3D printed dual input drip ring

Eskander · Jun 14, 2021

Was looking at drip rings on amazon and had a WTF moment at the prices. Figured I'd rather spend a few cents in plastic so I did this design. In the end I want two lines going into it anyway and that isn't really an option with commercial ones. I would recommend against a transparent plastic and PETG is probably the best choice. I just used this blue stuff because it is easy to see if there are internal flaws before I print a bunch of them in black.

Comments? Suggestions?

-Eskander

@Moe.Red

Dual Input Drip Ring by Sandow50

For automated irrigating with 1/4 rainbird input lines or 1/8 NPT threaded couplers. Two ports to allow redundancy. Secure with tent stakes or something similar. Print without supports. PLA will not hold up well in the sun.

www.thingiverse.com

Eskander · Jun 14, 2021

Tested the flow. Really even water distribution even with a single inlet hose. I want to run two pumps and two synchronized timers so I can avoid single point failures. Being able to leave for a few days without Murphy kicking me in the Balls will be nice.

Slightly stunning download numbers. Figured this would be a pretty niche item but its been downloaded 230 times in 4 hours...

-Eskander

tobh · Jun 14, 2021

funny i see this now. i'm looking for a CAD file of a floraflex 4" floracap. Seeing as you designed this, I'm assuming you have some knowledge of this ecosystem (I'm a bit out of my element here). have you seen anything comparable in your ventures into 3d printing?

Eskander · Jun 15, 2021

tobh said:
funny i see this now. i'm looking for a CAD file of a floraflex 4" floracap. Seeing as you designed this, I'm assuming you have some knowledge of this ecosystem (I'm a bit out of my element here). have you seen anything comparable in your ventures into 3d printing?

Floracap isn’t exactly a complex design. Wouldn’t be hard to model a printable version. Is there something you don’t like about their design or just looking for a cheaper alternative?

-Eskander

Eskander · Jun 15, 2021

I've only used grodan as a starter so I'm taking a swag at what makes sense. I guessed at a 1" center hole but I have no idea if that is too big or too small. Sorta depends on the use. Let me know what needs to be tweaked.

Happy to model larger caps if people want.

@Dirtbag @tobh @Aqua Man

-Eskander

4x4 rockwool irrigation plate by Sandow50

Used in pairs to cover 4x4" rock wool cubes. Holes on edges are sized for 1/4 rainbird lines but will need to be chased with a drill. Designed to be secured in place with pins. Stainless nails would probably be a good choice.

www.thingiverse.com

tobh · Jun 15, 2021

Eskander said:
Floracap isn’t exactly a complex design. Wouldn’t be hard to model a printable version. Is there something you don’t like about their design or just looking for a cheaper alternative?

-Eskander

I'm a cheap bastard and don't want to pay $60 for the amount of caps I need haha my nephew has a 3d printer and figured it would be a good project for him to do instead of letting the thing collect dust now that his initial excitement has faded away.

Aqua Man · Jun 15, 2021

Have yet to do RW brother... @Dirtbag and @tobh Will be able to give ya better info on that. Just wanted to respond since I was tagged.

Eskander · Jun 15, 2021

Aqua Man said:
Have yet to do RW brother... @Dirtbag and @tobh Will be able to give ya better info on that. Just wanted to respond since I was tagged.

Ah. Figured you had gone down that path at some point or another.

-Eskander

Aqua Man · Jun 15, 2021

Eskander said:
Ah. Figured you had gone down that path at some point or another.

-Eskander

I'm thinking about it... not sure it will be much different than coco... a few small differences but have yet to find out. If you go this route and do a diary would appreciate it if you can tag me in there to follow along

Eskander · Jun 15, 2021

Aqua Man said:
I'm thinking about it... not sure it will be much different than coco... a few small differences but have yet to find out. If you go this route and do a diary would appreciate it if you can tag me in there to follow along

I’ve done DWC, NFT, TAG, FAG and DTWCC and the DTWCC is by far my favorite. It is reliable with a higher margin for error or equipment failure. A root structure that will actually support a plant and coco is cheaper than good dirt.

I love RW for seeds and clones but I would need a fairly compelling reason to do a full grow in it. I could see going to slabs if I couldn’t sterilize the CC after use but as it stands, I can just toss bags of it into the autoclave.

The two things I’m changing now are going to raised wide short bags for better aeration (presumably) and better automation. Thus the dual drip ring.

-Eskander

Aqua Man · Jun 15, 2021

Eskander said:
I’ve done DWC, NFT, TAG, FAG and DTWCC and the DTWCC is by far my favorite. It is reliable with a higher margin for error or equipment failure. A root structure that will actually support a plant and coco is cheaper than good dirt.

I love RW for seeds and clones but I would need a fairly compelling reason to do a full grow in it. I could see going to slabs if I couldn’t sterilize the CC after use but as it stands, I can just toss bags of it into the autoclave.

The two things I’m changing now are going to raised wide short bags for better aeration (presumably) and better automation. Thus the dual drip ring.

-Eskander

Yeah I was a hydro guy and did 1 peat run to know it wasn't for me then a coco and the growth rates are just a bit less than RDWC with the forgiving nature have me thinking I'm staying in coco... I have considered RW and will definitely try one in the future at some point just for personal experience... I will also go balls out and try and aeroponic grow in the future and the growth rates in that should be scary but no forgiveness in aeroponics at all.

In my experience I'd say from an over pro vs con RW or coco are the tops for gain vs risk.

But it all depends on the budget and time you have.

Eskander · Jun 15, 2021

Aqua Man said:
Yeah I was a hydro guy and did 1 peat run to know it wasn't for me then a coco and the growth rates are just a bit less than RDWC with the forgiving nature have me thinking I'm staying in coco... I have considered RW and will definitely try one in the future at some point just for personal experience... I will also go balls out and try and aeroponic grow in the future and the growth rates in that should be scary but no forgiveness in aeroponics at all.

In my experience I'd say from an over pro vs con RW or coco are the tops for gain vs risk.

But it all depends on the budget and time you have.

I'm actually getting dragged back into high pressure aeroponics for a project I'm working on but that is for sweet potatoes in a VERY different application. I never would have touched it again otherwise. So much can go wrong and kill stuff so quickly... You loose pressure for an hour and it is probably game over. Your redundancy needs redundancy...

If it is dialed in, you might see faster growth and better yields but in terms or risk/reward, I don't see it ever being practical for normal growing. By all means, play with it. It was fun as an engineering challenge but that was about all I got out of it.

-Eskander

Aqua Man · Jun 15, 2021

Eskander said:
I'm actually getting dragged back into high pressure aeroponics for a project I'm working on but that is for sweet potatoes in a VERY different application. I never would have touched it again otherwise. So much can go wrong and kill stuff so quickly... You loose pressure for an hour and it is probably game over. Your redundancy needs redundancy...

If it is dialed in, you might see faster growth and better yields but in terms or risk/reward, I don't see it ever being practical for normal growing. By all means, play with it. It was fun as an engineering challenge but that was about all I got out of it.

-Eskander

100% and could not agree more... Im going to do it fully knowing the risks but there is no way I would ever recommend it to someone. If done right sure it's crazy growth rates but that can change in hrs to dead plants.

Eskander · Jun 15, 2021

Aqua Man said:
100% and could not agree more... Im going to do it fully knowing the risks but there is no way I would ever recommend it to someone. If done right sure it's crazy growth rates but that can change in hrs to dead plants.

You know, if you want to give it a run there is an application that is mostly practical. Well… Slightly more practical anyway. If you build a system into a plastic bin you can use it as a cloner once you are done messing with it. You can do a single pump and two nozzles with a solenoid on each. You can run that as a single plant along with a CC grow and compare the results. Once you decide it is more trouble than it is worth then you still have a decent autocloner.

Letting nutrients pool a little at the bottom will give you a bit of CYA when something fails vs strict drain to waste. Not that there is much waste. You really want to use the .3 nozzles without drip control and you must use a pump that will hit 150 psi or better. Higher is defiantly better. Run low ppm and work up slowly. Everything is on a razor edge as far as starved vs burned. Lastly, filter your nutrients before you add them to the reservoir and you can avoid an in line filter.

Won’t lie. It’s a fun concept to play with. Just as useful as tits on a turtle outside of microgravity but still fun.

-Eskander

Moe.Red · Jun 15, 2021

One suggestion you might want to make that a U shape rather than a full circle. That way to can still get it off a bushy plant if needed mid grow.

Moe.Red · Jun 15, 2021

Eskander said:
I can just toss bags of it into the autoclave.

What autoclave do you have? I’m trying to come up with a diy 55gal drum version. My 18l is too small.

Eskander · Jun 15, 2021

Moe.Red said:
One suggestion you might want to make that a U shape rather than a full circle. That way to can still get it off a bushy plant if needed mid grow.

Like this? Second file :)
Mostly about “I probably should have put this on sooner” though.

Moe.Red said:
What autoclave do you have? I’m trying to come up with a diy 55gal drum version. My 18l is too small.

To be honest I have no idea. I’ll look when I get to the lab tomorrow. I wouldn’t buy one that size for personal use. You can sterilize to almost completion with just a turkey frier and a big pot. If you want to want something really dead then a pressure cooker hits the same pressure/temperature and you can always toss an ampule standard in the center to make sure. 23L pressure cookers are $120 on Amazon and a turkey frier is chump change too.

On the other hand if you get astainless steel pressure cooker that size then it allows for other things that might come in handy. It turns out that bone, flesh, hair, fat, etc.. will rapidly become tan goop of a fairly neutral ph when autoclaved with some lye. Even teeth are reduced to just a few specks of calcium. In the worst parts of Mexico this process is known as “making pozole”.

God knows it is better than barrels of HF lol…

-Eskander

tobh · Jun 15, 2021

Eskander said:
Just as useful as tits on a turtle outside of microgravity but still fun.

thanks for adding a wonderful statement to my lexicon hahaha

JoryK · Jun 16, 2021

Eskander said:
Tested the flow. Really even water distribution even with a single inlet hose. I want to run two pumps and two synchronized timers so I can avoid single point failures. Being able to leave for a few days without Murphy kicking me in the Balls will be nice.

Slightly stunning download numbers. Figured this would be a pretty niche item but its been downloaded 230 times in 4 hours...

-Eskander

That’s way killer cool man. I love the idea, the dual inputs are great. I’ve looked for them with dual inputs so many times and haven't ever found them. What size in diameter are the ones you made? You should really think about selling them. I bet you’d do pretty well with a Shopify site or something selling them in various diameters n such.
Anyways, I was wondering if you’d consider making me a few, and if so, what you’d want for them? I’m just not a real texkkie kinda person, and I couldn’t ever do something like that.
thanks a lot,
Jory

Dosifry · Jun 16, 2021

Eskander said:
Was looking at drip rings on amazon and had a WTF moment at the prices. Figured I'd rather spend a few cents in plastic so I did this design. In the end I want two lines going into it anyway and that isn't really an option with commercial ones. I would recommend against a transparent plastic and PETG is probably the best choice. I just used this blue stuff because it is easy to see if there are internal flaws before I print a bunch of them in black.

Comments? Suggestions?

-Eskander

@Moe.Red

Dual Input Drip Ring by Sandow50

For automated irrigating with 1/4 rainbird input lines or 1/8 NPT threaded couplers. Two ports to allow redundancy. Secure with tent stakes or something similar. Print without supports. PLA will not hold up well in the sun.

www.thingiverse.com

View attachment 1135530
View attachment 1135531

I’ve been making homemade drip rings for years drilling out 1/4” vinyl tubing. Needless to say there are variations in the water output at each site. This though is AWESOME!!!! Does it cost much to do? I could use 80-100 of these bad boys. I don’t quite follow you with the double inputs? Creates redundancy? Could you explain in layman’s terms? I would absolutely love to be able to create something like this in my own. My library has a 3-d printer but I wouldn’t get past the starting line. To say I am not tech savvy is an understatement.
Great job though. What I like about my drip rings is they are elevated slightly so I can physically see the water coming out. Awesome job

3D printed dual input drip ring

3D printed dual input drip ring

Eskander

Dual Input Drip Ring by Sandow50

Eskander

tobh

Eskander

Eskander

4x4 rockwool irrigation plate by Sandow50

tobh

Aqua Man

Eskander

Aqua Man

Eskander

Aqua Man

Eskander

Aqua Man

Eskander

Moe.Red

Moe.Red

Eskander

tobh

JoryK

Dosifry

Dual Input Drip Ring by Sandow50

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