ATO -2 feet to +2 Feet above or below the tank

[frackingawesome]

I have a large ATO that is very tall. The Sump stands at about 3 feet off the floor but the ATO reservoir level can be anywhere from 6 inches off the floor to 10 feet off the floor.i know this sounds strange but the reservoir is part of mixing station for a large tank.

The issue i am having is when the water is above the sump level it syphons and just drains into the sump overflowing it. I did try a small hole in the vynal tube and that worked for a few months but the the tub shifted and the hole got pinched and was no longer large enough to break the syphon. But i dont want to make the hole too big as the pump needs to move the water about 50 feet from the ATO to the tank and i am concerned it will just all come out the hole.

I dont want to just put a smaller tank closer to the DT cause i dont have the space...

Please help. how do i break the syphon reliably so i dont have another flood.

 

[zalick]

I’m a little lost on how exactly you are getting the ato water to the sump.

but either way if you use a precision peristaltic pump like from Spectrapure, it will pull the water and no risk of siphon.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Run the ATO line up until it is above the highest level of the ATO container. At the top, have that line feed into an open piece of pipe much bigger than the tubing that flows back down to the sump.

As an example: The tube from the ATO is 1/4” air line. This feeds into the top of a 1/2” pvc pipe, leaving an air gap above the level of the ATO tank. This 1/2” pipe then flows the water into the sump. When the ATO pump turns off, the 1/4” line sucks in air so no siphon.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

A picture of your setup would help.

If you're having siphon problems, you can use it to your advantage. Adding a float valve to your system may solve your problem and, if you raise the reservoir, you might be able to eliminate the ATO pump completely.

For my ATO, I put the reservoir tank above the sump so the water just gravity feeds into the sump with no pump. In the sump I have a ~$8 float valve to regulate the water level. I added a needle valve to slow the water flow to a slow drip, just in case the float sticks the change would be gradual. So far it has never failed for 3+ years. Just make sure any cords in the tank can't touch the float.

 

[Drewbacca]

Run the ATO line up until it is above the highest level of the ATO container. At the top, have that line feed into an open piece of pipe much bigger than the tubing that flows back down to the sump.

As an example: The tube from the ATO is 1/4” air line. This feeds into the top of a 1/2” pvc pipe, leaving an air gap above the level of the ATO tank. This 1/2” pipe then flows the water into the sump. When the ATO pump turns off, the 1/4” line sucks in air so no siphon.

Hope that makes sense.

Great problem solving idea. Used b4 or just thought of it?

 

[Drewbacca]

A picture of your setup would help.

If you're having siphon problems, you can use it to your advantage. Adding a float valve to your system may solve your problem and, if you raise the reservoir, you might be able to eliminate the ATO pump completely.

For my ATO, I put the reservoir tank above the sump so the water just gravity feeds into the sump with no pump. In the sump I have a ~$8 float valve to regulate the water level. I added a needle valve to slow the water flow to a slow drip, just in case the float sticks the change would be gradual. So far it has never failed for 3+ years. Just make sure any cords in the tank can't touch the float.

Nice. I also gravity feed my sump with rodi. Except I use a ball valve outside the container and one at the drip point for redundancy. I used to use a marker line on sump and just match the drip to evap rate.. but with an Apex.. I use a float valve(or optical) and when the water level drops down and opens switch, I have it defer for 10 min and then a solenoid opens to let the drip start until it's up again. This Allows a nice slow stable drip of ro and the defer gives less on and off cycles of solenoid and if solenoid does fail ...it's no big deal as it's just a drip slightly faster than evap.

I but I really like the ..up to, and down an open pipe.. idea stated above for your situation.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Never needed it but saved the idea as a useful option.

Great problem solving idea. Used b4 or just thought of it?