In-wall 380gal tank - cut out options

 
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Cleaned up the surge actuator box

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/4266406B-AB97-4ECF-8842-598E2F14AF83_zpsclxq7qcu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/4266406B-AB97-4ECF-8842-598E2F14AF83_zpsclxq7qcu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 4266406B-AB97-4ECF-8842-598E2F14AF83_zpsclxq7qcu.jpg"/></a>
 
Looking awesome! Thanks for posting the links to the video as the iPad was not showing the videos in the posts. What are you using to make the rock? How do you like the Apex?
 
Karim,
I love the surge however I'm not an electrical engineer. Your surge doesn't seem to have any air bubbles like other surge devices I've seen online. Are there options here or is your system just that amazing?
 
It's what I designed it to do. The only way air bubbles get created is if the surge tube is ever exposed to air.

The pipe in the surge container is always submerged since I end the surge before it's exposed to air. The bottom of the pipe is submerged - there's even a trickle of water constantly running in the pipes because my DIY valve is leaky (they only cost like $70 each compared to the pool pump guys at $450).

The clear pipe in the video is to see for myself and prove it to the community that the pipe is constantly primed.

So there's no trick to it. It must be an active system (Apex + actuators) or a smarter passive device that closes the valve before the pipe is exposed to air.

I personally wanted an active system since I have two outlets and I wanted to introduce an occasional dual surge on purpose. In the Apex, I created two pulse events that occasionally criss-cross due to a slight period offset. Then I use a water sensor at the top of the surge container to only trigger when it's full. This allows my filling pump's output to introduce another variable in the surge frequency. I use a DC pump so I can vary that too- but don't usually do.

Just in case, I have a bottom level sensor in the surge tank. If it's off, the the surge tank is close to the surge pipe inlet level. This overrides any operation and stops any surge until this event clears. Why have a bottom sensor if only a full tank (top sensor on) allows a surge?... Because any kind of fault event can happen (power out, maintenance, leak, etc...) could happen and this ensures that the valves close when it wakes up.

I also have a passive overflow pipe in case the actives go nuts ... Computers do fail. This allows the water to flow safely down without flooding- but with a lot of bubbles.

I have one more sensor near the top of the DT max height. In case it gets triggered (overflow obstruction??), it overrides and shuts the valves.

It's not complicated now that it's done:

Two pipes and two linear actuators connected to my DIY valves
One emergency overflow pipe
Two sensors in the surge tank (high and low)
One sensor at the top of the DT
One actuator box with a DC input source.
... And of course the Apex with its ability to take multiple inputs and programmability to respond to them. Calibrating the hardware and the code was the tricky part, but I'm open to sharing that too - different systems will need their own tweaking.

Patent Pending - LOL.. No, I'm an open source kinda guy- just give me the credit.
 
One more trick - right size the sump to swallow all your surge. Sounds simple but I got greedy and upsized my surge volume to the max the DT overflow can handle.

Also, my leaky valves mean that a power outage would let the entire surge reach the sump.

I didn't have room for a bigger sump (car needs to park in the garage too), but I did have a small section off to the side. So, I created a buffer sump that's connected to the main sump's final stage by 2" PVC. It's slow, but does the job (stops the sump flooding). It allows the system to reset as the surge tank refills.

Imagine a power outtage with both valves open full blast. That's what kept me up at night until I added the buffer sump.

I have plans to turn it into a water change mixing station too since I added a valve to the main sump. Little orchestrated, but should be doable.
 
What makes it more turbulent is that my normal return lines are also on opposite sides of the tank and connected by a rotating valve and a small motor that creates an alternative flow between them. The valve has circle openings which creates a smooth sinusoidal alternating flow pattern that contrasts with the suddenness of the surge from the two opposing surge outputs.

The result is lovely and pseudo chaotic. It's not really chaos because it's all deterministic and there are no random variables. Knowing the starting conditions, every event is predictable... It just looks like chaos.
 
The actuator box connected to the Apex and the two surge actuators could be a viable product to market... But most people don't have height above their tanks for a surge. Sure beats those $2000 pumps on the market though.
 
Here's the tank, sump, surge and ATO

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef1_zps1acc7fae.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef1_zps1acc7fae.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef1_zps1acc7fae.jpg"/></a>
 
here's the surge. The two black pipes represent the DIY actuators. The vertical one on the left is the rotating cycle motor.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef2_zps6ca2743d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef2_zps6ca2743d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef2_zps6ca2743d.jpg"/></a>

The purple pipes are surge
 
here's the view from the front.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef3_zps42ea7cdb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef3_zps42ea7cdb.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef3_zps42ea7cdb.jpg"/></a>

This shows the 2 surge outlets, the two cycling returns and the passive emergency outlet in the middle.
 
This shows the back with the 4 returns to the sump. One is active under normal operation with a normal pump. A large return pump can activate all 4, but I've downsized for noise. The rest activate during a surge. Also, the pump in the overflow section pumps water up to the surge tank and the protein skimmer (inlet about 8' up).

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef4_zps8171ec49.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef4_zps8171ec49.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef4_zps8171ec49.jpg"/></a>
 
Here's the wide view with most of the system -

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef6_zpse33a8e4d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef6_zpse33a8e4d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef6_zpse33a8e4d.jpg"/></a>

Here's a closer one except for the calcium reactor next to the sump since I'm redoing that one.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef5_zpsa11871e2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef5_zpsa11871e2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef5_zpsa11871e2.jpg"/></a>
 
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The surge does interfere with the lighting though. It's something I expected when I started, but it's been more of a hassle than I thought. Here's the new design with 3 MHs and an LED DIY:

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef7_zps03ebc1b2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef7_zps03ebc1b2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef7_zps03ebc1b2.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef8_zps03efcd6f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef8_zps03efcd6f.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef8_zps03efcd6f.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef9_zps981db009.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef9_zps981db009.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef9_zps981db009.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/reef10_zpscf364ccd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/reef10_zpscf364ccd.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo reef10_zpscf364ccd.jpg"/></a>

One more DIY on the list.
 
Here's the rock work in progress video

<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid1062.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ft496%2Fkarimwassef%2Fold1_zps94c0e77e.mp4">

http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/old1_zps94c0e77e.mp4.html

And the latest update:

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/F22A13EE-08E5-4CB5-93DF-6489E517159E_zpsxhjntkb6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/F22A13EE-08E5-4CB5-93DF-6489E517159E_zpsxhjntkb6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo F22A13EE-08E5-4CB5-93DF-6489E517159E_zpsxhjntkb6.jpg"/></a>
 
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