Auto top off need experts advice

[Jonathan]

I found a product that is to top off your tank. The main thing i am confused about is that do you need a ro/di system to have this product. Does the auto top off product replace lost water from evaporation alone or is it hooked up to something like a ro di sytem. The website is: www.autotopoff.com<------ click here

 

[Atg]

Ato

i would best describe it like a toilet when the float goes down it refills till float is where it needs to be. The water comes from a Water holding device somewhere seperate.

 

[seareefrun]

I prefer a mechanical float over an electrical, as Murphy's law applies. On the (misc) page of the site it gives you choices of sump(with their pump) or RODI to fill through their solenoid. To bad they didn't include some drawings.

 

[Jonathan]

does anybody know a website for a bluprint how to set up a auto top off with a holding tank with a ro di hooked up with the holding tank

 

[AZDesertRat]

Look at all the Level Control Kits diagrams here:
HOOK UP DIAGRAMS

I would never use a mechanical float, they have limited travel so make a RO membrane kick on and off constantly causing high TDS creep. Float switches are almost bulletproof when used with a solenoid valve and autoshutoff valve and eliminate the effects of TDS creep since they can be positioned a good distance apart so you get nice long filter runs and down time.

The Ultra Precise Level Control II uses a digital electronic sensor and can be adjusted anywhere from 1/10" to 4" and comes with the same peristaltic pump as the LiterMeter III that is so popular.

 

[MurseBS]

go to brs website, look at their tunze auto top off, its awesome, a little pricey but comes with a pump

 

[Beach Bum]

i have this ATO. i have a 5 gal water bottle and it pumps into my sump when water is low
very easy

 

[beaslbob]

One design consideration is that sump water level can go down from either evaporation of a failed (blocked) drain.

So if the drain fails the sump level goes down, ATO puts more water in the system with the possible effect the upper container (usually the display) floods.


just a thought.

worth at most .02

 

[Redstag]

I'm using ATO in my sump more than 2 years as well as all my friend sumps without any problem. I bought the exactly one in the autotopoff site with two solenoid and two double Float Switch to control the water level in my sump. I hook it up directly to my RO/DI water system without a reservoir/bottle needed. The controller powers a device when the lower float switch senses that your tank water level is low. The device will be turned off when the lower float switch senses your water level is high. The top switch is a backup in case the bottom switch fails. I never got into any problem since I'm using them.

 

[AZDesertRat]

What is the water level change between on and off on the lower float switch?
In general its very small so hooking directly to a RO/DI is not advised since it makes the membrane kick on and off frequently and leads to very high TDS creep which eats the DI resin quickly. The idea is to have long filter runs so you reduce the start/stop frequency and dilute the small amount of infrequent TDS creep water in a larger volume of good water.

Its always better the have seperate switches for on and off with a distance between them so your RO/DI operates less frequently and for a longer period so it gets a good flush from the waste ratio between uses. If you do use a single switch it is advisable to run your RO/DI into a seperate holding or ATO reservoir then have the ATO pull from there. You can either fill the ATO reservoir manually or use float switches, again set maybe a foot or more apart so the RO/DI does not cycle on and off. My ATO reservoir has to drop 11 gallons before the RO/DI comes on to replenish it so TDS creep is a non issue.

 

[firefightered]

[
That is why you should put a 2nd float just above the one you want your level to be at. If something where to go wrong with you main float you will have a back up so yu do not have Noah if your living room.
just my $.02

QUOTE=beaslbob;752746]One design consideration is that sump water level can go down from either evaporation of a failed (blocked) drain.

So if the drain fails the sump level goes down, ATO puts more water in the system with the possible effect the upper container (usually the display) floods.


just a thought.


worth at most .02[/QUOTE]

 

[beaslbob]

[
That is why you should put a 2nd float just above the one you want your level to be at. If something where to go wrong with you main float you will have a back up so yu do not have Noah if your living room.
just my $.02

One design consideration is that sump water level can go down from either evaporation of a failed (blocked) drain.

So if the drain fails the sump level goes down, ATO puts more water in the system with the possible effect the upper container (usually the display) floods.


just a thought.


worth at most .02

Or just use a drip system that is dripping to slow down the sump level dropping but not enough to attempt to match the evaporation.

That way you could drip kalk and only have to top off once a week or so. and if the drain failed it would take days for the dripping to cause a flood.

my .02

 

[AZDesertRat]

I use the Spectrapure UPLC-II which has a couple levels of redundancy and safety. It has a 4" clear sensor tube that is adjustable from 1/10" to 4" differential plus a back up emergency float switch for normal operation. It also has an adjustable peristaltic pump (same one as used in the LiterMeter III) which can be adjusted low enough that even if it were to stick on forever, it would still fill at such a low rate it could not overcome evaporation. Its not cheap but it is bulletproof.

 

[Redstag]

Why I need to spend more money and more work. Mine is work fine more than two years. I never have any problem to the float switch, the solenoid is working very good to detect when the level is low and high to drip the water and stop the water. In the past I never use the 2nd float valve since the 1st float valve working every accurate.

 

[Nate82]

One design consideration is that sump water level can go down from either evaporation of a failed (blocked) drain.

So if the drain fails the sump level goes down, ATO puts more water in the system with the possible effect the upper container (usually the display) floods.


just a thought.

worth at most .02

Uh.... If your drain's blocked, your return pump will still pump water into your display. Causing it to overflow. An ATO wouldn't make a tank overflow from the display, if it were to overflow, it would flood the sump.

Or just use a drip system that is dripping to slow down the sump level dropping but not enough to attempt to match the evaporation.

That way you could drip kalk and only have to top off once a week or so. and if the drain failed it would take days for the dripping to cause a flood.

my .02

Evaporation fluctuates with everything from fans kicking on, to outside temp fluctuating, to the humidity of the room, etc. You really can't truly "match the evaporation" with a drip method unless your room is 100% climate controlled, which I highly doubt.

 

[beaslbob]

Uh.... If your drain's blocked, your return pump will still pump water into your display. Causing it to overflow. An ATO wouldn't make a tank overflow from the display, if it were to overflow, it would flood the sump.

not necessairly. One of the adjustments is to make sure that should the drain fail, the sump runs out of water before the display floods. With that adjustment, the flood will be caused by the ato adding water to the sump.

Evaporation fluctuates with everything from fans kicking on, to outside temp fluctuating, to the humidity of the room, etc. You really can't truly "match the evaporation" with a drip method unless your room is 100% climate controlled, which I highly doubt.

Agree it would be hard to precisly match. But perhaps enough so that you only have to add water every 2 weeks instead of every two days. At least that way you can take a week vacation and not have to worry. (as much. )


What I used to do was add extra water to the sump, then remove the sponge filter on the drain so that would not cause a blackage. But that was only good for a few days.

Sometimes I would even just turn off the sump as well. But I also had an in tank refugium that provided most of the stability anyway. the sump was just an extra thingie.


my .02