automatic water change

You only need a saltwater bin for an AWC system so the only reason to have an RODI container too is just to be able to keep a lot of it on hand at all times. You just need 1 pump head to remove water from your tank and send to a drain and another from your saltwater bin back to your tank.


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That is what I was thinking, so then while refilling the bin I would just turn the DOS off, is that correct? I am leaning towards the DOS as I hear it's super easy to set up.

Corey
 
Yeah. What I do is I programmed my apex to only do the water changes mon-fri and won't run on weekends so I have time to fill the container back up and mix up some new saltwater.


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If you have room, stack your containers. Top one is fresh water from RODI plumbed to your ATO. Plumb a gate valve into the bottom of the fresh water tank that can gravity feed into the lower tank for your new saltwater.

That's how I have mine set up. Works great. When the saltwater gets low, I drain most of the freshwater tank leaving enough for a couple ATO draws. Throw salt in, turn a power head in for an hour or so and it's good for a couple weeks on my system.


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Can't Wait to Set up an Automated Water-Change System! But I Have Questions

Can't Wait to Set up an Automated Water-Change System! But I Have Questions

Wow! Great write-up, everyone! What an eye-opener! This thread has just sold me on setting up an automated water change system for my 80-gallon reef aquarium! Water changes will be more consistent now, stabilizing my water parameters.

I just purchased a used Masterflex Digital Console Drive Pump, with a 7518-12, dual-head pump. It will arrive in a week. It looks like this:

joZCtZ9.png


But I have some questions about setting it up:

  • If I put the Masterflex pump in the garage, some 30-50 lateral feet from the aquarium, will the pump be able to overcome the head pressure of running the line up to attic of the garage, across the attic to the laundry room, down to the crawl space below the floor, out to the room where the tank is, and then up through the floor, to the top of the sump?; and
  • Given that the double heads of the Master head pump are designed to rotate in the same direction--which can be toggled to clockwise or counterclockwise, but not opposite directions for each head at the same time--how do I get opposing flows for pushing and pulling water at the same time from the unidirectional rotation of the peristaltic rollers?
  • I imagine that the question has a false premise that water is flowing in opposing directions:
    • Setting the heads to rotate clockwise, the pump will push fluid through both lines away from the pump, i.e., it will push new saltwater to the aquarium and push the spent saltwater to the laundry-room drain;
    • Even though the line pushing the spent saltwater to the drain in the laundry room has to first pull the water from the aquarium, it is still pushing water to its ultimate destination--just like the line pulling new saltwater from the barrel is also pushing that water to the sump;

      [*]Hence, a clockwise rotation of both pump heads at the same time functions properly, to perform a water change on both lines, simultaneously;

      [*]I just have to make sure the lines are fed into the heads of the pump, left to right, with the source-water portion of each line entering its respective pump head from the left, and the destination-water portion of each line exiting its pump head to the right;


    [*]Do I have this right?;

    [*]Are there any potential issues or problems that I should be on the lookout for here, with this pump or setup?;

    [*]For example, I'm troubled by the fact that the line carrying the spent saltwater will be much longer than the line carrying the new saltwater:

    • The new saltwater is pushed from the garage to the sump of the aquarium; but
    • The spent saltwater has to travel the same distance plus a third of the distance farther, to reach the drain line of the laundry room;
    • Will the significant difference in lengths present problems here?;
    • Will I need to prime the lines first, to even out the differential fluidized portions of the lines?


Your help is greatly appreciated! Can't wait until my dual-head Masterflex pump arrives in a week!
 
Skyreef, I have the same masteflex but use it for my CaRx and not my AWC. If you run the heads clockwise then the left side of the head is your suction side and the right is the discharge. If you go counterclockwise it's vice versa. On one pump head you would put the left side hose into your fresh saltwater bin and the right side in your sump. That will carry the new water from your storage to the tank.

Then with the other head you put the left side tube in your sump and right side to a nearby drain. Hat takes the water out of your system and sends to the drain.

Peristaltic pumps can handle that long run no problem. They also are self priming so that's how it creates its own suction every time.

The overall length difference shouldn't make a noticeable difference. What you will have to do is for example if your pump head that takes freshly mixed water from storage to the sump is way longer than from sump to drain you will need to take the sump to drain line out. If your sump and only run the storage to dump line until you see water start coming out into your sump.

It's a 1 time purge of the line that you must do in the beginning. If you didn't do that and let's say it takes 2 minutes for the water to go from your storage tank to your sump, if you let both lines in there. You would be draining your sump for 2 minutes before anything makes it over there to start refilling that lost water.


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ClownsRCoo: Thank you for your helpful response. I, too, have another Masterflex for my calcium Reactor. I have a question about that. The Masterflex on the calcium reactor runs non-stop. This causes the 6-inch piece of Masterflex hose to wear out in about 7-10 days. Is that the same problem you experience, or have you figured out a way to make the hose last longer?

On the automated water changer, the Masterflex hose will last much, much longer because the pump is not running constantly. I will only need to change a gallon a day, which I guess will require running about 40 minutes a day, not 24 hours a day.

Any thoughts on this, anyone?
 
ClownsRCoo said:
You should be getting more than a year of life out of your tubing. Are you using quality tubing?

This is a good thread that can show you were to get high quality tubing for these units.

Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh.../forums/showthread.php?t=2368618&share_type=t

I run mine non-stop but plan to change the tubing once a year to avoid any ruptures.


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Click to expand...

Wow! I must be doing something wrong! I bought my tubing at Masterflex online. It was quite pricey, too. I wonder if there is something wrong with the heads. Hmmm. The tubing is soft and flexible. The wrong tubing, maybe? I wonder what is wrong here.
 
I would imagine if you got it from them then it would be a premium tubing but maybe they have different grades with different longevities although I highly doubt they would sell anything with a 7-10 day working life. I would call them and have them trouble shoot it with you.


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SkyReef said:
ClownsRCoo: Thank you for your helpful response. I, too, have another Masterflex for my calcium Reactor. I have a question about that. The Masterflex on the calcium reactor runs non-stop. This causes the 6-inch piece of Masterflex hose to wear out in about 7-10 days. Is that the same problem you experience, or have you figured out a way to make the hose last longer?

On the automated water changer, the Masterflex hose will last much, much longer because the pump is not running constantly. I will only need to change a gallon a day, which I guess will require running about 40 minutes a day, not 24 hours a day.

Any thoughts on this, anyone?
Click to expand...

This is what I have been using for a few years. Change tubing every 6-8 months.
https://goo.gl/images/d41hkh
 
SkyReef.... check the rollers on the heads for rough spots that may be causing the tubes to fail. Also, 6" seems a bit short and may allow the end fittings to be pulled against the head. I cut my tubing at 8" - 9".
 
elFloyd said:
SkyReef.... check the rollers on the heads for rough spots that may be causing the tubes to fail. Also, 6" seems a bit short and may allow the end fittings to be pulled against the head. I cut my tubing at 8" - 9".
Click to expand...

Thanks, elFloyd. I misspoke. So the actual measurement on the strips I pre-cut is actually 10.5 inches, as shown here:

7mbflcCl.jpg


But I'll check the rollers, too.

Also, others pointed out that my occlusion control knob on the pump head (a second lever/knob above the release lever) might be set too tightly. I may chuck this pump head model for the model that takes the Pharmed LS 17 tubing, which my current pump head does not.
 
ClownsRCoo said:
Skyreef, I have the same masteflex but use it for my CaRx and not my AWC.
Click to expand...

ClownsRCoo: do you really have the same Masterflex pump heads, the 7518-12? I'm told that this pump-head model does not accept LS-17 tubing. Do you use the LS-15 tubing? If so, what kind, U.S. Plastics or Masterflex tubing? How is it holding up? I'm concerned that my new double, 7518-12 pump heads, which accommodate LS-15 tubing, not LS-17 tubing, are going to cause my automated water-changing set-up to fail.

Can it be done with the LS-15 tubing, anyone? Any thoughts?
 
elFloyd said:
The 7518-12 should work with LS-17.

http://www.equipcoservices.com/pdf/manuals/masterflex_ip_peristaltic_pump.pdf
Click to expand...

Thanks elFloyd, but the link you supplied appears to state that the 7518-12 works with LS-15 tubing, not LS-17 tubing. The reference in the manual to LS-17 tubing is listed on the line above the listing for the pump head Model 7518-12, i.e. it is listed for pump head Model No. 7518-10, which is a different model. Am I mistaken or missing something here?
 
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