automatic water change

Hi Zaffor

Thanks for posting this video, as I have been wanting to actually hear how loud the DOS unit performs AWC.

Have you prolonged the duration of water change intervals and has the DOS became less noisy? If you have another video with it running at a medium or lower speed, I would be very interested to hear how loud it is.

I would be primarily interested in the noise that it makes when performing 2.5-3 gallon water changes over an 8 vs 24 hour period.

I really like the Apex integration of the DOS, but the added noise could be a deal breaker for me.

I have three. They're pretty loud, especially at first. They've gotten noticeably quieter over the past few weeks, but at the higher rates, it's still very noticeable from rooms away with a closed cabinet.
 
I have not changed the interval time

Im not even sure it would run slower if longer time is allotted thats just my speculation. It could very well just space out several high speed runs over longer time.

It seems to run at max speed for several seconds then stops for several more and repeats.
 
Can you dictate how fast the DÖS runs? Or is the speed automatic? Not that big of a deal for me, mine will be in my garage, but just curious about how much control you have over it. I'm guessing it depends on weather you programmed it through Fusion or wrote your own code? I'm ordering a full Apex setup this week to replace my RKE setup including brand new Stenner 100dmp5 and I'm new to Apex. I guess the DÖS is backordered everywhere for now.
 
Can you dictate how fast the DÖS runs? Or is the speed automatic? Not that big of a deal for me, mine will be in my garage, but just curious about how much control you have over it. I'm guessing it depends on weather you programmed it through Fusion or wrote your own code? I'm ordering a full Apex setup this week to replace my RKE setup including brand new Stenner 100dmp5 and I'm new to Apex. I guess the DÖS is backordered everywhere for now.

Sorry, I thought I'd responded to this.

Fusion will automatically pick a speed based on the amount dosed and the period if you use the wizard.

You can program it specifically with profiles, but I think there are only five or six speed options (double if you count forward and reverse separately).
 
Thanks for sharing your early experience. I guess the DOS cannot be made quieter, to cycle over 100 times throughout a 24 hour period like the Litermiter.

I was thinking that the Litermiter might be a better option for those looking for a silent waterchanging system.

Still like to hear about other experiences with DOS, with hopes it can be quieter. I really like the integration with APEX and the ease of use.
 
Pretty sure I'm going to go with the DOS now...

Now if I wasn't putting together this new frag system I'm sure the "boss" would allow me to finish out the display with the DOS and a few more Kessils...
 
I hope the Dos works out for you guys in the long run. The importance of a reliable product that has been proven for 15+ years versus a cool fancy display is pretty cut and dry. I know that we live in a technological world, but sometimes the "cool" technology isn't always the best option.

Before you purchase any kind of equipment I would investigate the warranty in depth. I would also ask technical support questions of how many hours the motor can run before it fails, how long will the tubing last before it needs to be replaced, and what is the maintenance schedule on the pump. These questions will help you determine the reliability of the piece of equipment.

Jeremy
 
Ok... So im well into MORE than a year into AWC. I am still getting ZERO specific gravity shifts. Tank is doing AWESOME. Best thing i ever did for my tank.

Now the CAUTION: Make sure to clean you SW reservoirs. i had not cleaned mine in a few years. My last batches of SW mixes where very cloudy, so i decided to clean the SW Bin. Below is a picture of what i netted out using a typical fish net. That is just 3 passes out of the 20 i did. You can see its at least 4 square inches of debris. Dont make this mistake as we get lazy cause we dont have to do water changes. I now plan on doing it twice per year if not more.


SW%20Shit_zpsulpqdqg9.jpg
 
Ok... So im well into MORE than a year into AWC. I am still getting ZERO specific gravity shifts. Tank is doing AWESOME. Best thing i ever did for my tank.

Now the CAUTION: Make sure to clean you SW reservoirs. i had not cleaned mine in a few years. My last batches of SW mixes where very cloudy, so i decided to clean the SW Bin. Below is a picture of what i netted out using a typical fish net. That is just 3 passes out of the 20 i did. You can see its at least 4 square inches of debris. Dont make this mistake as we get lazy cause we dont have to do water changes. I now plan on doing it twice per year if not more.


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll40/aquamane_photos/SW%20Shit_zpsulpqdqg9.jpg[/

oh man I always clean mine out after every batch with DI water.
 
Ok... So im well into MORE than a year into AWC. I am still getting ZERO specific gravity shifts. Tank is doing AWESOME. Best thing i ever did for my tank.

Now the CAUTION: Make sure to clean you SW reservoirs. i had not cleaned mine in a few years. My last batches of SW mixes where very cloudy, so i decided to clean the SW Bin. Below is a picture of what i netted out using a typical fish net. That is just 3 passes out of the 20 i did. You can see its at least 4 square inches of debris. Dont make this mistake as we get lazy cause we dont have to do water changes. I now plan on doing it twice per year if not more.


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll40/aquamane_photos/SW%20Shit_zpsulpqdqg9.jpg[/

oh man I always clean mine out after every batch with DI water.[/QUOTE]


I guess that would be reasonable if you have a fresh SW bin that lasts a few months.

My SW bin only holds 35G, so at 2.5G per day thats less than 2 weeks. IMHO- cleaning it out every batch is un-necessary. However my waiting a few years was irresponsible. :uzi:
 
The salt mix you use makes a big difference as well. for storing lots of mixed water a salt mix lower in minerals, CA, and ALK works better. Some mixes have very high levels elevated well over natural seawater concentrations and they tend to precipitate rather well when left sitting.........

I use instant ocean and after about 5 30gallon bins worth still have very little if any "gunk" built up in the container.
 
The salt mix you use makes a big difference as well. for storing lots of mixed water a salt mix lower in minerals, CA, and ALK works better. Some mixes have very high levels elevated well over natural seawater concentrations and they tend to precipitate rather well when left sitting.........

I use instant ocean and after about 5 30gallon bins worth still have very little if any "gunk" built up in the container.

I agree with the statement of different salts have better results. Now for anyone whom has actually read the label. Certain brands are not meant for AWC. Red Sea Coral Pro states that you should use within 4 hours. What I have noticed personally that this does seem to hold true. I use instant Ocean at home, but I use Red Sea Coral Pro at work.

I have also noticed that leaving circulatory pumps on 24/7 causes precipitation with certain salts. Adding the salt too fast also causes precipitation. Having an open reservoir causes precipitation, and the biggest culprit of precipitation is not cleaning out your salt water reservoirs regularly.

Also, Check the tubing that is used for AWC. There is a good chance that those lines are getting plugged as well. Twice a year I flush the lines with a solution that we make out of common items. This cleans the tubing right up. I believe to be less stressful for the motor, and increases the longevity of our pieces of equipment.

I will post pics for you guys tomorrow. BTW Eddie I use 33 gallon brute Rubbermaid for my salt water AWC. I have two identical, and they each get cleaned out, and is ready to go before the other one goes empty.

I really would advise you all to clean your bins at least once in a while.

=)

Jeremy
 
So, Jeremy, now I have to ask what solution do you use to clean out your lines and what procedure do you follow to do so. Disconnect from tank I assume?
 
I agree with the statement of different salts have better results. Now for anyone whom has actually read the label. Certain brands are not meant for AWC. Red Sea Coral Pro states that you should use within 4 hours. What I have noticed personally that this does seem to hold true. I use instant Ocean at home, but I use Red Sea Coral Pro at work.

I have also noticed that leaving circulatory pumps on 24/7 causes precipitation with certain salts. Adding the salt too fast also causes precipitation. Having an open reservoir causes precipitation, and the biggest culprit of precipitation is not cleaning out your salt water reservoirs regularly.

I had a similar problem with Red Sea Pro; I have a brownish-red residue in my mixing container. I sent them an email and was told they use GFO in their PRO salt mix and likely it was precipitating out. They also told me not to continuously mix it if I was going to use it for AWC.

Now, after my initial mixing, I just set a pump to run 4 times a day for 10 min. The water stays clear. :)

I LOVE the Red Sea coral Pro salt. Ever since I changed over from IO/RC to Red sea Pro I've had no swings in Mg levels. I use to dose Mg almost monthly, now I can go several months without dosing Mg.

I do still rinse out my mixing barrel every few months though.
 
I had a similar problem with Red Sea Pro; I have a brownish-red residue in my mixing container. I sent them an email and was told they use GFO in their PRO salt mix and likely it was precipitating out. They also told me not to continuously mix it if I was going to use it for AWC.

Now, after my initial mixing, I just set a pump to run 4 times a day for 10 min. The water stays clear. :)

I LOVE the Red Sea coral Pro salt. Ever since I changed over from IO/RC to Red sea Pro I've had no swings in Mg levels. I use to dose Mg almost monthly, now I can go several months without dosing Mg.

I do still rinse out my mixing barrel every few months though.

Ah a nice trick to learn is always great! I also agree with the Magnesium with the Red Sea Coral Pro. It is interesting that they use GFO in the salts. Thanks for the share!
 
So, Jeremy, now I have to ask what solution do you use to clean out your lines and what procedure do you follow to do so. Disconnect from tank I assume?

Run a gallon of 50% vinegar/RO mix solution thru the line. You would NOT dose this in the tank. You could also collect the vinegar and run it thru a few times. Then just run r/o to remove the vinegar.
 
Run a gallon of 50% vinegar/RO mix solution thru the line. You would NOT dose this in the tank. You could also collect the vinegar and run it thru a few times. Then just run r/o to remove the vinegar.

We us hydrochloric acid with di water at a ph of 2.0. Pool acid would work too. Wear safety goggles while mixing and other safety measures recommended by the manufacturer. Collect it in a bucket as Dr T. states. I like to leave it in the lines for a little bit with ball valves. Then I flow a few gallons through, or until the water coming out is clear.

Jeremy
 
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