Raindrip Water Timers--Cheapo Actuated Ball valve.

[Anonymous]

These bad boys are $20 at Ace Hardware...anybody use them? They can be set down to one minute "on" intervals, and as frequently as every hour. Seems like a much cheaper solution for dosing 2 part, kalk, dripping BBS, etc. accurately and consistently.

 

[Anonymous]

The fittings are male and female 3/4" hose thread.

 

[Anonymous]

are they all plastic inside, or brass where the water passes?

B

 

[Anonymous]

I was looking at these today hoping someone bought one and took it apart.

 

[brandonberry]

So would you just use it as a gravity feed or would you hook some type of demand pump to it?

 

[Anonymous]

We just got some at work. Nick says he has been using them for a while, and Monterey has too. Primarily for dripping in BBS to jelly tanks, but it can be used for whatever.

The fixture is designed to have garden hose pressure behind it, so using it on the head of a pump would presumably work. I'm going to tear one apart and see what's inside, but as far as I can see it's all plastic.

I just don't understand how they can be so much cheaper than a similar sized actuated ball valve.

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like they have dual ones too...2 part dosers, perhaps?

http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(2dvwz ... 45b4aznf45)/productDetails.aspx?SKU=7165665

 

[Anonymous]

I looked at them several years ago. The construction and the mechanism is not as robust as the one used in the chemical processing industry. The motor is weak, of lower grade, and quality. The valve is also of inferior quality, as weell as the enclosure. But then, if your industry does not need NEMA-certified explosion-proof actuator, then something like these may be alright. After all, a sprinkler that comes on at the wrong time and makke a mess in the lawn nis very small dead compare to a bad actuator that does not shuts off, and ruins a batch of ingredient worth several hundred thousands dollars.

 

[Anonymous]

can't tpye with bsby in hand

 

[bleedingthought]

Very nice!

 

[Anonymous]

I found a different version of this, that is a bit higher quality. We use it to auto feed anthias with cyclop-eeze, baby brine, adult brine, fish eggs, live mysis, etc.:

Gilmour 8 cycle digital electronic water timer

By placing two in a row, you can feed whatever volume per feeding you like. I can draw up a diagram if anyone is interested. This allows us to feed the anthias as many as 8 times per day, and they love it!

 

[bleedingthought]

I found a different version of this, that is a bit higher quality. We use it to auto feed anthias with cyclop-eeze, baby brine, adult brine, fish eggs, live mysis, etc.:

Gilmour 8 cycle digital electronic water timer

By placing two in a row, you can feed whatever volume per feeding you like. I can draw up a diagram if anyone is interested. This allows us to feed the anthias as many as 8 times per day, and they love it!

Matt, why do they have to be 2 in series?

And how are they different than the auto feeders from the aquarium industry?

 

[Anonymous]

I found a different version of this, that is a bit higher quality. We use it to auto feed anthias with cyclop-eeze, baby brine, adult brine, fish eggs, live mysis, etc.:

Gilmour 8 cycle digital electronic water timer

By placing two in a row, you can feed whatever volume per feeding you like. I can draw up a diagram if anyone is interested. This allows us to feed the anthias as many as 8 times per day, and they love it!

Matt, why do they have to be 2 in series?

They don't have to be, but it may be useful if you want to dose very small amounts per feeding. The shortest "on" time you can program to is 60 seconds, but if you link 2 together you could dose anything down to about an ounce of liquid. A single timer will work just fine but there is a pretty large minimum volume it would dose.

And how are they different than the auto feeders from the aquarium industry?

Hopper type auto-feeders are limited to flake and pellet food. Those work by rotating a drum over an open hole, and the food falls out. These are for dosing live food--baby brine shrimp, mysis, phytoplankton, rotifers, etc. They are intended to be used as sprinkler timers. You set it to water your lawn for 10 minutes 3 times per day or whatever. It opens a 3/4" ball valve for however many minutes you specify.

 

[Anonymous]

By placing two in a row, you can feed whatever volume per feeding you like. I can draw up a diagram if anyone is interested. This allows us to feed the anthias as many as 8 times per day, and they love it!

Yes please

That has always been one thing that's kept me away from anthias is the multiple feedings schedule requirement

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, I am still confosed by how you use two to get the volumn down to 1 oz.

 

[Anonymous]

By placing two in a row, you can feed whatever volume per feeding you like. I can draw up a diagram if anyone is interested. This allows us to feed the anthias as many as 8 times per day, and they love it!

Yes please

That has always been one thing that's kept me away from anthias is the multiple feedings schedule requirement

Away from a paint program at the moment. See below.

 

[bleedingthought]

Ok, gotcha. I'm interested.

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, I am still confosed by how you use two to get the volumn down to 1 oz.

If the order from reservoir to tank is:

Reservoir>Valve 1>Valve 2>Tank

Start with both valves closed. Open Valve 1 for 1 minute. Close Valve 1. Open Valve 2 for 1 minute. Close Valve 2. Repeat all. As long as the two valves are not both open at the same time, the volume of liquid between Valve 1 and Valve 2 will be the amount added to the tank. If you just leave the piping between the valves, it's only about 1 ounce. You could add whatever size sealed reservoir you like between valve 1 and valve 2 to change this volume. Make sense?

 

[bleedingthought]

I'm going to need more help understanding it.


But before that, how would you go about keeping thawed out frozen foods "fresh" in the reservoir? Just add to it daily?

 

[Anonymous]

I'm going to need more help understanding it.


But before that, how would you go about keeping thawed out frozen foods "fresh" in the reservoir? Just add to it daily?

I wouldn't really consider doing it with any frozen foods. This is probably most useful for seriously dedicated folks who are either culturing or buying live foods for their reef. Even then I would think you would want to empty it daily.

I'll draw a quick diagram tommorrow.