AWC pump selection and gravity fed ATO safety

[b4tn]

I’m tired of lugging buckets and ATO containers back and forth. I have been wanting to do an AWC system for awhile. I will be controlling all with the a reefpi. I don’t really want to do continuos water changes but rather push a button. ATO is disabled, 5 gallons is evacuated, then 5 gallons is refilled, ATO is re enabled. Easy enough to do control wise but I’m having a hard time selecting pumps. Looking for ideas on pumps that are budget friendly and can move 1/2-1 gpm 12 feet horizontal using 1/4” hardline.

Also my RO is in a brute can about 4 feet higher than the sump. If I tap it and run a line with a solenoid to the sump I can have continues ATO. But my concern is a sticking solenoid. Are there any mechanical float switches that do not require higher pressure to operate correctly? Or would I need to use the high pressure RODI output?

 

[JGT]

I’m tired of lugging buckets and ATO containers back and forth. I have been wanting to do an AWC system for awhile. I will be controlling all with the a reefpi. I don’t really want to do continuos water changes but rather push a button. ATO is disabled, 5 gallons is evacuated, then 5 gallons is refilled, ATO is re enabled. Easy enough to do control wise but I’m having a hard time selecting pumps. Looking for ideas on pumps that are budget friendly and can move 1/2-1 gpm 12 feet horizontal using 1/4” hardline.

Also my RO is in a brute can about 4 feet higher than the sump. If I tap it and run a line with a solenoid to the sump I can have continues ATO. But my concern is a sticking solenoid. Are there any mechanical float switches that do not require higher pressure to operate correctly? Or would I need to use the high pressure RODI output?

I’d checkout some of the the Eheim pumps. Under $100 and various outputs. Also smaller diameter hose connects which sounds like what you would want.
Standard mechanical float switch should do the trick. You won’t have much pressure from the RO bin and as the water rises, so will the float and stop the flow. Only issue, you won’t have redundancy where if you used a pump with a high level sensor and a float you would.

 

[b4tn]

I’d checkout some of the the Eheim pumps. Under $100 and various outputs. Also smaller diameter hose connects which sounds like what you would want.
Standard mechanical float switch should do the trick. You won’t have much pressure from the RO bin and as the water rises, so will the float and stop the flow. Only issue, you won’t have redundancy where if you used a pump with a high level sensor and a float you would.

For the ATO it would still be controlled electrically with a high/low level float switch to open and close a solenoid. The mechanical float switch would be the redundancy check so if the solenoid fails it shuts the flow off. But I was thinking for some reason that the mechanical float switches have a minimum PSI required to operate?

Thanks, I will check out the eheim pumps.

 

[dadarara]

Hi,
"piggybacking"on this thread if I may
I am new to the hobby and in the stage of designing the system which I want to DIY as much as I can.

in case of ATO, one of the RODI system parts is a pressurised container where the RO water is accumulated.
SO , I run a 1/4" pipe from that container directly into the sump via a gravity mechanical valve.
the pressurised water line can handle lots of head pressure climbing a few meters/feet up and down to the sump.
thats it. done.
So what am I missing?

 

[JGT]

Hi,
"piggybacking"on this thread if I may
I am new to the hobby and in the stage of designing the system which I want to DIY as much as I can.

in case of ATO, one of the RODI system parts is a pressurised container where the RO water is accumulated.
SO , I run a 1/4" pipe from that container directly into the sump via a gravity mechanical valve.
the pressurised water line can handle lots of head pressure climbing a few meters/feet up and down to the sump.
thats it. done.
So what am I missing?

Not sure what you mean by pressurized container. Can you provide a pic?

 

[Brett S]

For what it’s worth I use a mechanical float valve as a safety backup for my gravity fed ATO. Something like this:

Reverse Osmosis Float Valve

Why does BRS recommend this? Float valves are simple to install and can save a lot of water from ending up on the floor. They can be installed in containers as small 1 gallon pails, sumps, and 200 plus gallon commercial storage containers to shut off the flow of water. Even if you do not have a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

It doesn’t require any water pressure to operate. It’s really little more than a hole with a rubber cap that can be pressed against the hole. My ATO reservoir is in my garage and while it’s a good 6 or 8 feet above my sump the gravity fed line goes down out of the reservoir to a solenoid controlled by my apex, then up into the attic, then probably 30 feet across the attic floor, then down the wall to the sump. By the time it gets there there is almost no water pressure and it’s little more than a fast drip, but that’s been enough to keep up with evaporation and it’s kept my tank topped off for nearly 5 years.

I believe that there are some solenoids that require water pressure to operate. If they don’t have enough pressure then no water will flow, even when the solenoid is open, but not all of them do. The one I am using works fine with my gravity fed system. I purchased it 5 or 6 years ago from eBay, so unfortunately I can’t send a link for that one.

 

[dadarara]

some years ago I had this system. After filtration, water flows to the storage tank , where it is held until needed. A reverse osmosis system continues to filter water until the storage tank is full and then shuts off. Once you turn on your drinking water faucet, water comes out of the storage tank through another postfilter to polish drinking water before it gets to your faucet. the storage tank is located usually bellow the sink. So the pressure is enough to push it 1.5m
Its not very high flow rate, but enough for home use to fill a cup of water to drink.
I think I can connect the pipe to climb 3m and then flow for another 6m and that fall to the sump.

I think...

 

[GuppyHJD]

For what it’s worth I use a mechanical float valve as a safety backup for my gravity fed ATO. Something like this:

Reverse Osmosis Float Valve

Why does BRS recommend this? Float valves are simple to install and can save a lot of water from ending up on the floor. They can be installed in containers as small 1 gallon pails, sumps, and 200 plus gallon commercial storage containers to shut off the flow of water. Even if you do not have a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

It doesn’t require any water pressure to operate. It’s really little more than a hole with a rubber cap that can be pressed against the hole. My ATO reservoir is in my garage and while it’s a good 6 or 8 feet above my sump the gravity fed line goes down out of the reservoir to a solenoid controlled by my apex, then up into the attic, then probably 30 feet across the attic floor, then down the wall to the sump. By the time it gets there there is almost no water pressure and it’s little more than a fast drip, but that’s been enough to keep up with evaporation and it’s kept my tank topped off for nearly 5 years.

I believe that there are some solenoids that require water pressure to operate. If they don’t have enough pressure then no water will flow, even when the solenoid is open, but not all of them do. The one I am using works fine with my gravity fed system. I purchased it 5 or 6 years ago from eBay, so unfortunately I can’t send a link for that one.

Brett,
What "pumps" the water up into the attic?