Need DIY'er to automate my water management.

[edshern]

I have a 92 Gallon FOWLR in my living room with a basement sump. Getting too old to lift buckets around so I need
to fully automate water management. If you have the skill and want to make a some money I will offer a fair payment! Contact me at edshern@gmail.com

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Can you use a Brute can by the sump for new water?
Is there a place to drain the old water?
If so it's easy peasy.
No money needed.

 

[Yodeling]

Mine is very simple and super reliable. Just use a high quality dual head peristaltic pump. One head pumps water out from your tank to your drain. The other head pumps fresh SW from a reservoir to your tank. I literally don’t even think about water changes. I just mix my fresh SW twice a month and my system changes water continuously every day.

 

[JohnL]

Mine is very simple and super reliable. Just use a high quality dual head peristaltic pump. One head pumps water out from your tank to your drain. The other head pumps fresh SW from a reservoir to your tank. I literally don’t even think about water changes. I just mix my fresh SW twice a month and my system changes water continuously every day.


View attachment 32370945

I just found your YouTube channel and subscribed. Thanks @kharmaguru

 

[JohnL]

This is my new daily water change setup.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Old school!

 

[BarIzoN]

I have a 92 Gallon FOWLR in my living room with a basement sump. Getting too old to lift buckets around so I need
to fully automate water management. If you have the skill and want to make a some money I will offer a fair payment! Contact me at edshern@gmail.com

I use the Amazon Plug to control the pumps.

Simple, cheap, and efficient.

I have two pumps:

1. Main return pump on my basement. Pan World 100X, connected on Amazon Plug named "Main Pump".
2. Water change/Fill pump. Pan World 40, connected on Amazon Plug named "Water Change Pump".

When doing a water change:

* On Amazon Alexa App, turn off pump #1.
* Open the drain pipe valve, and close the Saltwater Brute valve pipe.
* Turn on pump #2 to throw water into the drain.

After the water goes to the level I need:

* Turn off pump #2.
* Close the drain valve pipe and open the Saltwater Brute pipe.
* Turn on pump #2 until the water reaches the level needed.
* Turn off pump #2.
* Turn on pump #1.
* Go play with my kids.

I can automate the valve opening/closing with solenoids - also plugged on Amazon Plug, then I could automate these steps in the app, by simply clicking on "10 gal water change" or "20 Gal Water change". It's just a matter to control the time the pump runs.

But I think you can go semi-automatic at a lower cost, and simply like this. You just need to do the plumbing in your saltwater mixing station on pump #2.

BarIzoN

 

[edshern]

Hi guys, Finally had time to get back to this. Being retired and not working is really time consuming
THANK YOU soooo much for your answers, pictures and help. I'll look them over and see if I can figure
them out (Peristalic????) This is like explaining Heart Surgery to a Crash Test Dummy! But maybe I'll get lucky.
Back soon. I used to know how to post pictures, Maybe I can try showing you the setup. Thank again, Ed

 

[edshern]

Can you use a Brute can by the sump for new water?
Is there a place to drain the old water?
If so it's easy peasy.
No money needed.

Hi, I do have 2 40 gallon (ish) Brutes by the sump. One for RODI & one for salt water. Biggest issue is vacuuming gravel from main tank on main floor, and moving that water to the basement drain, where the sump, rodi & salt water is. Then moving new salt water from it's brute to refill sump, then rodi water from it's brute to salt brute. rinse, repeat.

 

[edshern]

Can you use a Brute can by the sump for new water?
Is there a place to drain the old water?
If so it's easy peasy.
No money needed.

For me, way easier said than done! At least without hurting myself or spilling 100 gallons :-(

 

[edshern]

This is my new daily water change setup.

What was your old setup? A rock

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Peristaltic is just a type of pump, rollers over tubing forcing fluid through the tubing.
If yo want a semi-auto system -- drain water --- refill from container in the basement via a plumbed line to the tank.
It really is that easy.

 

[edshern]

This is my new daily water change setup.

I use the Amazon Plug to control the pumps.

Simple, cheap, and efficient.

I have two pumps:

1. Main return pump on my basement. Pan World 100X, connected on Amazon Plug named "Main Pump".
2. Water change/Fill pump. Pan World 40, connected on Amazon Plug named "Water Change Pump".

When doing a water change:

* On Amazon Alexa App, turn off pump #1.
* Open the drain pipe valve, and close the Saltwater Brute valve pipe.
* Turn on pump #2 to throw water into the drain.

After the water goes to the level I need:

* Turn off pump #2.
* Close the drain valve pipe and open the Saltwater Brute pipe.
* Turn on pump #2 until the water reaches the level needed.
* Turn off pump #2.
* Turn on pump #1.
* Go play with my kids.

I can automate the valve opening/closing with solenoids - also plugged on Amazon Plug, then I could automate these steps in the app, by simply clicking on "10 gal water change" or "20 Gal Water change". It's just a matter to control the time the pump runs.

But I think you can go semi-automatic at a lower cost, and simply like this. You just need to do the plumbing in your saltwater mixing station on pump #2.

BarIzoN

First, this is great, and Thank You soooo much. 2- In my long life, I've learned, "All you gotta do" is three of the scariest words in the English language 3- I LOVE THIS, but don't have a clue how to it, which was why I was looking for help (ie- What's a solenoid, Brute (i did look this one up), my kids are 40 LOL, Do I have an Alexa App? See what I mean. BUT, this is what I want to do.

 

[edshern]

Peristaltic is just a type of pump, rollers over tubing forcing fluid through the tubing.
If yo want a semi-auto system -- drain water --- refill from container in the basement via a plumbed line to the tank.
It really is that easy.

Thanks Vinny, I need a way to do this so that if I get sick (like when I had open heart surgery), I can write down instructions for my wife, who has no clue what any of this stuff is. Grateful that money is not a factor for this project.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

No worries.