How do you top off?

[Peppie]

I have my float switch hooked to a timer that comes on 6 times a day for 1 min. I do have a backup switch.
I find if I can keep my system as mait free as possible I feel I am not tied to the tank. I also think it is better to keep the water parm. in check.

 

[akunochi]

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I am with him. I use a double/soon to be triple float switch system DIY style. Two switches must be closed and one open for the system to pump. Soon I am going to be looking into perstalic pumps bringing water both too and from the tank for a completely automated water change system as well...

Ahh the maintenance free life is a good one.

 

[Scooterman]

I buillt an ATO for my previous tank, I used 4 float switches and was in the process of swapping out one with an Optical switch for better reliability. If I had time I was going to build them but ran into cost issues, but I could redesign it to be simpler, battery back-up & less to fail and just help people make their own. I had mine set to a sump High and sump low which would shut down the main circulation pump if it went too low to protect it from a burn up and If it went high high (the second High switch) it would also shut the main pump off, then I had another switch in the coast to coast up top, if the water went too high there It did the same thing to prevent overflows. It had an alarm sound on it and topped off as needed, easy to make but a little elaborate for most systems, so that would be where a simpler design would come in.

On the last system, DonW made me a timer, I would program the run time, it would top off for so many seconds then shut off, probably one of the most reliable methods of topping off, you would have to determine just how much you needed to top off daily though.

 

[lewisriverfisherman]

I use a gravity feed ATO. I have an 18gal rubbermaid tote behind the wall where my tank is I built a shelf that is about 5' tall that the tote sits on. This just gravity feeds to a float valve(drilled a little hole thru the wall down low by the molding). This allows me almost 2 weeks of time when its full for my 175gal system. I think the main thing to remember to do is if there is a malfunction that the size of the container comes in to play, like if I had a 55gal tank I would go no bigger than a 5gal ATO http://www.reference.com/browse/columbia/reservoireservoir that way the salinity would not change a whole lot and would be easy to get back in line.

 

[reefjock]

Gravity feed with eshopps float valve. I Use a 5 gal water jug with 2 holes drilled into the cap. One hole is for the supply the other has a tube coming out that I blow into to get the siphon going. I have to fill the resevoir once a week. Extremely simple and effective!

 

[DonW]

Gravity feed with eshopps float valve. I Use a 5 gal water jug with 2 holes drilled into the cap. One hole is for the supply the other has a tube coming out that I blow into to get the siphon going. I have to fill the resevoir once a week. Extremely simple and effective!

You know that works without the float valve and is just as reliable. Its how we did it before ATO's. One tube is the outlet the other is the water level. Set the second tube so that when the sump is full its submerged in the sump. When enough water evaporates to let air into the tube it ill siphon out the outlet until the second tube is slightly submerged again.
Years ago there was a product called a Nurse that was essentially a fancy acrylic version. We just used 5 gallon wine making jugs.

Don

 

[reefjock]

You know that works without the float valve and is just as reliable. Its how we did it before ATO's. One tube is the outlet the other is the water level. Set the second tube so that when the sump is full its submerged in the sump. When enough water evaporates to let air into the tube it ill siphon out the outlet until the second tube is slightly submerged again.
Years ago there was a product called a Nurse that was essentially a fancy acrylic version. We just used 5 gallon wine making jugs.

Don

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing your "old school" method. I know that there are some of us with limited incomes and being able to have a cheap reliable solution for many of our projects is really helpful. Not to mention I am running out of electrical outlets!

 

[user 26995]

Not to mention I am running out of electrical outlets!

Yeah, me too. I plug one more thing into my family room and the circut is going to blow! I should really work on this problem. lol

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Still doing it manually, my old tank i used an ATO and never had any problems with it but i never got over my paranoia.

 

[smitty]

ATO's the best thing I've added yet. My 40b goes through about 1 gallon a day. I just got back from being gone 4 days & everything was just fine.

 

[Frankie]

Gravity fed float valve user here for I don't know how long.