ariellemermaid
Well-Known Member
Preface: I know float valves can fail and shouldn’t be completely relied upon. However in the years since I started reefing my old containers and floats never had an issue; I always felt comfortable trusting them overnight at least. This new setup though….
I can’t figure out why my RODI container float valve failed and I’m hoping someone has some insights.
I have a float valve (just a regular plastic one) on a Brute in a fish room with an ATK pump inside. A siphon forms from the Brute to the tank, so I have a siphon break above the water line. The float is fairly new; however, I’ve successfully made about 3 batches of water without issues. Only change to the system since the last batch was adding in a triple TDS meter and the ATK pump. RODI does have a pressure shut off switch.
I set it to fill overnight and first thing in the morning noticed a high sensor alarm on my sump (this is right at the level of the sump’s float- so that backup float did its job). In the fish room the Brute was overflowing, the siphon break was submerged at that level, and the floor was wet (but probably not as wet as if the float didn’t work at all; no way to know for sure).
After removing some water from the Brute and turning the RODI back on to test, not a drop comes out of the float. If I push it down the water starts, and when I let it go it completely stops; not even a drip. As long as the float is fully engaged, I can wiggle it to the left and right and nothing comes out.
Any thoughts on what happened? The ATK turning on might make some small waves at the siphon break, but shouldn’t be enough to deactivate the float. Especially once it got fuller and fuller and the float was 100% submerged. There wasn’t a back siphon; salinity is 0.0. Even though a forward siphon did form after the break was submerged, the tank’s float did its job and the water level only raised about 2” above normal level in the pump compartment. Plus a siphon still wouldn’t explain why the float decided to stop working.
After this experience I may head down the solenoid and sensor route. However, I really want to understand what could have happened here and appreciate any insights! My intention for the float is simply to have a float valve as a backup in case I forget to turn the RODI off.
I can’t figure out why my RODI container float valve failed and I’m hoping someone has some insights.
I have a float valve (just a regular plastic one) on a Brute in a fish room with an ATK pump inside. A siphon forms from the Brute to the tank, so I have a siphon break above the water line. The float is fairly new; however, I’ve successfully made about 3 batches of water without issues. Only change to the system since the last batch was adding in a triple TDS meter and the ATK pump. RODI does have a pressure shut off switch.
I set it to fill overnight and first thing in the morning noticed a high sensor alarm on my sump (this is right at the level of the sump’s float- so that backup float did its job). In the fish room the Brute was overflowing, the siphon break was submerged at that level, and the floor was wet (but probably not as wet as if the float didn’t work at all; no way to know for sure).
After removing some water from the Brute and turning the RODI back on to test, not a drop comes out of the float. If I push it down the water starts, and when I let it go it completely stops; not even a drip. As long as the float is fully engaged, I can wiggle it to the left and right and nothing comes out.
Any thoughts on what happened? The ATK turning on might make some small waves at the siphon break, but shouldn’t be enough to deactivate the float. Especially once it got fuller and fuller and the float was 100% submerged. There wasn’t a back siphon; salinity is 0.0. Even though a forward siphon did form after the break was submerged, the tank’s float did its job and the water level only raised about 2” above normal level in the pump compartment. Plus a siphon still wouldn’t explain why the float decided to stop working.
After this experience I may head down the solenoid and sensor route. However, I really want to understand what could have happened here and appreciate any insights! My intention for the float is simply to have a float valve as a backup in case I forget to turn the RODI off.
