diy auto top off
- Thread starter illnino
- Start date
RamManOK
New member
Try one of these. It is what I use for my auto-topoff and works great.
http://www.floatswitches.net/floatswitch.html
HTH
Tom
http://www.floatswitches.net/floatswitch.html
HTH
Tom
Carl_in_Florida
Active member
Yeah, if it malfunctions water pumps till it overflows. Some people use 2 switches to prevent this. I don't, but some do. I have the floatswitches switch also.
Carl
Carl
Tutorial for DIY Auto Topoff
Tutorial for DIY Auto Topoff
Check out this tutorial.
http://www.melevsreef.com/plumbing/auto_topoff.html
Tutorial for DIY Auto Topoff
Check out this tutorial.
http://www.melevsreef.com/plumbing/auto_topoff.html
spencerx15
New member
i believe you can get the big ones at HD, but i would just order the floatswitches.net one for $9 shipped (got mine the day after i ordered it!)
Carl_in_Florida
Active member
I never found a float switch at HD nor lowes and I asked in every department i could think of. When i was working in the electrical trade, i asked every electrical supply shop i went into about them and they all said no. I know there is a type that the AC guys use to activate condesate pumps but they are big. I finally spent the $9, and had it set up with a ph i already had laying around.
You will not believe how happy this will make you.
Car;
You will not believe how happy this will make you.
Car;
SuperDodge
Cleaner of Fish Poo
Grainger sells them if you know anyone that has a wholesale account with them. I will say though that the Grainger switch is $13 and is almost identical to the floatswitches.net one.
SuperDodge
Cleaner of Fish Poo
Also, if you buy one of these floatswitches, don't forget to use a relay rather than just splicing it into a power cord.
Carl_in_Florida
Active member
gotta be honest, i spliced right in. I know the hazards but I feel the >5 seconds the PH is running is not very likely to generate so much heat to cause a problem in the switch.
Carl
Carl
SuperDodge
Cleaner of Fish Poo
Carl_in_Florida said:
Bad Carl! :rollface:
That will eventually lead to failure. And it won't be a pretty failure. If you get a chance, I'd buy the relay for $8.39 at Radioshack and do it right.
The Appropriate Relay for the Job
You probably have a usable DC power supply lying around the house.
Here is the auto top-off, If you need to buy everything is going to cost you maybe 25.00.
Salt buckett Everyone in the hobby has at least 2 laying around
float the 5.00 ones (Im using the one that RamManOK URL)
DC air pump 5.99 Walmart
speed fit sockets 1/4"2.00 x 2 Lowes
polypropeline line 1/4" 0.07 cents a foot.
Here is the thread.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=622990&goto=newpost
Salt buckett Everyone in the hobby has at least 2 laying around
float the 5.00 ones (Im using the one that RamManOK URL)
DC air pump 5.99 Walmart
speed fit sockets 1/4"2.00 x 2 Lowes
polypropeline line 1/4" 0.07 cents a foot.
Here is the thread.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=622990&goto=newpost
SuperDodge
Cleaner of Fish Poo
That won't work for all of us Fonchy. I have 3.5 to 4.5 gallons of evaporation a day. I'd have to pull the bucket down and fill it every night. That would get boring.
Instead, I have a very small pump in a 29 gallon tank right next to my sump/fuge under my tank. My float switch bracket holds three float switches. It runs back to a two gang electric box. One set of outlets is for my main return pumps. The other set is for the small pump in the 29 gallon.
If the low float switch goes down, the main return pumps cut off (to prevent them from burning out if something goes awfully wrong. The middle one is the normal control float. If it goes down it turns on the small pump in the 29 gallon which tops off the sump. Once it reaches the normal level, it cuts the small pump back off. The top one is to prevent overflowing the sump. If the middle float were to get stuck or fail, and the small pump continues topping off the sump, the top float switch would then cut off the small pump in 29 gallon when the water reached it.
With this system I don't have to worry about burning up my pumps with a low level, I don't have to worry about overflowing my sump with a high level and I only have to refil my top off container once a week or so.
This works a lot beter for me. Just thought I would throw out another alternative that is a little more costly (Costs $50-$60 not counting the 29 gallon tank), but can save a lot of time and effort.
Instead, I have a very small pump in a 29 gallon tank right next to my sump/fuge under my tank. My float switch bracket holds three float switches. It runs back to a two gang electric box. One set of outlets is for my main return pumps. The other set is for the small pump in the 29 gallon.
If the low float switch goes down, the main return pumps cut off (to prevent them from burning out if something goes awfully wrong. The middle one is the normal control float. If it goes down it turns on the small pump in the 29 gallon which tops off the sump. Once it reaches the normal level, it cuts the small pump back off. The top one is to prevent overflowing the sump. If the middle float were to get stuck or fail, and the small pump continues topping off the sump, the top float switch would then cut off the small pump in 29 gallon when the water reached it.
With this system I don't have to worry about burning up my pumps with a low level, I don't have to worry about overflowing my sump with a high level and I only have to refil my top off container once a week or so.
This works a lot beter for me. Just thought I would throw out another alternative that is a little more costly (Costs $50-$60 not counting the 29 gallon tank), but can save a lot of time and effort.
totalpackage181
New member
auto top off
auto top off
another option that does not require a relay is to use a mercury switch ( you can find them in old thermostats for houses). All you do is splice the mercury switch into a power cord that goes to your ph and put the mercury switch on the top of a piece of pvc so it hangs over the middle ...then find another piece of pvc that is slightly smaller and fill it with styrofoam and place in in the bigger tube..when the water rises it pushes the mercury switch up and the mercury flows away from the on position...when the water lowers the mercury flows to the on position..my sump stays within 2cm of where it it should be......i have my ph in a 5 gallon bucket and my sump can easily handle 5 more gallons so no panic of overflow..just low salinity. ( hasnt happened yet) built this system in 5 min from scrap that i had lying around.
auto top off
another option that does not require a relay is to use a mercury switch ( you can find them in old thermostats for houses). All you do is splice the mercury switch into a power cord that goes to your ph and put the mercury switch on the top of a piece of pvc so it hangs over the middle ...then find another piece of pvc that is slightly smaller and fill it with styrofoam and place in in the bigger tube..when the water rises it pushes the mercury switch up and the mercury flows away from the on position...when the water lowers the mercury flows to the on position..my sump stays within 2cm of where it it should be......i have my ph in a 5 gallon bucket and my sump can easily handle 5 more gallons so no panic of overflow..just low salinity. ( hasnt happened yet) built this system in 5 min from scrap that i had lying around.
Carl_in_Florida said:
Carl,
Heat is not the issue here. Most float switches I have seen have a small magnetic float that rides over a plastiv rod with the switch contained within. That switch is a reed switch that the magnet switches. This makes it nice and safe. However reed switches are very fine and the main cause of failue is when the switch changes (not the continious running). Every time the switch switches on or off a spark is generated. If you are sourcing too much current that spark tends to 'weld' the switch in the either on or off position.
Rather use our float switch to drive a relay which has low current requirements.
Just to add a comment on where to get your float swtch. You are all looking in the wrong places.
Electrical suppliers wont stock them - more likely to find them with an electronic supplier like farnell.
One other source is to look in boat shops - there are a number of float switches for automatic bilge pump control that will work prefectly for a marine tank!
Also if you use a 12V transformer and a cheap bilge pump you can have a auto topup that runs on 12V only which is much safer in a marine tank!
Electrical suppliers wont stock them - more likely to find them with an electronic supplier like farnell.
One other source is to look in boat shops - there are a number of float switches for automatic bilge pump control that will work prefectly for a marine tank!
Also if you use a 12V transformer and a cheap bilge pump you can have a auto topup that runs on 12V only which is much safer in a marine tank!
onegreenray
Active member
SuperDodge
how do you wire in that relay? i am still learning on the electrical portion.
how do you wire in that relay? i am still learning on the electrical portion.
