomizer said:

I`ve never tried delevans as they are no cheaper here new than most other AA nozzles. Buying from the states isnt an option due to the import duty and tax. I dont find the nozzles that noisey inside an insulated chamber, less intrusive than an air pump running 24/7 anyway. The belt drive compressor looks good, it would only need to run once a day for 6 minutes with 2 nozzles if your lucky.
I`m in the process of upgrading my homebrew into a twin drive, it`ll be near silent with 26.5% the output of your 80gal belt drive
View attachment 2606830

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man ive got to ask you some questions on this one, i would love to have one to use around the house, ill bet i could even modify it so that i could turn some valves and use it as a vacuum, not like a dirt devil, but as a way to evacuate air from containers and the like.

are they commercial refrigeration compressors? they look much bigger than the ones on the refrigerators im use to seeing

whats that cylinder shaped thing in the top right corner?

what do you do to keep the oil at the right level for it? did you add a sight glass or maybe a dipstick?

it looks like its in a drywall box am i right? with a shutter

damn i just got to build one

They are 3/4 hp commercial chiller compressors. The cylinder shaped thing is an old electro-mechanical counter that runs with the compressors. No oilsight glass as drilling big holes is too risky, the compressors are hemetically sealed so i didnt fancy cutting the tops off either I add a fixed amount of oil at regular intervals based on the running time and replace the lot once a year. They use a pitiful amount, it took 8 months of testing to figure it, 10ml every 60 hours. The box is mdf with a hinged dropdown door on the front, looks tidy and keeps the dust off.

jamesvagabond said:

Damn man, you make this an art form. Don't want to hijack, but what AA nozzles do you recommend trying and what price can I expect? I ran quotes through ispray.com and BETE but they were way too expensive.

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My missus wouldnt agree its an art form
As said, most AA nozzles should work if you can get them dialled in. As far as prices go they`re all pretty expensive (maybe $250 a pair) with the exception of delevan`s which are reasonably priced if your in the states. I havent seen any video of delevan nozzles in action so i`ve no real idea what their coverage and throw is like.

Atomizer said:

My missus wouldnt agree its an art form
As said, most AA nozzles should work if you can get them dialled in. As far as prices go they`re all pretty expensive (maybe $250 a pair) with the exception of delevan`s which are reasonably priced if your in the states. I havent seen any video of delevan nozzles in action so i`ve no real idea what their coverage and throw is like.

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ill post a video of there throw in the next couple days. i read you say in an old post that the only good way to do this is outside in bright sunlight. so what ill do is cut a 2meter x 2meter black plastic sheet and while standing on a latter ill shoot with my camera down. ill take a video with my #1,5,11 tips

Atomizer said:

They are 3/4 hp commercial chiller compressors. The cylinder shaped thing is an old electro-mechanical counter that runs with the compressors. No oilsight glass as drilling big holes is too risky, the compressors are hemetically sealed so i didnt fancy cutting the tops off either I add a fixed amount of oil at regular intervals based on the running time and replace the lot once a year. They use a pitiful amount, it took 8 months of testing to figure it, 10ml every 60 hours. The box is mdf with a hinged dropdown door on the front, looks tidy and keeps the dust off.

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how did you figure out how much oil it used?

could i find this out by weighing the compressor when its full of oil. and then keeping track of the hourage using a counter like your doing and then weighing it at every 100hrs? i have an extremely accurate high capacity scale.


or could i install a regulator with an oil trap and weight the oil?

You`d need a 20kg scale accurate to 0.1g to do it that way as the compressors weigh 14kg each
The way i did it was to fill the compressor with the specified amount of oil, wait for it to clock up 10 hours and then up end the compressor and let it drain into a clean measuring jug overnight. Use a syringe to make up the difference and put it back in for another 20 hours, then 30 etc.
Its a good idea to install a water/oil trap between the compressor and the tank for peace of mind and a visual aid.
Collect the contents of the trap in a pint glass for a rough idea of what its using during the testing phase.
The oil will float on the condensed water and you should see no more than a very slight film, if its 1/2" the compressor is no good

Just put a piece of black poly on the floor of the chamber, testing nozzles outside wont tell you how the mist behaves in the chamber where they`ll be used
Judging from the spec of the delevan #5`s, i`d be tempted to run your chamber with 20psi air (at the nozzles) and a 1 second on, 80 second off cycle. Assuming the coverage is ok with 20psi, run it for 3 full days without changing anything and see how the roots look at the end of the test.

opps mines only does a little over 10 pounds, might work for a small compressor though.
how did you decide how much oil your compressor would need if you cant see inside the compressors, i think i have an idea but ill keep it to myself as i know your plan will be a lot better then mine.

ill get you the video tomorrow. the only reason i mentioned the whole outside thing was you mentioned you wanted to know the throw length. of the nozzles. a rough estimate is about 6 feet for the #5 mayber a touch more. and about 4-5 feet for the #1.

ill change my setting to that tomorrow. and ill promise not to mess with them. i have a feeling the roots arent going to like those settings though as its cold in the greenhouse now 60F(constant) and at 1 second to 10minutes they collect droplets on the root hairs at 40psi, plus this isnt a tomato or a cannabis plant, its a crappy slow growing house plant. both fingers crossed though.

The oil quantity is usually listed in the compressor`s spec sheet. If you pull a nameless brand compressor from a fridge or freezer make sure you measure the oil when you empty it out. The fridge oil is very hygroscopic and turns acidic in the presence of air so it will need to be replaced.

i was just looking at the spec sheet. and i noticed something that might throw things off a bit. my gravity head is somewhere around a meter maybe a little higher. this head isnt even listed on the sheet. what head do you recommend i drop this to, if at all.

also what ec do you recomend for a slow growing house plant. im currently running 600 uS

600mm measured from the nozzle orifice to the water level in the bucket. I`ve never grown houseplants in AA or hydro so you`ll have to play nute strength by ear but 0.6 shouldnt hurt for the test.

so i didnt have time to adjust the settings, and change back to the #5 nozzles, my cars really fucked.
but i did shoot 3 videos of my #1 nozzle. tell me what you think. oddly enough delavan doesnt list specs on either the sheet you led me to or the oil burning spec sheet, for this nozzle.

im at 2 seconds on 10 minutes off at a constant 60F. looking at the roots using magnification, i notice tiny droplets at all times on the roots throughout the pause cycle. i want to try running this for a few more days until the weather gets hot again then i will run my air lines thru cold water and adjust to the setting you recommended. i notice the root hairs get longer every 24 hrs.

im going to have less time to monkey with this thing as i will be picking up a second full time job until i can afford a new car. ill keep this thread updated regardless.