The garbage can starts off empty with the float switch dangling down inside. This closes a switch which powers a sprinkler valve and fills the garbage can. When the float switch floats upright it cuts off the power to the sprinkler valve and stops filling the garbage can. The water in the can warms up ready for use.
A small pump on a timer is placed in the garbage can. When the timer goes to ON, power is sent to the pump which sends water from the garbage can into the dripper pans.
You
will need a medium sized garbage can, one sprinkler valves, a small pump, a
timer, a specialized float switch, connectors, T's, hoses, a large stand and one
sprinkler power supply.
Being
a lazy guy, I didn't want to go out and fill the garbage can all the time.
I needed a self-filling garbage can. A tall stand for your garbage can is
a must. You have to make sure that your garbage can is below the level of your
first pan. Otherwise, once you start the water flowing it will continue
like a siphon and empty your pail. The pail can't be too low or your pump
won't have enough power to lift the water into the pan.
Next you need a float switch inside your garbage can. There are two types of float switches. You need the type that turns the switch ON when the water is low and OFF when the water is high (a Pump Up Switch). I went to a specialty plumbing shop to find this part. Your float switch turns on a sprinkler valve which is connected to a garden hose and will automatically fill the can. When the can empties the float switch will open the valve and refill the can. The hardest thing was to secure the float switch inside the can. I used some self adhesive bathroom hooks. Once the can is full, the water warms in the sun and provides the water source for the dripper.
Next you will need a way for the warm water to get into the drip pan. I started with a second sprinkler valve hooked to the bottom of the can but sprinkler valves don't open properly under gravity feed. I switched to a small pump which pumps the water up out of the garbage can and into the top pan. The pump is hooked to a timer which runs 3 times a day for 15 minutes each time. This is enough time to fill each of the pans.
The
hardest thing to do is to get the drip pans to drip enough water for the
Chameleon but leave enough water for the next pan. Start with very few
holes and add more holes later. I did it the other way around and ended up
covering a lot of holes with duct tape. The water fills one drip pan then
flows out a hole in the side down a tube into the next pan. The final pan
should have an overflow hole and hose to lead the water away from the cage - we
don't want to create a flood.
Each
pan cascades to an adjacent pan. Of course this only works if you have a
series of progressively smaller cages. But that's how my cages worked out
so this method worked out perfectly for me.
Since the first pan will be dripping for the entire 15 minutes PLUS how ever long it takes to drain, place a smaller pan at the top. The bottom pan will only just be filled at the end of 15 minutes so I placed the largest pan at the bottom of the cascade.
The one danger of any automated system is that we assume it's working and forget about it. Even one day without water can result in a disaster. Check the pans every day because a dirty pan with plugged holes won't drip properly.
Finally I placed the timer and sprinkler power supply in a small second garbage can and sealed it up under the stand.
In addition to the dripper, you will probably also need to hook up a misting system. Take a look at Thor's Outdoor Cage for some ideas on that side of things.