Charlie97L October 25, 2006 Share October 25, 2006 after almost a year of topping off by hand, i wanted to see if anyone has what they would consider to be a 100% reliable Auto Top Off. My tank's evap rate changes from day to day, so a timed one wouldn't work... and I worry about float switches getting stuck on. But right now, due to the hand top off, I feel i can't leave home for more than 2-3 days, which is about all my roomies can stand dealing with. any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevil October 25, 2006 Share October 25, 2006 I'm not sure... this is how I manage: I have a 20 gallon sump, which just needs to be about 1/4 full to keep all my pumps submerged, but I keep it a little under 3/4 full as 'reserve'. I use a float valve (which has never stuck) to control input from an 5 gallon bucket containing top-off water. Worse case scenario: my top-off sticks, 5 gallons get put into my 3/4 full sump, it can't flood. Absolute worse case: the worst case happens plus power goes out and the 1/2-1 gallon of water from my display tank corner overflow flows down, my sump is still only 100% full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie97L October 25, 2006 Author Share October 25, 2006 I'm not sure... this is how I manage: I have a 20 gallon sump, which just needs to be about 1/4 full to keep all my pumps submerged, but I keep it a little under 3/4 full as 'reserve'. I use a float valve (which has never stuck) to control input from an 5 gallon bucket containing top-off water. Worse case scenario: my top-off sticks, 5 gallons get put into my 3/4 full sump, it can't flood. Absolute worse case: the worst case happens plus power goes out and the 1/2-1 gallon of water from my display tank corner overflow flows down, my sump is still only 100% full. gotcha... i see. i was more worried about SG swings and the like. but that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarletknight06 October 25, 2006 Share October 25, 2006 I have a dual float switch sump mount from www.autotopoff.com The first switch turns on the pump from my resevoir (14g barrell) when water falls below the level, and turns it off when it is back at the appropriate level. The second switch is mounted above. In case the bottom switch fails, it turns off the pump if the water level reaches it. My second fail safe is that the unit is plugged into my aquacontroller jr, allowing it to run for 1 minute at one of 3 times during the day. So if the second switch fails, it can still only continue to pump for a minute. And hopefully I will be home before it gets to turn on again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie97L October 25, 2006 Author Share October 25, 2006 I have a dual float switch sump mount from www.autotopoff.com The first switch turns on the pump from my resevoir (14g barrell) when water falls below the level, and turns it off when it is back at the appropriate level. The second switch is mounted above. In case the bottom switch fails, it turns off the pump if the water level reaches it. My second fail safe is that the unit is plugged into my aquacontroller jr, allowing it to run for 1 minute at one of 3 times during the day. So if the second switch fails, it can still only continue to pump for a minute. And hopefully I will be home before it gets to turn on again. ah HA!! good call on teh AC JR. that's exactly the kind of failsafe i was looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal October 25, 2006 Share October 25, 2006 For about 1 1/2 years, I have used the Tsunami AT-1 made by blueline. I placed it at about a 30-40 deg angle to keep the water level more constant. I cleaned the glass under the suction cups with a razor blade and then smeared a little silicone on the cups before sticking them on. It has never budged and never given me the slightest problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioreef October 25, 2006 Share October 25, 2006 I also have a dual float from www.autotopoff.com with an extended bracket to hold the first float lower in the pump section. Having the solenoid on a timer to where it operates only at certain times of the day even though the float has dropped. This allows for a backup and control that the solenoid can only operate so long. During the period that the timer (a Reefkeeper II controller) is on, enough water is replenished to were the float will switch off the solenoid. This timer buffer allows conpensating for the variance in daily evaporation. So, after the float is the first backup of controlled time of the solenoid in the open position (normally closed), the second backup is the other float, which in turn is also on the controlled time period, the third backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 October 25, 2006 Share October 25, 2006 after almost a year of topping off by hand, i wanted to see if anyone has what they would consider to be a 100% reliable Auto Top Off. My tank's evap rate changes from day to day, so a timed one wouldn't work... and I worry about float switches getting stuck on. But right now, due to the hand top off, I feel i can't leave home for more than 2-3 days, which is about all my roomies can stand dealing with. any suggestions? Tunze Osmolator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davjbeas October 26, 2006 Share October 26, 2006 www.oceanussystems.com also using aquamedic dosing pump for the pump. david b. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeperofthefish October 27, 2006 Share October 27, 2006 As you may recall, the great and venerable Eric Borneman lost his incredible reef due to a malfunctioning top-off switch hooked up to his RO/DI. I recommend for that reason that you have an RO reservoir that isn't so large that it would a) flood your house if it stays on b) screw your salinity if it empties entirely. For that reason, I only run about a 5 gallon reservoir--actually just a Rubbermaid trash can. I fill this up about three times a week, and that hasn't been too much of a pain. I just have a cheap DIY top off switch connected to an aqualift, which is a slow rate. You also don't want to add water too fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tygger October 27, 2006 Share October 27, 2006 I don't know about 100%, but there are several methods of building in faiil-safe redundancies. In my system, my top off reservoir holds 8g. I use a dual float switch setup from autotopoff.com and a peristaltic pump to fill the topoff water so if it does get stuck, it will take several hours to overflow. On top of that, I have the pump on a timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidm October 27, 2006 Share October 27, 2006 Not to steal the thread, but I've been wondering lately about what happened to Eric and haven't been able to keep up on the boards: "the great and venerable Eric Borneman lost his incredible reef due to a malfunctioning top-off switch hooked up to his RO/DI." I thought this was discounted as he didn't find any water overflow from his tank, or am I remembering this wrong? sorry again if this steals the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeltwayBandit October 27, 2006 Share October 27, 2006 after almost a year of topping off by hand, i wanted to see if anyone has what they would consider to be a 100% reliable Auto Top Off. any suggestions? I make my wife do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal October 28, 2006 Share October 28, 2006 I make my wife do it. Translation: "I sleep on the couch and the top off container is within arm's reach so I do it myself, being ever so careful not to wake my wife since she still hasn't forgiven me for that comment I posted on WAMAS." Come on... You know it's true... I use a DIY electronic ATO with dual floats in the sump (one is a backup) and one float in the RO reservoir for low water shut-off. I only keep 5 gallons of water in the reservoir in case something does go wrong. I've had no problems with the ATO sticking in the the "pump on" mode so far though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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