I have been watering orchids with hand pumped sprayers. I used several models including cheap ones from HomeDepot, but this model 26021XP 2-Gallon ProSeries from Chapin is quite a bit better. It is easy to clean inside because the opening is pretty big, and it seems to be pretty durable (>2 years). But after 2 years of use, I feel the pump is getting a bit weak (I have to pump more frequently). It probably needs to be cleaned up.
This sprayer has been working ok, but it does take quite a bit of time to water all plants because the flow rate isn't high, and it is kind of tedious to pressurize manually. So I asked a question at SlipperTalk in order to make the irrigation easier. I got several good recommendations. After looking around the recommended options, I decided to get a submersible utility transfer pump (Wayne EEAUP250 1/4HP, about $120 from Amazon). I have a 50 gallon barrel to store rain water next to the main orchid grow tent. So I can put the submersible pump in there and use a regular garden hose with a nozzle. The model I chose has an automatic cut-off switch, so when the water level becomes too low, the pump stops to prevent the damage. Older types of cut-off switches uses mechanical methods such as a float switch, and I've read that this could be troublesome and occasionally unreliable. The Wayne model uses electronic sensor (they call it iSwitch technology) instead, so it has less moving parts, and I hope it is more reliable.
With this new pump, watering is much quicker, and I'm pretty happy about it! The pump is not completely silent, but it is reasonably quiet.
Normal garden hose nozzles have 7-11 gallon per minute (gpm) flow rate at 40PSI. Since I use it indoor and need to pump out the waste water by another pump from the water catch tray, I didn't want a high flow rate. I started with DRAMM 510 seedling nozzle (0.5gpm at 40PSI, link to Amazon), but it was a bit too low for me, so I settled down with DRAMM 610F Fogg-It Nozzle - Fine (1gpm at 40PSI, link to DRAMM site or Amazon page). I like the flow rate of 610F, but I wish there is something with a narrower spray pattern, so I can target better. Any suggestions for a better low-flow irrigation nozzles?
Without the nozzle, the flow rate from the submersible pump seems to be similar to that of a typical faucet. The pump is connected to about 15 feet of 1/2" (or is it 5/8") inside diameter hose. A SlipperTalk friend asked me for a video showing the flow rate, so here is my attempt. It is kind of noisy video (due to lots of circulation and LED cooling fans in the grow tent), and it's pretty difficult to understand what I was mumbling, but you can see the flow rate.
This sprayer has been working ok, but it does take quite a bit of time to water all plants because the flow rate isn't high, and it is kind of tedious to pressurize manually. So I asked a question at SlipperTalk in order to make the irrigation easier. I got several good recommendations. After looking around the recommended options, I decided to get a submersible utility transfer pump (Wayne EEAUP250 1/4HP, about $120 from Amazon). I have a 50 gallon barrel to store rain water next to the main orchid grow tent. So I can put the submersible pump in there and use a regular garden hose with a nozzle. The model I chose has an automatic cut-off switch, so when the water level becomes too low, the pump stops to prevent the damage. Older types of cut-off switches uses mechanical methods such as a float switch, and I've read that this could be troublesome and occasionally unreliable. The Wayne model uses electronic sensor (they call it iSwitch technology) instead, so it has less moving parts, and I hope it is more reliable.
With this new pump, watering is much quicker, and I'm pretty happy about it! The pump is not completely silent, but it is reasonably quiet.
Normal garden hose nozzles have 7-11 gallon per minute (gpm) flow rate at 40PSI. Since I use it indoor and need to pump out the waste water by another pump from the water catch tray, I didn't want a high flow rate. I started with DRAMM 510 seedling nozzle (0.5gpm at 40PSI, link to Amazon), but it was a bit too low for me, so I settled down with DRAMM 610F Fogg-It Nozzle - Fine (1gpm at 40PSI, link to DRAMM site or Amazon page). I like the flow rate of 610F, but I wish there is something with a narrower spray pattern, so I can target better. Any suggestions for a better low-flow irrigation nozzles?
Without the nozzle, the flow rate from the submersible pump seems to be similar to that of a typical faucet. The pump is connected to about 15 feet of 1/2" (or is it 5/8") inside diameter hose. A SlipperTalk friend asked me for a video showing the flow rate, so here is my attempt. It is kind of noisy video (due to lots of circulation and LED cooling fans in the grow tent), and it's pretty difficult to understand what I was mumbling, but you can see the flow rate.
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