Auto Topoff decisions

[Jonathan Troutt]

So I am trying to decide how I want to do my auto topoff system.

Do I want to go straight from my RO system to my sump and install a solenoid?

Or do I want to use the reservoir with a separate pump and such?

Can I get some pros and cons of both from people that have been in my shoes. Thanks!

 

[Crabs McJones]

So I am trying to decide how I want to do my auto topoff system.

Do I want to go straight from my RO system to my sump and install a solenoid?

Or do I want to use the reservoir with a separate pump and such?

Can I get some pros and cons of both from people that have been in my shoes. Thanks!

My vote goes to separate reservoir with separate pump. I have never been a fan of plumbing your RO unit right to the tank because if the solenoid or float switch ever fails you have a constant source of water flowing into your tank. At least with a reservoir you have a finite amount of water that can get pumped into the tank before the reservoir runs empty.

 

[don_chuwish]

I have never been a fan of plumbing your RO unit right to the tank because if the solenoid or float switch ever fails you have a constant source of water flowing into your tank.

+1 on that, also, RODI units aren't at their best when going on/off repeatedly.
As a compromise, what I want to do is use my 50G RO container as my ATO reservoir - I can gravity feed from it. Multiple fail-safes will be critical - don't rely on one solenoid or one float switch. Even then it makes me nervous enough that I haven't done it!

 

[Justfebreezeit]

I agree with crabs. My tank is smaller only 20 gallons.
I only put enough in the auto top off that if a switch fails and it gets stuck on, my tank wont overflow.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

Well awesome then that settles it. I will go for a res. I got my tank in a spot in my house that doesn't allow for much hiding of things outside of the stand. Was the only reason I was considering a Solenoid. Thanks for the suggestions going to order stuff now!

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

Well ok so if using a res, and I will be using a aqua lifter for the pump. Should I use a double switch setup for failsafe? Or just go with one switch?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Well ok so if using a res, and I will be using a aqua lifter for the pump. Should I use a double switch setup for failsafe? Or just go with one switch?

How big of a reservoir are you thinking of getting?

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

well 5 gal right now cause that is what i have now and prolly go to a 10 gal so I wont have to fill as often.

 

[Crabs McJones]

well 5 gal right now cause that is what i have now and prolly go to a 10 gal so I wont have to fill as often.

When choosing your ato reservoir consider a failure senario. 5 gallons won't mess with the system if it fails on as much as 10 gallons would. On top of that there are ATO systems that have fail safe protocols incorporated into them. For example: the Smart ATO which is what I use, calculates how long each fill up takes, and if on the next fill up it takes double the amount of time as the last fill up, it triggers an alarm and kills power to the pump. Same with if the pump fails and doesn't pump at all, it measures time inbetween each fill up, and if it goes to long between fill ups it'll trigger an alarm that the pump may not be functioning.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

Well that's neat. I see how that could be useful.

Have you ever had that alarm happen? How long have you owned that system? Does it use the same kind of switches you get from Autotopoff.com

 

[Crabs McJones]

Well that's neat. I see how that could be useful.

Have you ever had that alarm happen? How long have you owned that system? Does it use the same kind of switches you get from Autotopoff.com

I have had an alarm happen. Most of the time its when my ATO reservoir is empty. The Smart ATO uses optic sensors to sense the water level.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

Oh interesting. You have given me some things to think about. Thank you sir!

 

[Justfebreezeit]

If you are goiing to go with a Float switch style like autotopoff.com make sure you clean it every week.

 

[JimFuller]

I use an Apex ATO. The sensors are in the sump with a float valve. The pump is in a 75 gallon reservoir as pool art of my water station in the basement. It pumps 35 ft to get the water there. I use a siphon air brake at the sump to make sure I do not bring water back into the reservoir. The float helps make sure the sump does not overflow should the pump get stuck on.

 

[Kyuss414]

I'd definitely go with a dual float/sensor setup. For the little bit of extra cash for an additional switch for redundancy it's a no-brainer IMO.

 

[Jeepguy242]

for 11 years i used my RO plumbed directly to the tank, with a solenoid that opens with a timer to run for 4 minutes every hour... the rejected water goes into my attic, across the house to my daughters freshwater planted tank in her room... her tank has an overflow box on it that drains into the planter outside her window....

for safety i have a float switch that cuts power to the solenoid if the sump gets too full, and i also have a float valve that will block the RO water from coming in to the tank in case the float switch fails...

 

[Crashjack]

I have my RO running through a ball valve then into my reservoir. I manually fill by opening the valve. The line to the reservoir goes through a float valve in the reservoir. I use the float valve as a failsafe and close the ball valve once the reservoir is filled. Worst case scenario is that I forget to fill the reservoir, but my Reef Angel controller sends me an email every 15 minutes if my ATO pump times out. I also get a readout on my phone, i-pad, and PC that includes the water level of my lower sump (where the ATO sensor is located). There are a lot of ways to skin the cat, but inserting a reservoir and using an ATO gives you a lot better failsafe and more opportunity to monitor what is going on.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

Man you guys are awesome. Thanks for all the comments. Float switch versus something else. I could make something using arduino. If that would be better. Granted cleaning a couple switches during normal weekly maintenance isn’t a bad thing.

 

[JimFuller]

No, we are just lazy. Why carry water when a tube can do it?

Happy Reefing!

 

[MikeO5422]

I pipe the RO directly to the tank and I def go thro the filters faster. If ur smart about it, it's safe and that is the only con.

Your floats should open the circuit when they detect water, have at least 2 and or an optical, and have an emergency. Next, use two solenoids on separate relays to activate the flow. Lastly, instead of filling until float detects water fill for a finite time (like 60 seconds) and set a daily limit as to how long it can run.