yauger October 16, 2012 Author Share October 16, 2012 Tom what is that Sardines? haha yeah I always wanted to know what a purple tang would taste like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE October 16, 2012 Share October 16, 2012 That is true Mike ! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger October 16, 2012 Author Share October 16, 2012 Never had the tunze ato fail on me. Just annoying when you turn it off and back on it runs for like 10 seconds no matter what... that's silly.... why would they design it like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 October 16, 2012 Share October 16, 2012 Not sure? Either way it is awesome and one of the best pieces of equipment I have ever owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE October 16, 2012 Share October 16, 2012 ....mine only runs for like 5 seconds....Try not to scare him off Mike !...it wont take much!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger October 16, 2012 Author Share October 16, 2012 ....mine only runs for like 5 seconds....Try not to scare him off Mike !...it wont take much!!! bully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 16, 2012 Share October 16, 2012 Tom what is that Sardines? haha yeah I always wanted to know what a purple tang would taste like! I don't know. I just Googled salted fish and looked in images and this was near the top of the list. Here you go: http://www.livestrong.com/article/554824-how-to-cook-manini-fish/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT October 16, 2012 Share October 16, 2012 i think it sets to default on so you can check to see if the pump is working without having to move the probe....just a guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE October 16, 2012 Share October 16, 2012 ........I bet this whole time, you have dumped like 3 gallons in your sump just trying to keep up !!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE October 16, 2012 Share October 16, 2012 Remember that big hole we cut in your new fresh water storage that Adam built?....lol Not necessary with the Tunze!!!!!!!! lololololol You know I love ya bro!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 i use avast ato, but i manually topoff everyday as well so it only kicked on once for me. i am currently messing with a dual float ato for my other nano tank. aqualifter pump for both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadgets October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 Buy the tunze and be done with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 Have to say love my avast ATO...only had it for 2 weeks, but its a set it and forget it unit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikS October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 My question is: what do you use? are you like me and want to keep cost low ($10 pump, and $10 float switch) or do you go moderate and buy the JBJ ATO for $80 and call it quits OR do you go high speed and buy a TUNZE OSMOLATOR for $200+ and brag about the quality?.........is it really necessary to drop serious cash on something that can be built for less than $20? Done a few & had some incidents over the years. I hate the JBJ, rubbish. It's the only one I've had cause issues with the tank. 1. Forget the name (more known for Kalk reactors) - he was like a Geo type. Used wired valves directly attached to the RO unit - good concept but his wiring was terrible. He had no concept of safety really - worked fine until I opened it up & saw the wiring Moderate cost, under $100. 2. JBJ - piece of junk. Yes, you can adjust the pump cutoff time.....but what happens if it hits the limit and then resets itself? It will pump to the cutoff, then it will reset = it will continue to pump water until the ATO tank runs dry. And bonus points you have to open the unit up & cut out the buzzer if you don't want that going off every time it operates. 3. Home made. After the fun with the JBJ I built one. Used an industrial mechanical relay from McMaster. Built it using scrap acrylic, an old 12v power suppy, and household outlets. Worked fine for years. Total cost was under $50 (used the old JBJ floats). 4. Tunze - never really worked for me. Might have been air bubbles from the new sump installed at the same time. High cost. 5. Avast - works fine. The +/- is a bit large but it works fine & has no moving parts. For $79 it's tough to beat. Currently in use with a BRS high volume dosing pump. Total cost is about $160 with the dosing pump. So far option #3 was used the longest, it never once in 5 or so years caused an issue. It never failed, no stuck floats, nothing. The relay was likely well beyond it's rated 10,000 cycles.....didn't show any signs of wear. It would have been under $20 to replace it (standard socket, simple plug in). So if it's working? Repairs (maintenance) is cheap? Why replace it? Don't we have enough to spend $$$$ on? Note - I changed due to a re-configuration, the home built no longer fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 I use gravity...it's free and never fails... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 I've always used the LM3 with top off module. Haven't had an issue and I'm very bad about cleaning things like I should. I use another with remote module for 2 part without any issue either. The tunze stuff, as with all tunze stuff, is very good from what I hear. Ultimately, though, if you've been using a method for years and it's not broke, why fix it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 I use gravity...it's free and never fails... Till your float gets stuck - or if you are using a vacuum style - you get a pinhole in your top off jug. Its not fool proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John October 17, 2012 Share October 17, 2012 (edited) Sure, a float getting stuck is the only concern with a gravity system, valid point, but I believe there are less opportunities for failure when compared to other styles...no pumps, sensors, programming, power, etc... As with any method, routine maintenance is required to ensure your system is working properly... Edited October 17, 2012 by John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtFully Acrylic (Adam B) October 19, 2012 Share October 19, 2012 (edited) bully! I had a feeling when you said "friends" were giving you crap that you were talking about Steve lol. Remember that big hole we cut in your new fresh water storage that Adam built?....lol Not necessary with the Tunze!!!!!!!! lololololol You know I love ya bro!!! You defaced my ARTFully done Reservoir just to avoid getting a Tunze? Shame on you! hahaha ME <<------ Jumping on the pick on Yauger band wagon Oh, and I move into my new shop this Saturday so that swing through you mentioned with a big box of Krispy Kreme will be in order soon Edited October 19, 2012 by ArtFully Acrylic (Adam B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco October 19, 2012 Share October 19, 2012 Sure, a float getting stuck is the only concern with a gravity system, valid point, but I believe there are less opportunities for failure when compared to other styles...no pumps, sensors, programming, power, etc... As with any method, routine maintenance is required to ensure your system is working properly... +1 Yes mine did fail after 5 years of no maintanence. Something (stink bug or somthing) plugged the hole. If I could do all my systems with a gravity fed, I would. But sometimes space restricts this. The other thing I would warn against them is if you are pushing limewater or equiv past a float switch, it can clog them faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroboy October 19, 2012 Share October 19, 2012 One thing I've used that works well is two Tsunami AT-1 hooked up in series. I glued the sensors together so that one was about one half inch above the other. The effect was that both sensors had to be out of the water, and both sensors had to be functioning, for the top off pump to turn on. If both sensors were working, the pump would top off until the lower sensor got wet. If the lower sensor was stuck in the "on" position somehow, the pump would turn off as soon as it got wet. For the system to fail, both sensors had to be malfunctioning and that never happened. That would hold true for just about any top off system. One could use a Tsunami as a cheap redundancy..... I think the Tsunamis operate on changes in air pressure within a cylinder. Might be a bit more reliable, less moving parts than a float. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger October 19, 2012 Author Share October 19, 2012 I had a feeling when you said "friends" were giving you crap that you were talking about Steve lol. You defaced my ARTFully done Reservoir just to avoid getting a Tunze? Shame on you! hahaha ME <<------ Jumping on the pick on Yauger band wagon Oh, and I move into my new shop this Saturday so that swing through you mentioned with a big box of Krispy Kreme will be in order soon hahaha the funny thing is that I actually purchased the tunze model. I should have it today. bah! kispy kream time bro! where is the new shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtFully Acrylic (Adam B) October 19, 2012 Share October 19, 2012 hahaha the funny thing is that I actually purchased the tunze model. I should have it today. bah! kispy kream time bro! where is the new shop? 7210 Gary Rd Unit E, Manassas, VA 20109...less than 10 miles from the house in Chantilly =). I will be up there for the better part of the weekend for sure after I get everything packed up Saturday morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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