Describe your *reliable* ATO system

[zeblisik]

or maybe one of these?

http://www.novalynx.com/280-wl400.html

 

[SeanT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12501361#post12501361 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
TUNZE OSMOLATOR

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12501479#post12501479 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gcarroll
TUNZE OSMOLATOR

TUNZE OSMOLATOR

 

[Pandafish]

TUNZE OSMOLATOR

Again! The best so far, I run two... one on my nano and one on the big tank. 3 years no problems. Worth every penny.

 

[Nanz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12504905#post12504905 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shred5
As long as you use a mechanical float switch you are going to have failures... It happens... Hope fully the second float switch catches it if you have one. The tunze unit is a way around that.. but the eye on the tunze does need to be kept clean too.

The jbj ato does have a shut down mechanism if the pump is run for too long of a time. but it is still prone to failure of a mechanical switch. The problem is you could end up running dry eventually. what is worse flooding or running dry? I suppose it depends on how much evaporation you have or how long you are gone.
Dave

mine never runs dry because I have a controller reset the ATO 4 times a day.

 

[das75]

A simple furnace humidifier float valve in my sump hooked directly to my ro/di unit.

For furnace humidifiers these float valves are installed directly to a cold water line. Figured all the years I've had a furnace, my parents, anyone I know, I've never heard that some one's basement flooded because of their humidifier. If anything, they'll fail to open and not supply water.

 

[Philwd]

Tunze here too for both tanks. Never had a failure.

 

[Siffy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12505165#post12505165 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zeblisik
the Tsunami AT-1 and SpectraPure controller both use air pressure to activate and deactivate an outlet.

do they use standard airline tubing? What happens if this tubing gets crimped? can snails crawl up the tube? what if a bunch of algae clogs it up?

both seem to use suction cups, I guess you could rig something else up, like magnets. Has it ever fallen into your sump? i guess if that happened it'd not flood the sump but just let it run dry.

No, it's slightly bigger dia tubing and the wall thickness is about double. Good part, it's more rigid than airline tubing and would be harder to kink. Bad part, I don't know if it's a standard size that would be easy to replace if needed. I've never had problems with snails in the return pump section. But I don't think it would be a problem unless one happened to get perfectly stuck inside the tube and block it completely. And I've never had algae grow on it either. That area has no need to be lit and only 1/2" of the large tube is underwater.

The suction cups have never failed on me, but it's something I always worry about happening since I've had it happen on too many powerheads. If it fell out of the sump it'd flood. If it fell inside to the bottom it would eventually let the sump run dry.

The Osmolators are nice units, and if they were still the price they were when first released ($125) I'd probably have one by now. I won my ATO as a raffle prize and can't see paying $200 to replace a device that works fine already.

Something no one has mentioned about the Tunze, it only works with its own pump that is/was (may have been fixed) known to fail after 1-2 years of use, the thing is annoyingly loud, and the wiring is too short imo.

Just seems to be that for $200 I shouldn't be able to find anything to complain about it when a $60 and a few bucks in magnets or acrylic to fix its problem is available.