Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I orederd a rainmaker misting system with the upgraded pump from cloud tops and they sent the pump and a bag of parts and no directions. Can anyone send a photo of how their pump connects to the system or can anyone e-mail or fax directions to me. I e-mailed them for directions and they are not answering. They were very vague as to what I needed in order to hook up my system from the beginning. Can someone who has one please help me. I will be away for a few days next week and I need to have the system up and running. The part I don't know how to assemble is from bucket to pump to hose. I can figure out the cage to cage and misting nozzle parts.

I think I described this to someone but can't remember if it was you or someone else! But one end of the pump has the hose which goes through the hole in the bucket lid and down towards the bottom of the bucket, make sure the end of the hose stays at the bottom. You can weigh it down, I use a heavy rock (I know very technical!). The pump sits on top of the lid. The other end of the pump has the hose which you attach the mister nozzle. Hope this helps!

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Experience and appreciate nature's creation.

www.zenexotics.com

You've got the diaphragh pump, so I'd keep it off the bucket - it's big.

Run several feet of hose from the output before you get to the first nozzle. If it's too close, it could create too much pressure.

It is a huge pump. it does not have the long parts going in and out of each end. It came with two screw holes on either side of it with 3/8 inch female threads. According to them irt would have fittings to connect it to 1/4 hose but that is not what they sent. I can order two extra fittings from them but I have been waiting for two weeks for them to deliver this order.
I got it at Cloud tops and the first time they never shipped out my order because they misplaced my credit card number.
I am leaving for a few days soon and now I get no response from them and they don't answer the phone.
They also sent it with no warranty nor instructions. they also sent a bulkhead to attach it to the bottom of the bucket but no directions for that either. I found parts at Home depot that would work but they are for hoses and are metal. I would prefer the plastic kind.
I will need several feet of hose between pump and first stop because the first stop is 8 feet off the ground at the top of my largest cage and the bucket sits on the ground.

Sorry for all your problems! When I got mine, got it all set up in like 30 minutes and haven't had a problem since....hope you get it all figured out!
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Experience and appreciate nature's creation.

www.zenexotics.com

Plus they would not help me much when i would ask what parts i needed. I don't think they liked that i had hoses and clamps from my Mr moisture system. i also had the timer. They were very vague when i asked what i would need because I think they thought i would just give up and order the big kit for Three hundred bucks. I saved about $80.00 by re using timers and hoses and such. It is the same hose for both systems. i went ahead and bought more nozzles and tees for extra cages but since it was not a kit they sent no directions. i still think i am entitled to a warranty for the pump even though it is not a kit!
They have a money back guarantee so if they don't help me get these last parts I need I will send it all back. I am really getting fed up. How did you order from them. do they answer their phone? I tried e-mail but maybe i will try calling next time.

Your pump has 3/8 inch output an dinput. go to lowes or Home depot, and find a 3/8 inch male to 1/4 inch female adapter, then get one from 1/4 inch male to 1/8(internal diameter!) inch barbed. They do not carry a 3/8 inch male to 1/8 inch barbed adapter.

It's confusing, I ended up buying a 1/4 barbed one that wouldn't fit my hose. Make sure you remember that the 1/4 inch hose is measured by external diameter, while the barbed adapters(the ones that fit in the hose) are measured by the INTERNAL diameter of the hose - condusing.

Metal will work, just DO NOT overtighten it. Wrap EVERY thread in teflon plumbers tape - they carry that, it's cheap.
For now, just ream out a hole in the lid of the bucket, and drop in the hose. Worry about the bulkhead when you have time(and instructions)

Run the hose up to the first nozzle, then run it off a tee(if your'e using elbows) or just stick in place, then go to the next.

Secure all the hose joints - THEY WILL SLIP - it really ticks off my wife when water is hosed at high pressure up against the bedroom door in the middle of the night from across the hall...
Where you do not have extra screw clamps, just use small plastic zip ties, and tighten with a pair of pliers - they work.

Call me if you have any questions, I know you're in a time cruicial situation. I'll email you my #

They are made of metal for outside hoses. I asked an employee in plumbing if they were ok for human consumption of water going through them and he read a warning not stating the metal has been shown to cause cancer and to use for non drinking water situations. I am afraid to use them with my animals.
I really only need the 3/8 to 1/4 connector because my hose and system is a 1/4 inch inner diameter hose. I bought adapters to connect each misting nozzle to the 1/4 ID hose.
Maybe Lowes hardware would have something.

Where did you get those adapters(1/4 ID to 1/4 OD), cloudtops?

but they were 1/4 hose barb to 3/8 male pipe thread.
They sent one with their system to attach the bulkhead to the hose but they needed to send two to connect the pump to the hose from the bucket and to the hose going to the misting nozzles. If I can find a sub locally i would like to because now they will not answer the phone for me nor answer my e-mail.

OK guys after spending 2 hrs in Lowes and nobody with any knowledge or creativity to help me I figured it out on my own.
You need to look in the "pressure fitting isle" in plumbing. There is a barbed end that is the size of the hose you need and the other end is threaded at any non specific size. The thread is not important except for choosing the correct fitting to fit it. Basically what I did is drill out a hole in the bottom side edge of the bucket small enough to still allow the threaded end fitting to screw into the bucket. I teflon taped the threads which are now inside the bucket with the barbed end outside the bucket. Buy some 1/2 inch size rubber gromets or any size that will fit over the threads which are inside the bucket. You will need a pressure fitting screw cap with a hole in it to allow for water flow. The issue here is that all plumbing threads are TAPERED and wont allow you to screw them down flush and this is why you need the gromet to seal the hole in the bucket and take up the space for what you can not thread past. It works great with no issues but the crucial point is undersizing the hole in the bucket so that you must actually thread the fitting into the bucket wall. If it is loose you will have problems.

Usually the kind you find at home depot or Lowes is made of a metal that can be toxic or cause cancer. The safe ones would be plastic and maybe copper. Do you know if the product you bought is safe for drinking water or more for irrigation hoses?

np

I got this part in the plumbing section at Lowes.
The threads fit the Rainmaker Diaphram Pump. The other side is an easy connect for a hose. My hose is 1/2 inch outer connection. So I bought part PL-3035 POLYPRO NPTF Male connector
1/2" x 3/8"
If anyone is using the metal ones to connect their pump it may harm the animals by leaching out metals into their water. I did not want to risk it but have not tested if this part will work or not. I guess it's worth a try, Wish me luck!

Brass fittings are not going to make you get cancer. I think the chams here in California will die of smog first, lol. Plastic is fine if you are that worried but I have made a similar set up for my vield that is now 4 yrs old and so is the dripper. The metal is tarnisehd from being wet all the time but I have not had issues with it or have even thought of the metal causing cancer. Its not lead so other than that there are not many other hard metals that can cause such effects as cancer in a life time. Your house pipes are not all plastic and even if they were plastic it is more porous and will retain more bacteria than metal, so take your pick. I think this idea is a bit stretched but do what makes you happy.

If you are that concerned you will need to tear down your system weekly and run bacterial soap in it and completely flush it back out to prevent bacterial issues as well. Though you really dont need to I guess technically speaking it is possible to cont to spread bacteria through all the tubing in our misting systems.
I use all purified water from infront of Stater Brothers at those vending machines so that my nozzles wont be pluged with calcium deposits and keep all my buckets clean between refills but I am not about to tear down all the tubing.
Dont worry too much man, there are more fanatics out there that will get these ideas into your head and stress you out than its worth. I doubt that in perfect conditions with hospital like sterile set ups you might gain 6 months to a year more life on your cham but I suppose anything is possible.

many brass fittings have lead to aid in machining them...

see this site for a cheap easy way to render the fittings safe

http://www.brewinfo.com/mybrewery97/mybrewery3.html

scott

they do have small amounts of lead in them. They are for water hoses in gardening applications and not for human consumption of the water. Thanks for this solution even though I was able to find the fittings in plastic. I am not so afraid of the bacteria as the toxic metal. I was only so obsessive because I have always had fish tanks and metal can cause lots of problems for the fish. I don't want to take chances with my chams.

Sorry to hear youy are having so much trouble with your Rainmaker mist system. That's terrible that Ecologic Technologies didn't send out instructions, a warranty, and didn't return your phone calls!

I bought my mist system from Wetworks, and not only does it work great, but the guy I spoke to was very helpful. I bought the Mr. Moisture Pro, which is similar to the one you have, but it cost less and the pump is better! If you still have trouble with yours, I would give Wetworks a call. Their website is www.WetworksMS.com.

Mark

Yes wet works is great. Tim backs his product 100% he has sent me free nozzles and "T's" ect for replacement parts with no questions asked. I simply had ordered some spare parts and they appeared to be more updated parts and didnt match to what I had already had so he sent me more parts to switch everything to the new stlye misters. The pump works great but it is loud. It is the only pump I have ever had so I have nothing to compare it too but I can hear it every time it comes on from the other room. It is not an anoying sound or anything and this would be my only complaint if I had to make one.
This pump wont burn up should it ever be run dry either, unlike your rain maker. You really do need to buy the more expensiver ain maker or the wet works pump since they are diapgram and not piston pumps. Rain makers equivalent was way over priced.

It is not very loud at all.