reefsahoy
I can see thru you!
here is my inexpensive auto topoff system. It's been running now for 6 months without a hitch. It's fail proof as far as overflowing. Here is some pictures.
note the wall plate. it has an ice maker hose and control wire to the sump in another room about 25 feet away.
here is the heart of the system. The city water to the ro unit is controlled on/off by this sprinkler solenoid. You can get this solenoid at any local hardware store with sprinkler supply. I plumbed this into my ro unit.
now for the brain. The sensor is a mercury switch i bought for under a buck. I connected it to the 24vac power supply then to the solenoid. I glued this mercury switch into one of the test tubes you get with the test kit, plugged it with the top that comes with the kit then silicone it watertight. I use the control wire to a vertical post and when the water evaporates the mercury turns on. when the water level rises the mercury switch turns off. ignore the kent float switch in the picture. I had tried this method and couldn't stop the darn thing from leaking. I also didn't trust the mechanics cause of calcium build up or something jamming the switch might make it leak and having to explain to my wife why the tank is over the entire house:eek1: .
This mercury switch cannot fail because it's liquid and will definately switch on/off depending on level in sump. it's impossible to fail mechanically. The only way this system can fail is by losing power or solenoid failure. But the solenoid is normally off (needs power to turn on) so if i lose power or solenoid fails then the city water will cut off and thus no water flow to ro unit or tank.
I had designed this method before however i used a power head with another relay to switch 120 ac to the powerhead. That one ran for years without failure. This design needs no pumps or anything else. hope this help all you reefers who hate topping off your system like i do.
note the wall plate. it has an ice maker hose and control wire to the sump in another room about 25 feet away.
here is the heart of the system. The city water to the ro unit is controlled on/off by this sprinkler solenoid. You can get this solenoid at any local hardware store with sprinkler supply. I plumbed this into my ro unit.
now for the brain. The sensor is a mercury switch i bought for under a buck. I connected it to the 24vac power supply then to the solenoid. I glued this mercury switch into one of the test tubes you get with the test kit, plugged it with the top that comes with the kit then silicone it watertight. I use the control wire to a vertical post and when the water evaporates the mercury turns on. when the water level rises the mercury switch turns off. ignore the kent float switch in the picture. I had tried this method and couldn't stop the darn thing from leaking. I also didn't trust the mechanics cause of calcium build up or something jamming the switch might make it leak and having to explain to my wife why the tank is over the entire house:eek1: .
This mercury switch cannot fail because it's liquid and will definately switch on/off depending on level in sump. it's impossible to fail mechanically. The only way this system can fail is by losing power or solenoid failure. But the solenoid is normally off (needs power to turn on) so if i lose power or solenoid fails then the city water will cut off and thus no water flow to ro unit or tank.
I had designed this method before however i used a power head with another relay to switch 120 ac to the powerhead. That one ran for years without failure. This design needs no pumps or anything else. hope this help all you reefers who hate topping off your system like i do.
