dannieboiz
Active member
Anyone here doing it? I'm thinking of buying another RODI unit and mount it outside my house right by my house and run the output straight into the sump via a float valve.
Float valve/RODI directly into sump safe?
- Thread starter dannieboiz
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dannieboiz
Active member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9710295#post9710295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elite
How often do you like to clean your floor??
Everyday!
I can use 2 float valve, one on top and one on the bottom
Top FV mounted upside down to be in an "always on" position
Lower FV mounted as you would have it "always closed" position.
Unless I'm really SOL, chances of both valves stuck is pretty minimal. :bum:
Well, aside from issues of "safety" and stability, you will deal with TDS creep from cycling your RO/DI so many times, for such short durations. Which is why most reefers employ some sort of an RO/DI reservoir.
Your top post seemed to imply a manual float valve while your second was an electrical one (requiring a solenoid on the RO/DI input line). If you are going with a dual float, wiring them in series as you outlined (NO on bottom NC on top) would work as a "fail safe"
Your top post seemed to imply a manual float valve while your second was an electrical one (requiring a solenoid on the RO/DI input line). If you are going with a dual float, wiring them in series as you outlined (NO on bottom NC on top) would work as a "fail safe"
dannieboiz
Active member
good catch on the TDS creep.
I'm talking about the mechanical float valve, not the electrical float switch. You should be able to mount them in reverse to get the same result.
http://fishbowl-innovations.com/product/levelController
I just ordered one of these (with the solenoid)
So far so good. I liked it because of the triple backup configuration
2 float switches with a timer overide in case both fail. The timer can be set from 6min to 24min. Once the float activates the solenoid, the timer starts counting down and will stop the solenoid after the selected time regardless of the floats position. It will restart automatically in 24hrs if this happens.
The TDS creep has me worried but my RO unit is so slow it typically runs for ~10 minutes or more after the float switch activates the solenoid.
The only other thing I have to watch is my overflow to the sump. As the tubes get algae buildup they slow down a little. This has the effect of leaving more of the total system water in the main tank and less in the sump. The ATO will compensate by adding water to the sump. This will ultimately cause salinity to drop. Solution is regular cleaning of the overflow tubes to keep the speed up.
I just ordered one of these (with the solenoid)
So far so good. I liked it because of the triple backup configuration
2 float switches with a timer overide in case both fail. The timer can be set from 6min to 24min. Once the float activates the solenoid, the timer starts counting down and will stop the solenoid after the selected time regardless of the floats position. It will restart automatically in 24hrs if this happens.
The TDS creep has me worried but my RO unit is so slow it typically runs for ~10 minutes or more after the float switch activates the solenoid.
The only other thing I have to watch is my overflow to the sump. As the tubes get algae buildup they slow down a little. This has the effect of leaving more of the total system water in the main tank and less in the sump. The ATO will compensate by adding water to the sump. This will ultimately cause salinity to drop. Solution is regular cleaning of the overflow tubes to keep the speed up.
Thales
Active member
Float valves and float switches are two different things! IMO float valves have no place in a sump because they are notorious for sticking off or on in saltwater environments. They also cannot be 'backed up'. Float switches can also sometimes stick, however, they can be backed up by an additional float switch.
Qwiv
Persistant Perspective
Don't do it. I have a float valve on my trash can that I mix salt water in. It has a ball valve on it as well. When I want to fill up the trash can with water, I turn on the ball valve and the float valve will be there to turn it off so I don't need to sit there and watch it. Whan it is done, I turn off the ball valve for safety. Been set up like this since september. The float has already failed on me once, before I got to turning off the ball valve. That is in a container with no snails and nothing to jamb the valve.
On my tank, I have a resevore tank directly plumbed to my RO/DI. I have a solenoid to control the filling of the resevoir. The solenoid is hooked to a float switch that is pluged into a timer. To fill the tank up, I just set the timer. The float switch should turn it off when full. It it fails, the time will turn it off sometime later, before my house is flooded. This has worked really well for me. There is some manual interaction on my part, as I need to turn the switch on, but the safety is worth it. I am considering connecting it to my aquacontroller instead, but then there is a risk of failure.
Anyways, float valve failed on me with 6 months light use. You decide the risk to you home.
On my tank, I have a resevore tank directly plumbed to my RO/DI. I have a solenoid to control the filling of the resevoir. The solenoid is hooked to a float switch that is pluged into a timer. To fill the tank up, I just set the timer. The float switch should turn it off when full. It it fails, the time will turn it off sometime later, before my house is flooded. This has worked really well for me. There is some manual interaction on my part, as I need to turn the switch on, but the safety is worth it. I am considering connecting it to my aquacontroller instead, but then there is a risk of failure.
Anyways, float valve failed on me with 6 months light use. You decide the risk to you home.
dannieboiz
Active member
I had a dual float switch setup through a relay hooked up to a mag 2 with a 35qt cooler sitting next to my tank but that just don't fit with the furniture I already have holes drilled through the house to the outside of the house where our garden hose are at. I was just trying to figure out ways to make look more pleasant instead of a giant 50g drum sitting in the front of the house.
Anyways here's my final decision.
55g drum outside of the house
get myself some uniseals
Plumb it to a mag 2
reduce the 1/2" to 1/4"
shove the 1/4 hose through the walls and into the sump.
use my topdose ATO that I already have with dual float switches
Top off the 55g drum every few weeks with my 100ft 1/4 hose ran from my kitchen sink.
CASE CLOSED!
Anyways here's my final decision.
55g drum outside of the house
get myself some uniseals
Plumb it to a mag 2
reduce the 1/2" to 1/4"
shove the 1/4 hose through the walls and into the sump.
use my topdose ATO that I already have with dual float switches
Top off the 55g drum every few weeks with my 100ft 1/4 hose ran from my kitchen sink.
CASE CLOSED!
dannieboiz
Active member
dannieboiz
Active member
Forgive the NOOBIE. I already kept my mouth shut.
Thales
Active member
IOW,
Dosing pumps come with their own considerations/problems. If you are using one for top off, you have to tune their output with your evaporation which is hard because evaporation rates are variable depending on weather. You have to check on them to make sure they aren't either keeping up with evaporation or falling behind the evaporation. If I were to purchase a dosing pump, I would run it on a float switch.
I run the RODI to a reservoir and that reservoir pumps into the sump. If I was worried about the possible poor quality of running RODI with fast off and ons of the RODI unit, I would put the source feed of the RODI on a timer. Or, I would make one of those DYI units that allow the RODI reservoir to drain almost completely before allowing the switch or valve to click on. However, since I really am only relying on the DI part of the RODI (actually I am going to remove the RO part soon because my source water TDS is 30) I don't care all that much.
Dosing pumps come with their own considerations/problems. If you are using one for top off, you have to tune their output with your evaporation which is hard because evaporation rates are variable depending on weather. You have to check on them to make sure they aren't either keeping up with evaporation or falling behind the evaporation. If I were to purchase a dosing pump, I would run it on a float switch.
I run the RODI to a reservoir and that reservoir pumps into the sump. If I was worried about the possible poor quality of running RODI with fast off and ons of the RODI unit, I would put the source feed of the RODI on a timer. Or, I would make one of those DYI units that allow the RODI reservoir to drain almost completely before allowing the switch or valve to click on. However, since I really am only relying on the DI part of the RODI (actually I am going to remove the RO part soon because my source water TDS is 30) I don't care all that much.
I just got back from the lfs.
Had them check my tds from:
1. Tap
2. rodi just turned on
3. rodi after 1min run time
2 and 3 measured ok and value was the same.
This doesn't mean the tds creep isnt happening. I may just use my DI cartridge at a faster rate now. Only time will tell. Yes, I could have taken a sample before it went into the DI but I was too lazy to take the thing apart.
fyi - Ken Stockman has a nice ato setup described on his website. He uses a small topoff tank fed by a larger tank. If he does have a failure, only the small tank contents will empty into the main tank.
Had them check my tds from:
1. Tap
2. rodi just turned on
3. rodi after 1min run time
2 and 3 measured ok and value was the same.
This doesn't mean the tds creep isnt happening. I may just use my DI cartridge at a faster rate now. Only time will tell. Yes, I could have taken a sample before it went into the DI but I was too lazy to take the thing apart.
fyi - Ken Stockman has a nice ato setup described on his website. He uses a small topoff tank fed by a larger tank. If he does have a failure, only the small tank contents will empty into the main tank.
dannieboiz
Active member
I have a confession to make:
For the past year or two I thought I was using RODI water for my tank. Until last week when I was going to replace my filters, I was up for a suprise.
I had my RODI unit hooked up incorrectly :eek2:
It was hooked up in a way that I was only filtering my water through the last membrane and the DI.
Never had an algae bloom problem. Water was always clear and suprising, things grew faster in my tank than it did in other tanks using RODI.
Would I do it again? Probably not, but it shows that it won't kill anything either.
However, I wasn't able to keep any clowns. They all seems to die after month or two.
For the past year or two I thought I was using RODI water for my tank. Until last week when I was going to replace my filters, I was up for a suprise.
I had my RODI unit hooked up incorrectly :eek2:
It was hooked up in a way that I was only filtering my water through the last membrane and the DI.
Never had an algae bloom problem. Water was always clear and suprising, things grew faster in my tank than it did in other tanks using RODI.
Would I do it again? Probably not, but it shows that it won't kill anything either.
However, I wasn't able to keep any clowns. They all seems to die after month or two.
dannieboiz
Active member
I have no clue what WC or TR is.
. With clowns it makes a huge difference.
dannieboiz
Active member
Most likely wild caught.
But also, my gf's clowns never die in her tank. We bought them @ the same place.
But also, my gf's clowns never die in her tank. We bought them @ the same place.
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