JBJ Auto Top OFF question

[Griffer]

Hello. I purchased a JBJ ATO controller from Marine Depot, installed it, and discovered a problem. First of all, this is how I am using the unit: I have a 6-stage RO/DI unit feeding a ceiling mounted 50-gallon food-grade drum as a reservoir. I have been relying on a float valve to cut off the RO/DI when the reservoir is full. Not wanting to trust the float valve alone I decided to install a float switch and solenoid to control the water, and leave the float valve as a backup. I purchased the ATO controller to operate the solenoid.

This works fine as long as the process is started with a full reservoir. But the first time I drained water from the reservoir for a water change I found a problem: the ATO controller depowers the solenoid after a few minutes well before the reservoir refills!! I checked all connections as well as the power draw of the solenoid, and found it to be well within the 2-amp spec of the controller.

Then, I found on your site that this cutoff is by design. It turns power off to the pump/solenoid after an adjustable time of 3.5 to 14 minutes to avoid overflow protection. That's fine if ALL you want to do is top off and not refill.

Please tell me that there is some way around this!. It works great for my requirements if it would let me handle the cutoff. I cannot return the unit.

Thanks for any help!

Gene

 

[MarineDepot]

Hello Gene,

Thank you for the post. I’m sorry to hear of your troubles with this top off unit. This is typically used for topping off aquariums, which only require very small amounts of water at a time. Unfortunately this is not going to work for your application. There is no way to get around the 14 minutes cutoff. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. The Spectrapure Single Tank Liquid Replenisher would be more appropriate for this application. I hope this helps. If you have any further questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Kenny L,
Customer Service
MarineDepot.com