I've been looking at internet-enabled home devices (think Nest) and Cloud-anything has been a deal breaker for me EVERYTIME! Hell, the first-gen Nest's had the same issue - "Thanks for supporting us at the beginning, now fuck you! ;)"

I've managed to find some really nice hardware for my Thermostat, Sprinkler Controller (though I bought the 12-station controller) as well as hackable Wifi 120v (or 240v) light and switch controllers for $5-8 each!! And I totally forgot about my OpenGarage!

Each of these have open "REST" APIs that accept LAN requests to their local webserver (e.g. 192.168.1.15/api/do/something?key=secret&on=true) so they are wide-open to program against.

I found a neat irrigation controller on amazon that has a web interface. You can hook it up to your local weather stations and it can help figure out how much rain you've received and compensates the irrigation! https://amzn.to/2GWjq2s it's a "rainmachine"

The metal conduit is used with nets on the strawberries to keep the birds out, on the other beds they are used with plastic as a greenhouse in the winter.

These work great and are about $20. Been using them for years.

Yosoo Solar DC 12V Hot Water Circulation Pump Brushless Motor Water Pump 3M Low Noise csf (DC 12V)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DWORE6E

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​

I actually didn't tally up the cost as that wasn't really of a concern to me, but I'll try my best to provide links to the things I bought for this. Feel free to add it up for me!

• Lighting
  
  • T-5 Grow light (came with 6500K bulbs)
    
  • 2700K bulbs
    
  • Grow light hangers
    
• Grow medium
  
  • Net Cups
    
  • Black Buckets
    
  • Black lids
    
• Nutrients
  
  • General Hydroponics Flora Series
    
  • General Hydroponics pH control kit
    
  • pH/EC/Temp Meters
    
• Grow tent
  
• Air ventilation
  
  • The only thing I ended up using from this kit was the cheapest part, the ventilation duct...
    
  • The fan from this kit is way too powerful for my setup because my humidifier couldn't keep up
    
  • I didn't use the carbon filter because I'm not growing weed.
    
• Water Distiller
  
• Humidifier
  
  • The cheaper the humidifier, the better. I first bought (and destroyed) one that had some sort of digital switch, so it would always be in the off state when you first supply power to it, meaning you can't turn it on/off with just a relay.
    
• Plumbing
  
  • Aquatec 8852 booster pump
    
  • 2 Gallon accumulator tank
    
  • Pressure relief valve
    
  • Tubing
    
  • Inline Pre-filter (Sorry they must have taken the product down...)
    
  • Misting nozzle T's
    
  • Tube ball valves
    
  • Analog pressure gauge
    
  • Misting Nozzles
    
    • Note that these nozzles are meant for WAY higher pressure systems (~1000psi) and I actually had to take out the spring for them to operate correctly, but they never clogged up, are easy to clean, and worked perfectly for me!
      
• Electronics
  
  • Raspberry Pi 3 kit
    
  • Humidity sensor
    
  • Pressure sensor
    
  • Water solenoid valve
    
  • 5V 4-channel relay module
    
  • Analog-to-digital converter
    
  • 24V to 12V converter
    
  • 24V Power supply
    
  • Resistor kit
    
  • Semiconductor kit
    
  • Circuit boards
    
  • Standoffs
    
• Wiring
  
  • 22 gauge stranded wire
    
  • 22 gauge solid wire
    
  • Power supply cord
    
• Connectors
  
  • Electronic Connectors
    
    • JST-XHP Connectors
      
    • JST-SM Connectors
      
    • Dupont Connectors
      
  • Plumbing Connectors
    
    • Bulkhead connectors
      
    • Quick-connect kit
      
    • NPT to quick-connect connector
      
      I also bought various tools, like crimpers, Dremel kit, drill, etc, but I don't consider those to be project-specific as I'll have them for the foreseeable future. Let me know if there's anything you see that you think I missed!
      

I bought a submersible water pump for 50$ off of Amazon. It worked great. If you zip tie the float to the top of the pump it will drain it down to an inch or two at the very bottom of the pool.

https://www.amazon.com/Yescom-2112GPH-Submersible-Swimming-Transfer/dp/B017TWVTBK/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?keywords=Yescom+1%2F2+HP+2112GPH&qid=1555349175&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmrnull

If you find a simple dish/bowl birdbath you like, you can add [this solar-powered aquarium pump](Ankway Solar Water Pump Kit 1.2W 3M/9.8ft Wire Length Solar Power Water Water Pump Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y575NA6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_veHdBbZXR2SCX) (I’m sure you can find something similar not on amazon) to move water. I have one and really like it. It only operates when the sun is shining on the solar panel, though, but it still is really simple and does the job.

Good point. It also looks like the cost of a utility pump that runs 1800 GPH costs less than the pond pumps that can push 600.

1. I got the container at a place near Nashville called Southeastern Salvage. I couldn't find anything online, but here’s what the barcode sticker says:
   HF1562LAW
   LG antique white planter
   745896421086
   
2. Paver base from HD to level the container.
   
3. The fountain is the Beckett Container Garden Fountain Kit. It's available at Home Depot and Amazon. I added some aquarium filter media which really helps with cloudy water.
   
4. Typical pond liner from HD. This was the smallest size at my store and still way more than I needed.
   
5. Aquarium safe silicone.
   
6. River pebbles from Home Depot for substrate - I know most pond-owners don't recommend this, but my container is small enough to vacuum the gravel when it gets gross. This choice was may too natural/orangey and makes the fish harder to see.
   
7. I happened to have a broken concrete block (like this) which made a a nice base to keep the pump off the bottom and leaning another piece on it gives the fish a hiding spot.
   
8. Floating plants: water lettuce and water hyacinth. Aquatic plants: hornwort, anacharis and golden creeping jenny I pulled out of my flowerbed and tossed in.
   
   The build was pretty simple, when you break it down. It took a while just with life stuff getting the way and I didn't do everything exactly to this order - adding floating plants before I was done sealing the edges, didn't do the final liner trim until very last etc., but this is the gist:
   
   
9. I chose the location and made a pile of paver base wider than the bottom of the container.
   
10. Set the container on the paver base and set a large bubble level across its top. Pushing down, I worked the container back/forth/side/side until it was level all the way around and felt pretty stable.
    
11. Spread out the liner in the container (letting excess hang over sides) and filled with water making sure there were no bubbles or anything. I should have done a better job working out/consolidating the wrinkles/folds at this point. It was pretty hard when it was full, but it turned ok (not great). Once the container was full, I trimmed most of the excess to make it easier to work with, leaving about 12" all around.
    
12. I went ahead and put in some gravel, the concrete block pieces, and fountain at this point, though I should have waited to make it easier to work out wrinkles in the liner. I used the fountain to remove water until the water level was about 6" below the rim to keep the liner pressed against the sides, but allow me to access the edge. Then, I tucked the liner under the rim of the container and trimmed some more excess. Next, I used aquarium safe silicone to adhere the liner under the lip of the container rim so the edge of liner is concealed by the lip of the container. I used clamps in a few places to hold it in place while the silicone set. I had to be careful to keep the outside dry where the liner contacted the silicone to get a good seal. I did another pass later to remove the final bit of excess and add silicone where needed.
    
13. Filled it back up adding pond water conditioner, added plants and fish. I used this new tank bio starter stuff too. I lost 1 goldfish on day 2 so it was probably on its way out anyways but the rest seem healthy after about 2 months.

Does your immersion chiller fit on your sink tap? I think most are designed to work with a standard faucet, or come with an adapter (or one could be purchased). If so, just sit your kettle next to the sink (maybe on a rack or something to protect your counters from the heat) and run your immersion chiller's out tube into the sink.

If it doesn't fit on the sink tap there are a few options. I went with a pump (this one), so I attach the immersion chiller to the pump, drop that in the bottom of a bucket and then run water into the bucket with my sink hose.

If there's no time for Amazon, do you have a big bin you could fit your kettle in for an ice bath?

When my son was young I did that exact thing with a solar pump like this: [amazon solar pump](COSVII Solar Fountain Pump, 1.8W Solar Water Fountain Pump, Solar Powered Fountain Pump for Birdbath, Garden, Pond, Pool, Fish Tank https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DWSV7XZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hhsmDb7TPGBAD)

Worked great and didn’t need to be plugged in.

This one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HLCOXFI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A traditional pump would take up less space, if you wanted to go that route. I just like the look of the dosing pump.

No worries at all. Not only do you have your own life, you're on the opposite side of the world from me. I've really enjoyed this discussion - not only am I able to help you out, but you're curious about a subject I love. Basically a win/win for me. :)

I honestly couldn't tell you how many teeth snakes have. I've seen maybe 6? on Puppy.

Those pictures are actually a few months old. She's going to shed tonight or tomorrow, though.

--------------

I bought this pump and filter combination, and this bowl to use as the basin. I also purchased some PVC pipe (3/4" inner diameter I think, 1" outer diameter), a couple sheets of flagstone, some flexible tubing (5/8" inner diameter, 3/4" outer diameter - so it fits inside the PVC pipe), some large diameter black pipe for spacing out the rocks, some gravel, and assorted fittings for the PVC pipe.

I built the frame out of the PVC pipe - you can see it a bit in the picture. It's the white pipe. The frame is composed of a rectangular cube, with T-fittings around the bottom edge. Each of the Ts points inward. I then have a single fitting that takes in all four of the Ts and lets you send a central pipe straight up. The gravel is in the bottom of the bowl, and the frame sits on it.

Next up, I cut the flagstone. Flagstone breaks in straight lines, so all you have to do is get a chisel you don't care about, score the line that you want to cut, and then put the chisel in the score and smack it with a hammer. It will break along that line.

Next I used this 1" diamond core drill bit to cut holes in the center of each piece of flagstone. The holes wound up being slightly too small, so I used these diamond files to make them wide enough to fit the PVC pipe.

Then I put the stones onto the frame, using the black spacer pipes between them.

Now, in order to get the water to actually flow, I drilled a hole through the center pipe in the frame, below where the lowest piece of flagstone sits and fed the flexible tubing through that hole and up to the top of the waterfall. Then I hooked up the pump to the flexible tubing.

Last but not least, I got a lamp dimmer and connected the pump's power cord to it. So, I basically have an on/off switch for it. That's necessary because the waterfall splashes a bit. If I left it on all the time, it would soak the substrate.

All told, the waterfall took months of work and a lot of mistakes. The final product turned out well, though.

------

If you have the freezer space and your snake cooperates, f/t is the way to go. It's the cheapest and safest option.

I feed Puppy live, but that's because she's a very picky eater. She refuses to eat anything unless it's alive. I recently switched her from a species called African Soft Furs (bigger than mice, smaller than rats) to regular old rats, which she didn't like at all. The entire process took around 3 months of hard, moderately traumatizing work.

However, that's a very specific issue that happens with carpet pythons - they get fixated on a single food source and can refuse to switch. I doubt you'll have that sort of problem.

One more thing - usually you want to let your snake digest for 1 - 3 days after you feed them. If they are full and become very bothered, sometimes they will regurgitate their meal. That is definitely bad.

----------

Yeah, ideally the shed will be in one single piece. The shed is actually longer than your snake is however - as they are shedding, the skin stretches to let them get out.

What I'd suggest is looking at the skin initially. You should be able to see the eyecaps on the discarded skin, the tip of the tail, etc. If you do notice stuck shed, there are a few common approaches:

1. Soak them in a tub of reasonably temperatured water for like 15 - 30 minutes, then pull it off by hand.
   
2. Put them into a damp pillowcase for a while. The moisture will loosen the shed, and the pillowcase will give them enough friction to rub it off themselves.
   
   Shedding is hard work, so I usually feed them a large meal, let them rest for a few days, and then hang out with them. However, it's totally cool if you want to hang out with your snake immediately after a shed, as long as your snake isn't acting stressed.

I tried and failed to run a solar swamp cooler my first burn - 2015 too! I won't bother with what didn't work, but here's what I will be running this year:

2 water pumps

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B007SKGSU6/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1497052996&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=water+pump+solar

Using this fan:

https://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/delta-electronics/AFB1212SHE/603-1082-ND/1014413

And running it with this solar panel:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B071RX1CZX/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_dp_p1

We've had shit weather this week and I'm away for the weekend, so I've only tested it briefly with promising results. but I'm going to set it up fully next week. I can let you know the outcome if your interested.

-See you on the playa my dusty friend

Looking to build a carboy washer because the one at Northern Brewer feels too expensive. Anyone else done something similar and can give me tips?

I've found this youtube video with a shopping list, but I'm not sure if this pump will do it or if there's something better out there.

Hmm. Hard to tell from a still photo, but it doesn't look like you'd need more than a ~60 gph pump.

Yeah, here you go. 66 gph, 12V. Just wire it into something like this.

> I didn’t do a full album because of all the mistakes I made building it

Frankly, that's far more educational for the rest of us than a project that goes smoothly :)

I use this water pump: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F9TK8VC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with the pump inside this filter box: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DL0Y2Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and this valve: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0752GDY1N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to prevent the water from backflowing during clouds/night time. This is the air pump: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HP28UU8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that I use but will probably add another for the other end of the tank. The filter box has made the water noticeably better, more translucent than opaque with algae.

​

It took a bit of looking to find a pump on amazon that listed the max lift height of the pump pumping up a tube. The circulation is mainly for the sound and so the birds can drink from the old concrete fountain part instead of sitting on the tank edge and risking falling in when the water gets lower.

The Topsflo are really nice maybe someday. Now I have a 110VAC SS Chugger that I use for big pumping jobs and whirlpool with my immersion chiller (aka herms coil). For little jobs like recirculating herms/hot water around the coil or recirculating wort through the herms coil I use these little 24VDC pumps.

Like these. In 3 years I dropped one and broke the pump head and one the motor seized up. I'm trying one of these soon.

I mated the to quick disconnects so just plug them onto hose or kettles as I need them. Usually they work great and I use a [panel PWM] (http://www.ebay.com/itm/122513669900) control to manually adjust the speed. I have them hooked to a manual/auto switch so I can use the RasPi to turn them off or on if I want.

I use a Python with a pump. I use this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012V5VNC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Apollo-1-2-in-PVC-Drip-Irrigation-Male-Adapter/50030700 Hook it up to my python and red team go. No more wasted water.

EDIT: If you get this one https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012V3Q2U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 it won't need the adapter from Lowes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CTCTYBR/

Solar water pump that can decorate your gardenhttps://www.amazon.com/Skywee-Upgraded-Fountains-Waterproof-Submersible/dp/B07CSJZ84H/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536045588&sr=8-2&keywords=solar+pump+skywee

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713T9PRP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CMFCCb3CP30ZG

But I would recommend shopping around.

You dont even need those, just get outdoor 1/2" irrigation line, connect 1/4" irrigation line for each container.

At least that is what i did: here I use a 400 gph pump that was real cheap on Amazon. The 1/4" line goes right into the bucket. No reason i can think of for pressure regulation.

I got the lines and and the connectors at Home Depot, much cheaper since I figured out exatly what I wanted instead of buying a kit.

I have a aquaponics set up running in a similar fashion using capacitors built into small panels like these, when the sun hits my panels a small water pump lifts into the filter tank and the airpump powers a bubble stone.


So, to make this simplest, for a 100w LED grow light like this you're going to need at least a 400w solar panel and a bank of capacitors that can keep a high enough current to keep that LED powered, (you might want to liquid cool it to reduce the current needed)

What GPH are you getting? I was considering this pump, its more than double the bucket cooler pump.

https://www.amazon.com/Mavel-Star-Submersible-Brushless-Fountain/dp/B01816E1YU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1

I'm not sure. I think it's a 12v water pump with a 12v solar panel. But I see 12v solar panels at some hardware stores.

But homedepot sell them as a kit:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Solarrific-Solar-Powered-Water-Fountain-Kit-G3017/205703113

Amazon link for 14 dollars:
https://amzn.com/B00Y575NA6

I’m trying to use this 10w solar panel
(https://www.bestbuy.com/site/renogy-e-flex-10w-portable-solar-panel-with-5000-mah-power-bank-black/6258077.p?skuId=6258077)
To power this 2.5 W pump
(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057R1NQG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thkiofra0f-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0057R1NQG&linkId=a40706ddbbfbe7ec44816bd803118d1a)

Unfortunately, I cant find anything about current in here :/

I need to use this motor. It is a [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HLCOXFI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00](speciality pump). I don't have a problem using a separate power source for the pump, but I still need fine control.

boom, solar powered pump for 10 bucks. and just have it fill a reservoir mounted high enough that the water can gravity flow through the filter and fill your water jug over time.

edit: or forget the pump all together and just fill up the reservoir manually and let it drip through the filter.

This is the exact pump I used, something similar on US amazon would probably be something like this