gravity fed top off

G

Greg manton

New member
hello all . i am looking for a way to top off my tank. my ro unit is on other side of house so it would have to be from holding tank i have built a 5' by 6" abs tank to sit verticaly behind tank but need away to get awater into sump reliably thanx for any help
 
You canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t run a plastic line to it from the RO unit from the basement? Or is the house on a slab?
 
fully finished basement and no water below i would have to run ro line descreatly through three finished rooms in new house then though hardwood floors it is a bit of a bummer. i guess i could put aquarium in laundry room but when you pour this much $ into somthing you really want to wow your visitors with t.
 
If you are good a fishing you could do it through the walls and ceiling, the plastic tube would fish easy. But if you canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t I would just use a Kent float in the low end of your sump attached to your water tank. I have a kent float attached to an ro unit in another room. Never had a problem, never leaked or anything. They donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t recommend doing it this way but I never had a problem in over ten years.
 
The only problem I can see is when you do a water change the tank could empty into your aquarium if you donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t have a valve to shut it off. On top of this if something did happen say the Kent valve got stuck, it would be a real mess. The tank would over flow and you would lower the salinity in the tank you may loose everything. Having It the way I do the ro unit just drips in, I would notice a problem before it got out of hand,,, Hopefully .
 
I can tell you what I have used for years with no trouble. I have a 16 gallon glass reservoir with a small power head at the bottom with a length of CPVC pipe running from the reservoir to the sump. I used two Ultra Life float switches. One turns the pump on when the level drops and the other turns the pump off, should the first switch stick on. This worked well for six years. Be sure to drill a small weap hole in top of the pipe inside of the sump to prevent a siphon.

My tank is torn down now and I am setting up a larger system. Still going to use the same top off system, but this one will be simplified by using one float switch controller (Reef Fanatic). It monitors two separate probes. I plan to set one for low level and the other for high level. This way, you won't overflow your sump. If you use only one switch, you can empty the contents of your reservoir into your sump and eventually your floor. Not good for either the tank or the floor.

Here's some pics. Excuse the cardboard "sump" and the messy "fish room." :)

top_off.jpg

Shows graduated glass reservoir, controller and fabricated float switches.

Top_off_pump.jpg

Shows small pump (actually forgot what it was over the years) mounted to the bottom of the reservoir and plumbing. The extra switch is for a low level warning light to be put on the stand to remind me when it's time to put more water in the reservoir.

Top_Off_controller.jpg

Shows the Reef Fanatic controller. You can get this here:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...ROD&Product_Code=RF-RFLC&Category_Code=Dosers

Fabricated_Float_Switches.jpg

Shows the float switches I made. These are easily adjustable and will stay put. The switches come with suction cups. You are asking for trouble if you use a suction cup on a float switch.

The switches are pretty sensitive, so you will usually only add a drizzle of water each time the system is activated. So, the salinity stays good and stable.

Anyway, that is what I use. Hope that helps...
 
The Kent float valve I have always gets seized shut from the Kalk. my top off is from a 10g plumbed through a Reefmania KR150 kalk reactor then to the float valve. Once a month os so the valve will get clogged thats the only problem I have had.
 
I also want to set up a gravity based top off system. I would rather put my faith in the consistency of gravity than mechanical pumps .. simplicity!
Though, after some digging here at RC I've noticed that the opposite seems to be true .. there are no reliable gravity fed solutions, the float valves are said to be unreliable and the more complicated seeming float switch/pump combo seems to be the way to go.
 
I've used gravity feeds, and the trick is to use 1/2" or more rigid tubing connected to a very rigid reservoir. If either the tubing or the reservoir flex, or if you use too small of a diameter tubing, the water may not drain properly. Other than that, I think they're almost fool-proof (which means I can use them).
 
If you are looking for a dependable (as possible) solution you should look at GreenUku's design

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=661601

He used a Sun Tea Jar, but you could obviously modify this design to fit your needs. It is a very simple design and should be relatively fool proof assuming that it stays air-tight.

I plan on using this design with a ball-valve instead of a cork on the top. I will also run piping down so when I have a bucket of rodi water I can connect a powerhead and pump the water up to the container. This will hopefully let my back last a little longer ;o)
 
With gravity feed, if the float valve malfunctions or something falls on it and holds it down, you have no backup to stop the water. The water will keep flowing until the reservoir is empty. This has happened to a friend of mine.

At least with a two float switch system, you have a backup to turn the pump off, should the main switch fail. The likelihood that both switches would fail is pretty remote.

The float switches can be taken apart very easily for cleaning, so if you clean them once in a while you won't have any problems. While nothing is completely fail safe, I think this is the safest way to go. Not that complicated either.

With my 16 gallon system on a 75 gallon tank, I only added water to the reservoir once a week via a pump and long hose from my RO/DI holding reservoir. No lugging buckets around and it only takes a few minutes to do once a week. Better than adding water every day.
 
CoralFiend,

The link above describes a system without any float valves, switches or any moving parts. It uses air-pressure and gravity. Thats it. The only flaw is that the system is air-tight. Please read the link I posted above, this system is very simple. I am working on a redesign that will be fail-safe (assuming that there are no pipe leaks) so watch out for this new and improved system (still in the drawing phase ;o)
 
eshook,

I have seen something along those lines, but a little more sophisticated, called the Nurce. Their site says that they can no longer produce the Nurce in it's current form (so they must have gotten sued). It doesn't look too difficult to build for a DIYer. Here are some links to their site. Maybe you can get some ideas for your design. This device holds about six gallons and uses a siphon controlled by the air pressure tube.

http://www.aqualan.com/photo.html

http://www.aqualan.com/products.html

I still prefer the pump system. I suppose it depends on the application and what you want. A lot of reefers just like gadgets. :) I still feel better knowing I have a backup off switch. Besides mine is already built , ready to install and has been tested for six years.:rollface:

Good luck.
 
I have nothing against gadgets. I love gadgets! Unfortunately I haven't had much $$$ for gadgets lately, I just got married this year and we are still trying to buy things for the place. So trying to make something cheap is nice. Also not flooding the living room is a bonus ;o)

Thanks for the link coralfiend. I think my design is better thought ;o) I'll post it with pictures in a few days to see what you guys think.
 
I had more time available tonight so I decided to work on my fail-safe auto top-off (we'll call it FSAT so I don't have to keep typing that out ;o)

What do you think?

auto_top-off.bmp


It is essentially the same design as the Sun Tea Jar design except with a very simple yet elegant twist to keep pressure in the reservior.

Ok, lets walk through the entire process.

To fill the container:
1. Turn the water valve to closed (so water doesn't leak into the display tank)
3. Get your bucket of water
2. Hook a powerhead or aqua-lifter to the end of the 5/8" tube, place the pump in the bucket and turn it on
3. Turn off pump when reservior is full
4. Turn water valve to open (to engage FSAT)

The trap in the 5/8" tube will create a pressure seal in the reservior.

When the water in the display tank gets lower than the other 5/8" tube it will break the pressure seal and allow the water to drip through the 1/4" tube. Once the water level is higher than the 5/8" tube in the tank it will create a pressure seal and stop the water flow.

This system is fail-safe *not* fail-proof. If the FSAT fails it will fail in the off position meaning your auto top-off will not work. It will never fail in the on position (meaning you flood your tank) assuming you keep the system air-tight and the reservoir container does not flex.

*Warning* if you make the trap small enough, or wait enough time I suppose the water will evaporate breaking the seal, but by that time the water will most likely have been put into the display tank, because everytime you fill the resevior you refill the trap.

What do you guys think? Any improvements? I think one could connect the 5/8" to a rodi unit so the reservior is always replenished. The only problem is if the rodi unit gets stuck on then your system will flood...
 
Thanx guys this gives me so many ideas about how to build top off . one question though how do you fill the air tight cont without it draining into the tank when seal broken. i guess avalve might work. oh and thanx again
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Sump at Same Level as DT
Replies
9
Views
1K
wvned
wvned
T
I'm confused...
Replies
12
Views
283
wvned
wvned
vlangel
75g Lurking danger and Leafy Seadragons
6 7 8
Replies
151
Views
7K
vlangel
vlangel
K
Mandarin acting strange
Replies
4
Views
1K
OrionN
OrionN
C
DIY Stand for Flatback Hexagon Tank
Replies
2
Views
1K
Drummer98
Drummer98
Back
Top