loss of water?

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Would a reservoir and a open line not be enough? Mount the open line at the desired water level... As long as the level is equal or above the open end of the line, the vacuum keeps RO water from releasing into the sump. When the water drops below this line (due to evaporation) the vacuum is broken and RO water is released until the water line raises above the designated water line again. It would, however, require the reservoir to be mounted above the sump. Kind of the same thing as a dogs water jug with an upside down jug of water feeding a bowl.
 
Would a reservoir and a open line not be enough? Mount the open line at the desired water level... As long as the level is equal or above the open end of the line, the vacuum keeps RO water from releasing into the sump. When the water drops below this line (due to evaporation) the vacuum is broken and RO water is released until the water line raises above the designated water line again. It would, however, require the reservoir to be mounted above the sump. Kind of the same thing as a dogs water jug with an upside down jug of water feeding a bowl.

Actually thats one of the oldest methods of auto top off. The catch is it requires a sealed air tight container. There used to be a company that sold them it was called a nurse. We used to use wine or beer making jugs with rubber stoppers and a plasic tube to reach the bottom. They do work and work well but are a pain if you dont have the right container and seal.

Don
 
I like to syphon drip method. I use it and makes more sense that its not a rapid change, no pump to burn, no power needed etc. If air pressure is a concern as far as drip rate, why not put your ATO system on a drip? keep your drip res. full with ATO. win win. no dramatic change, drip res. stays full, and you could put an overflow drain back to ATO res.?

But what do i know, I'm new at this. just a thought
 
I know your lighting has a lot to do with it. I too lose around a gallon or 2 a day on my main display. But on the experiment tank running LED's I barely lost any water. I added a gallon of water.....after almost 2 weeks. That was amazing to me, being that I am adding 2 to 3 gallons every couple days to my display system.
 
I have a 29 gallon long with a small (5 gallon??) refugium below and I go through approx 5 gallon a week keeping the tank at F. I have a JBJ ATO (my DIY skills are iffy and didn't want to risk a flood) with an Aquarium systems mini 606 pump adjusted for min output 80 Gph). The ATO flow goes into the high flow input of the refugium from the main tank because I use kalk & vinegar in my top off water. Once a week I fill up the old Kent bucket with new RO/DI and kalk. The wife stopped complaining about the Kent bucket years ago. I guess I could try to find some type of an enclosure to make it look more ascetically pleasing but I haven't come across anything yet that was worth the expense.
http://cid-9255b732f3a3d504.photos.live.com/self.aspx/SW%20tank/ATO1.jpg
 
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