Hydros AWC + ATO from basement

[NikkiPotnick]

Hello all,


I have a HYDROS Launch + XP8 going onto a new system, and I’m pretty new to controllers, so I’m still trying to wrap my head around the best way to set everything up.


What I’m trying to achieve is running both my ATO and AWC from my basement (directly below the tank) up into my sump. The vertical distance is only about 8 feet, and I’d prefer to keep the pumps in the basement to reduce noise upstairs.


The issue I ran into is that I don’t have a way to run any power cords from the basement to the HYDROS system. I ran my water lines while the trim was off, but completely forgot to run any 12V/24V control lines for pumps.


Given that, is my best option to use the HYDROS WiFi power strip or smart plugs for the pumps? I’m a bit hesitant to rely on a wireless connection for something like an ATO, where failure could be a big problem.


Also, what pumps would you recommend for this kind of setup (8 ft vertical, basement reservoir to sump)?

Is there a way to expand HYDROS control to the basement without running new wires (e.g., another controller unit)?

 

[n2585722]

Hello all,


I have a HYDROS Launch + XP8 going onto a new system, and I’m pretty new to controllers, so I’m still trying to wrap my head around the best way to set everything up.


What I’m trying to achieve is running both my ATO and AWC from my basement (directly below the tank) up into my sump. The vertical distance is only about 8 feet, and I’d prefer to keep the pumps in the basement to reduce noise upstairs.


The issue I ran into is that I don’t have a way to run any power cords from the basement to the HYDROS system. I ran my water lines while the trim was off, but completely forgot to run any 12V/24V control lines for pumps.


Given that, is my best option to use the HYDROS WiFi power strip or smart plugs for the pumps? I’m a bit hesitant to rely on a wireless connection for something like an ATO, where failure could be a big problem.


Also, what pumps would you recommend for this kind of setup (8 ft vertical, basement reservoir to sump)?

Is there a way to expand HYDROS control to the basement without running new wires (e.g., another controller unit)?

You will need a command bus cable between all the controllers in a collective. Anything over 14ft requires a data only command bus cable. You defiantly do not want to use wifi devices on AWC or ATO pumps. I have my AWC and ATO reservoirs in my garage which is 35ft from the tank. I also have my pumps out there also. I currently use 2 Blenny pumps for AWC and a Sole for ATO but you xould use a third Blenny pump. I have my AWC split into 4 times a day and run the drain pump for 10 minutes at 55ml a minute speed. My tank is a 42 gallon tank so it is not a large tank. The tubing between the garage and the tank is run up through my attic. If you are good with DIY you can use CAT 5 cable to make a data only command bus cable if you can get one of those between the tank and the basement. Here is a link to the DIY section in the Hydros forum for DIY command bus cable using CAT 5 cable https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/threads/diy-data-only-command-bus-cable.331/ .

 

[NikkiPotnick]

You will need a command bus cable between all the controllers in a collective. Anything over 14ft requires a data only command bus cable. You defiantly do not want to use wifi devices on AWC or ATO pumps. I have my AWC and ATO reservoirs in my garage which is 35ft from the tank. I also have my pumps out there also. I currently use 2 Blenny pumps for AWC and a Sole for ATO but you xould use a third Blenny pump. I have my AWC split into 4 times a day and run the drain pump for 10 minutes at 55ml a minute speed. My tank is a 42 gallon tank so it is not a large tank. The tubing between the garage and the tank is run up through my attic. If you are good with DIY you can use CAT 5 cable to make a data only command bus cable if you can get one of those between the tank and the basement. Here is a link to the DIY section in the Hydros forum for DIY command bus cable using CAT 5 cable https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/threads/diy-data-only-command-bus-cable.331/ .

Thanks!

Hmmm dang shame I didn’t run the wires when I should have. Are the pumps you are using fairly loud ? 2nd option is having them in the tank stand and dealing with the noise.

 

[n2585722]

Thanks!

Hmmm dang shame I didn’t run the wires when I should have. Are the pumps you are using fairly loud ? 2nd option is having them in the tank stand and dealing with the noise.

You can hear them if you go out in the garage but they are not real loud. They are dosing pumps built into a Hydros controller called a Blenny. I do have a couple of X10's with dosing pumps on them that are at the tank and you can hear them when they are running also but they are not real loud. They are used for dosing and for doing the alkalinity testing. The ones doing the alkalinity testing also do pH and salinity test every other hour even during the night. it has not been an issue.

 

[NikkiPotnick]

You can hear them if you go out in the garage but they are not real loud. They are dosing pumps built into a Hydros controller called a Blenny. I do have a couple of X10's with dosing pumps on them that are at the tank and you can hear them when they are running also but they are not real loud. They are used for dosing and for doing the alkalinity testing. The ones doing the alkalinity testing also do pH and salinity test every other hour even during the night. it has not been an issue.

And the pumps on the blenny are reliable enough/ good for the purpose of awc or ATO? I was reading they are not really designed for continuous cycle stuff like awc?

 

[Mebbid]

So I just bought a hydros x10, so am not super familiar with the operating system.


To my understanding, other modules can be added to a collective over wifi. If that's the case, Id personally (and this is probably what I am going to be doing eventually) buy a launch module, and keep it in the basement with the water change station. Control a pump directly with that so if you lose wifi in the middle of a water change it wont necessarily be stuck in the "on" position like with the wifi strip. It's good to have one anyways for the water change station because float valves aren't super reliable and you can add a solenoid.

 

[knecht]

So I just bought a hydros x10, so am not super familiar with the operating system.


To my understanding, other modules can be added to a collective over wifi. If that's the case, Id personally (and this is probably what I am going to be doing eventually) buy a launch module, and keep it in the basement with the water change station. Control a pump directly with that so if you lose wifi in the middle of a water change it wont necessarily be stuck in the "on" position like with the wifi strip. It's good to have one anyways for the water change station because float valves aren't super reliable and you can add a solenoid.

If you plan for the controllers to be part of the same collective, a data cable is required between controllers. You can’t use WiFi between controllers to create a collective.

 

[knecht]

Thanks!

Hmmm dang shame I didn’t run the wires when I should have. Are the pumps you are using fairly loud ? 2nd option is having them in the tank stand and dealing with the noise.

If you don't want to use dosing pumps you could use Tunze Osmolator 3’s. I use three of them for my AWC setup and power them from the drive ports. They are fairly quite.

 

[n2585722]

So I just bought a hydros x10, so am not super familiar with the operating system.


To my understanding, other modules can be added to a collective over wifi. If that's the case, Id personally (and this is probably what I am going to be doing eventually) buy a launch module, and keep it in the basement with the water change station. Control a pump directly with that so if you lose wifi in the middle of a water change it wont necessarily be stuck in the "on" position like with the wifi strip. It's good to have one anyways for the water change station because float valves aren't super reliable and you can add a solenoid.

You cannot have a controller in a collective unless it is connected to the other controllers using a command bus cable. The collective also has to have 2 terminators for the command bus. The Hydros has no modules since they are all controllers that can be used in a collective or stand alone. There are wifi things you can use with Hydros such as some Sicce pump and some wifi power strips.

 

[n2585722]

And the pumps on the blenny are reliable enough/ good for the purpose of awc or ATO? I was reading they are not really designed for continuous cycle stuff like awc?

I use them on my 42 gallon tank but I would not run them more than 15 minutes at a time without giving them a rest. I have my water change split into 4 times in a 24 hour period. So they run every 6 hours. At the moment I have the drain pump set to run for 10 minutes each time. So it depends on the water volume you are trying to change. There is also the Sole pumps which would be better for more water volume for larger tanks. Those I think go up to 300ml a minute.

 

[NikkiPotnick]

If you don't want to use dosing pumps you could use Tunze Osmolator 3’s. I use three of them for my AWC setup and power them from the drive ports. They are fairly quite.

I went this route. Will need to find a way to run the cables down to the pumps but suppose it wont be that hard lol.

 

[Chasman]

I too have a Hydros S4 and XP8 but couldn't come up with a good ATO/AWC system. My storage tanks are in the basement as well. I ended up using the Red Sea ATO controller and a Kamoer X2SR for the AWC. The Red Sea sensor is really nice and the pump is inside my RODI tank (40 gal) in the basement. The Kamoer works extremely well and the sound for either is barely noticeable up stairs. You can hear it in the basement. Albeit, these two pieces of equipment are a bit pricey, but work well. I posted some pics in this topic area a few days ago.