Mist King Installation and Evaluation

[clownonfire]

That is good to know, Don. I have to say I am really happy with the Monsoon. I am only using 2 nozzles in one tank, and wasn't sure if I would be able to connect two more nozzles in another tank.... I am thinking about adding two for the Atelopus tank. But I'm afraid of the loss of pressure.

The Mist King seems ideal when you have many vivs to keep humid. Because of it's more complex installation, I might just invite you over to give me a hand if I ever go there... I'll then invite you to Schwartz's, the best smoked meat in town.

[DonLisk]

That is good to know, Don. I have to say I am really happy with the Monsoon. I am only using 2 nozzles in one tank, and wasn't sure if I would be able to connect two more nozzles in another tank.... I am thinking about adding two for the Atelopus tank. But I'm afraid of the loss of pressure.

The Mist King seems ideal when you have many vivs to keep humid. Because of it's more complex installation, I might just invite you over to give me a hand if I ever go there... I'll then invite you to Schwartz's, the best smoked meat in town.

If I jump the border I may have to stay there a while.
Tough jumping back once they are watching for you

I don't think you will have a problem with four nozzles Eric. The Monsoon is definitely powerful enough for that. The Mist King, on the other hand, pumps the water hard enough to smack the hose off my wall and make a pretty loud thumping noise if I don't secure the hose.

[DonLisk]

The following are two examples of how the Mist King can be set up for multiple tanks.
The first example uses "T" sections in the line and the supply line will return to a valve that connects to the power source on the pump to cycle water back to the pump and reduce the chance of water dripping from the nozzles after running.

The second example is more basic and connects each nozzle in a series and ends at the last nozzle. Note that all nozzles except the last one would have a T section built into the nozzle or supply line and the last nozzle becomes the end of the supply line.
Nozzle of both types and T sections are available from Mist King directly or suppliers such as Josh's Frogs.

[MikeM670]

Don,

Very nice work on putting this together. Now I want to see your real setup with all this stuff attached.

[DonLisk]

Don,

Very nice work on putting this together. Now I want to see your real setup with all this stuff attached.

Thanks Mike. I will as soon as I get that drill bit to drill the glass top. I'll also do some more diagrams of other ways to route to multiple tanks.

I'm using the Monsoon nozzles right now since I am either going to drill that top or make a larger screen section for the top and put the nozzles through that.

[Marty]

Nice write up. If you need any info, let me know.

I noticed on the first page, you say that the hole in the reservoir should be drilled with a 3/4" bit. That's for the advanced 3/8" tubing bulkhead, the bulkhead you have pictured is the smaller (Value Bulkhead) for 1/4" tubing.

For the Value bulkhead, I recommend drilling with a 9/16" bit. The hole will be slightly undersized and you'll need a bit of force to jam the bulkhead in. Given that most of the people drill in plastic, then that's not too difficult. Once it's in, it will sit nice and very tight. You could also get away with 5/8" bit and if you're installing into something hard (glass, metal, etc) I recommend 5/8" since it will be harder to jam the bulkhead in.

Here's a PDF for your reference.

Marty

[clownonfire]

Marty,

Thank you for the precisions.

Don, I think I will change my Monsoon units to the Mist King. For new readers, some of us on this board had written our experiences with the Monsoon. We all experienced similar issues with the units, most related with quality control: defective nozzles, off timers, ect.

I personally had a great customer experience with Hagen when it was time to replace the defective nozzle. But this weekend, timers on my units started being off. Both tops were filled with water (Don, have you checked yours lately?) and one of the Monsoon now mists each minute, no matter what setting I put it on. And the other one, more erratically.

I agree with Don that the Monsoon looks great and may seem practical and more user friendly than the Mist King on first view. But at this point here I think I am going to go towards quality and efficiency. That is of course, when budget will allow. And when I do so, I'll write up my own review on the Mist King.

Eric