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Ingredient

Peristaltic pump

Also known as: dosing pump, tubing pump

Positive-displacement pump that moves fluid by squeezing a flexible tube against a rotating roller — fluid never contacts the pump's mechanical parts, only the tube interior. The right ingredient for nutrient dosing, pH-up/pH-down dosing, microalgae feeding, and any application where the fluid is corrosive, sterile, or expensive. Volume-per-revolution is fixed and reproducible (typically 0.5–10 mL/rev), so dosing is open-loop precise — count revolutions, get volume. ~$10–30 for hobbyist 12V pumps; ~$50–200 for laboratory-grade. Driven by stepper or DC motor.

Inputs / outputs

  • Power: 12V DC typical (some 6V or 24V variants), 200–800 mA
  • Flow rate: 5–100 mL/min typical for hobbyist pumps; lab pumps higher
  • Volume per revolution: fixed, reproducible (calibrate once)
  • Tubing: silicone (general) or chemical-resistant (Viton, EPDM) for harsh fluids

Solves / unlocks

  • Hydroponic nutrient stock-A / stock-B / stock-C dosing
  • pH adjustment in reservoirs
  • Targeted drip-irrigation for raised beds and containers
  • Microalgae and yeast feeding loops
  • Fertigation scheduling (deliver known volume at known interval)

Constraints

  • Tube wear — peristaltic tubes fatigue and crack; replace after some hundreds of hours.
  • Flow rate drops as tubing ages; recalibrate periodically.
  • Not for high-pressure delivery — peristaltic pumps are low-pressure (typical max ~30 PSI).
  • Air-lock recovery is automatic — peristaltic pumps are self-priming, an advantage over centrifugal pumps.

Source

  • Hobbyist 12V pumps: any electronics distributor (Adafruit, Sparkfun, AliExpress)
  • Atlas Scientific dosing kits: https://atlas-scientific.com/peristaltic/
  • Cole-Parmer Masterflex (industrial): reference equipment

See also

Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.

  • Member of: [[ingredient]]
  • Combines with: [[ec-tds-sensor]] · [[ph-sensor]] · [[arduino-uno]] · [[esp32]] · [[stepper-motor]] · [[capacitive-soil-moisture-sensor]]

What links here, and how

Inbound connections from across the wiki, grouped by lens and by relationship. These appear automatically — every entity page declares what it links to, and that data populates here on the targets.

Practical

combines with

  • Arduino Uno PWM speed control via L298N or MOSFET; nutrient dosing
  • Capacitive soil moisture sensor for raised-bed or container irrigation, pump replaces solenoid+pressurized line
  • EC / TDS sensor the canonical closed-loop: read EC → dose nutrient stock A/B/C → wait → measure
  • pH sensor the closed-loop: read pH → dose pH-up or pH-down → wait → measure
  • Stepper motor stepper-driven peristaltic pumps give the most precise volumetric dosing

contains

combines

7 inbound links · 7 outbound