Water top off ideas...?

[bobfnp]

I am going away on vacation for a week and am terrified about what I'll find when I get home...I have orderred a chiller but it has not come in yet... (this is a 55 gal live rock only w/ 1 fish at the moment, evolving into a reef soon)...
I am using RO/DI water which is dripping in by a hospital IV set up (I'm A Nurse), fed by a 5 gal container which is higher than the sump, which contains all my gadgets. I can't seem to get the drip rate right a s temp and humidity keep fluctuating in the room... I could run the AC but that ran up my electric bill 50$ in no time last month. I don't understand how to use a float set up I wish I could hook one right up to my RO unit but it's in the basement and the tank is on the 2nd floor, too much head I believe. ... I don't trust power heads to go on and off right, so I guess I need some HELP!!!!! Luckily bI don't have any corals to lose yet but I could sure flood the place if I'm not careful....I'm building a 1st rate system before I put in corals.... and this is one of my last challenges, as water parameters are all good now, except too much algae on the front glass when it gets to warm in there.... ...ah soon a chiller will take care of that. thanks , Bob

 

[Sherman]

First, algae grows because of nutrients, not temperature. Perhaps you're feeding the fish too much, though it could be many things.

But as to your question, a float valve is the way to go. It's really a piece of cake. You hook the RO feed line into the float valve, and let the water level raise and lower the float valve. Open up your toilet tank to see how it works. It's really that easy.

If your sump is acrylic, just drill a hole a little above where you want the water level to be. About 2" higher should be fine. The float valve is adjustable. If it's glass, you may need to fabricate up some sort of bracket to hang the float valve in the right spot.

Here's how I mounted mine. I don't have a sump, so it's right on the tank. It's been absolutely reliable for well over a year already. I picked up a strip of aluminum from Home Depot and just bent a 90 so I could mount it to my canopy. Then I drilled a hole at the bottom, and mounted the float valve to it. In case it's not clear, the float valve is in the back, on the left, behind the light and fan.

 

[bobfnp]

do you think I can run the line from the basement up 2 flights to the tank? Thats alot of head pressure....?

 

[bobfnp]

also , I have always noted that heat and nutrients affected the need for glass cleaning on my tanks.... (besides diatom blooms which I suppose could be happenning but I'd expect a brown looking algea not green.... zero hair algae in the system....The is also a refugium full of Chaeto thats scrubbing some ZI suppose, remember this is a new tank approaching 3 mos. no bio load yet except for live rock pods and 1 fish. I'm also running sea chem phos remover as this was a prob from when I didn't have RO water. thanks. Bob

 

[bobfnp]

i feed my one fish 2-3 large flakes of food a day at this time, he's a small domino damsel.

 

[bobfnp]

do you have 2 fans blowing across the surface of your tank? you must have alot of evaporation...

 

[Sherman]

I get about 1.5 gallons per day on a 38g tank. I actually try to keep evaporation as high as possible, so I can dose more kalk. I use a kalk reactor for 100% of my top off.

As for head pressure, is your RO making it up all that distance already? If so, you're fine. The float valve shouldn't add any head. It just opens and closes. I simply use a reservoir up above the tank, and everything's gravity fed through the kalk reactor and through the flat valve.

 

[bobfnp]

Where do you get the float valves, the ones I've seen on ebay have stainless steel in them which I would supsect would corrode in salt water. do I need one made esp for marine environment?

 

[Sherman]

Yeah, Kent Marine makes them.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=KM1675

(Sometimes MarineDepot's linking system sucks. If you don't get the float valve on that link, search for "KM1675" which is the part number.)

 

[bobfnp]

thanks, you don't ever worry about the valve getting stuck in the on position?

 

[bobfnp]

Nice reef by the way!!!!

 

[Kensn]

How much evaporation do you get a day? Will the 5 gal container hold enough water while you are gone? If so then run the float valve to the 5 gallon container, no need t run it directly to the RO/DI. Then the worst that could happen is 5 gallons of ro/di in the sump.....

 

[hopper]

Go to www.autotopoff.com This is where I got mine and it is simple to set up and is pretty much worry free if you get the one with the double switch. I would just set a 5 gallon bucket beside the tank and use this for the replacement water. When you get a chiller, this will also lessen the evap rate of your tank quite a bit compared to how much the fan evaps. Be prepared for the power bill to go up with the chiller though. I don't think it will be $50 a month more in power, but it will be a difference.

 

[DonW]

Evaporative cooling combined with a chiller is the most efficient way to cool a tank. With fans you can really get the evaporation up there. The rodi water will help cool the tank and keep the chiller cycling to a minimum. Your salinity will stay solid either using a float valve or solenoid setup. Probably the most reliable set up is a optical.

Don

 

[Sherman]

The float valve has failed twice. Since the float valve is fed from a kalk reactor, the failures have both been because of kalk buildup clogging the valve, rather that sticking it open. A local reefer has been running this same setup for over 10 years without a single failure. He also runs one from his RO/DI to his reservoir, which is pre-kalk. Again, zero failures.

And thanks for the compliment! It's a lot of work, but worth it to me.

 

[bobfnp]

Thanks for the good ideas. I'll probably try the float valve with a gravity flow 5 gal container 1st as it doesn't rely on power. We have alot of power failures in my neck of the woods. I do have a whole house generator but if I'm not home it's not the kind of set up that will go on... has to be manually switched. Can't wait for the chiller!!!! always wanted one...Not much to lose right now as I have no corals.... but I want this system to work before I invest in them.... peace, Bob (going to the beach!!!)

 

[plack]

Don't forget to get a shut off valve otherwise the water will keep going thru the rodi unit being forced out the waste water and you'll have a huge water bill !!

Custom aquatic sells them its simple it shuts the water off about 60 seconds after the float switch turns the flow off

I have a tunze osmolator with the water level sensor in my sump a separate water container near bye controlled by a float switch and shutoff valve with the tunze feed pump inside of that container it only turns on the pump when the sump water level sensor is low and it pumps water from there thru a kalkwasser reactor then to my sump so in theory i never touch it except to add kalkwasser which is not very often and this is on a 180 gallon tank the tunze pump that comes with the osmolator pumps pretty hard but up 2 flights of stirs that may be a bit much good luck

Automatic shut-off valve with 1/4 inch John Guest quick disconnect.
from custom aquatic one of our sponsors part # RO-FLS-3000HCW Price $19.99

 

[zoo_keeper]

Hi I'm new to reefin'. Very nice tank, what are the two things in the rear corners.

 

[Sherman]

Welcome to ReefFrontiers!

I think you're asking about the fans. Those are 120mm computer fans, aimed directly across the water for evaporative cooling.

 

[Porkfat]

I tried computer fans, but they died after about 7 months. Opened them up and the ball bearings were shot. They were mounted in the cover of my sump about 6 inches above the water, laced in salt.

I'm currently trying to come up with something to protect the motor and bearings, any ideas are appreciated.

Anyhow in regards to the ATO, I've had no problems with mine 9 months. I use two float switches + a relay from radio shack + an extinction cord from Home Depot + a maxi-jet 600 in an old 3 gallon tank. I worked it out so that even if the switch stuck my sump still wouldn't overflow unless the power went out after the switch also stuck (something I'm hoping is unlikely).

I fill the little ATO tank about once a week. It's cheap and it gets the job done. I highly recommend it.

My stand is also waterproof and can hold a good amount of water in the bottom. No floods yet (crossing fingers).


Anyhow in regards to the ATO, I've had no problems with mine 9 months. I use two float switches + a relay from radio shack + an extenction cord from Home Depot + a maxi-jet 600 in an old 3 gallon tank. I worked it out that even if the switch stuck my sump still wouldn't overflow unless the power went out after the switch also stuck (something I'm hoping is unlikely).

I fill the little ATO tank about once a week. It's cheap and it gets the job done. I highly recomend it.

My stand is also waterproof and can hold a good ammount of water in the bottom. No floods yet (crossing fingers).