Dosers for water changes - question

[JdubC]

Am looking to setup an auto water change system. I have my mixing station in the basement, using brute bins - one for saltwater and one for RODI. I plan to use a dosing system to do auto water changes and auto filling of my ATO reservoir.

The tank is on my first floor.

My first idea was to plumb from the basement up to a closet behind the tank where I’d have two smaller bins for the water and then dose from there.

My preferred route would be to just run the airline tubing from the basement up to the tank. My question is whether the dose would be able to pull/push water that far. I am looking at about 15 or so feet from the mixing station.

Would love feedback.

And, as a heads up, the closet won’t work as the mixing station. Not enough room and no plumbing for rodi system, etc.

 

[robanister]

Lines will clog. Awc normally have big lines

 

[mpatterson42]

Look into the Kamoer X2SR AWC Pump, I think it has enough head pressure to go up a floor.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I don’t use big lines. I use 1/4” Rodi lines and a QD. I do 50ish gallons a week on AWC. My lines travel about 85 feet with elevation changes around 10 feet. Zero issues.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I also have a unique RODI refill, that travels about 110 feet through 2 different barrels. Half the distance is simply gravity fed (between brutes) works remarkably well. Again, all on 1/4 Rodi tubing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I use BRS 50 mL/min dosers for my AWC.

 

[JdubC]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and advice. I’ll look into the units folks have suggested and keep y’all posted.

Love this community!

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I use BRS 50 mL/min dosers for my AWC.

Do you have sync issues at all? You have me very very intrigued right now. You can max out with 18g a day with that. I attempted to use Versa’s and they would NEVER stay in sync. I forever was chasing salinity drift. QD has been very very solid. How long have you been using them and can you calibrate those?

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I use BRS 50 mL/min dosers for my AWC.

Sorry to pelt you but, man is that a cost effective option. Do you run an Apex? Are you using OCS to dial it in and already the AWC out over 24 hours?

 

[BeanAnimal]

They don’t have to be perfectly synced. Salinity will drift a bit over time, but it is easy enough to correct by running one pump or the other manual for a liter here or there once in a blue moon.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

They don’t have to be perfectly synced. Salinity will drift a bit over time, but it is easy enough to correct by running one pump or the other manual for a liter here or there once in a blue moon.

I really struggled with the Versa when I put them on my new system. I had AWC with the same Versa’s on my Reefer250. I was doing about 7 gallons a week, never really noticed anything. For some reason when I went to 7 gallons a day, it was like the issue was exponential. I was in the range of about a 10-15% delta a week with Versa’s. I have. A bunch of so I still use them depending on the application. Currently using one on my insanely undersized CARX. I’m replacing the tube within 3 weeks of putting a new on. Running about 125mil 24/7.

 

[JdubC]

Do you have sync issues at all? You have me very very intrigued right now. You can max out with 18g a day with that. I attempted to use Versa’s and they would NEVER stay in sync. I forever was chasing salinity drift. QD has been very very solid. How long have you been using them and can you calibrate those?

Newbie request: please spell out QD.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Neptune DOS QD (Quite Drive) the new version of the DOS. These are pretty legit. I hope they send some updates so that will allow for corrective dosing.

 

[FishLvR]

I have questions. I am looking at the Kamoer. Can I put the unit by my salt bucket and then push pull to the tank, or should the unit be next to the tank. I mean this would need to have 90 degree corners and all sorts to go where I want. Or should I just put a 10 gallon reservoir next to the tank?

Can the waste drain to the laundry floor?

The tank is here and that red line is where I would run the hose.

Then to behind this fridge, there is already a hole there to laundry room, excuse the mess, I am in the middle of another project. And I had to gate off the foster kittens.

This is directly behind the wall the mini bar is on and about 5 feet down. There is a drain in the floor for the heat exchanger. I'd hook the unit to the wall there. Is this doable?

Thanks!

 

[Royce024]

I use the GHL Maxi doser with 2 float sensors. It drains water to the sensor in the bottom then fills up to the top sensor. You can adjust the sensors to meet your water change needs. You don’t really have to worry about calibrating your pumps all the time. Salinity has been stable.

 

[n2585722]

I use dosing pumps for AWC and ATO. My reservoirs are in the garage 35ft from the tank. I ran RODI type 1/4" tubing through the attic in an insulated PVC conduit from the garage to a wall outlet at the tank. I been using some form since the tank was setup 9 years ago. At the moment the AWC pumps are Hydros Minnow dosing pumps and the ATO is a Hydros Sole dosing pump. The three pumps are in the garage at the mixing station. The drain pump also has tubing going from it to the kitchen sink drain which is another 25ft. I do have the AWC running 4 times a day and change 750ml at a time currently. The tank is a 42 gallon hex tank.