Evaporation and Top-off Systems

[johnfish]

What kind of set-ups do people use for topping off their tanks due to evaporation? How much evaporation is normal?

I loose about two gallons a day! I figure this is due to having 800W of halide on my 45 gallon display tank and 175W of halide on the 33gallon under-tank refugium. The killer fan on the display tank is the main culprit I think. Produces a lovely balmy seabreeze.

Right now I use a manual top-off system where I just run the RO/DI water straight into the bottom tank with a long piece of airline tubing. The RO/DI unit is under the kitchen sink with a tap off the cold water pipe.

I turn it on when I get home and the level is usually good just before I hit the sack. This is about three or four hours. Note to self: It is VERY important to remember to turn it off before going to bed! :eek1:

I forgot once soon after setting it up. I suddenly sat bolt upright in bed remembering I hadn't shut it off. Scared the (bleep) out of me! Luckily only a gallon or two got loose and I mopped it up right away.

I still wake up in the night and run out to check it, not remembering if I shut it off. I just got a Screamer leak alarm, which should now let me get some un-interrupted sleep I hope.

A guy at work just asked me what do I do when I go away on vacation. Good question. Hadn't thought of that. :rolleyes:

The auto top-off stuff you see out there looks pretty dodgy. I was thinking something like a solenoid ahead of the RO/DI, controlled by a float switch. I MUST not fail though. I am frightened, very fightened....:help:

Any thought or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John

[johnw]

I'm still working on an auto system but for now I have my RO unit hooked up to a 20gal rubbermaid container. Inside is a float valve that cuts flow from the RO unit once it's full. The RO also has an auto-shut off valve which senses backpressure and then cuts flow from the house water supply. This way I always have 20 gals RO water for top off and making salt water (keep 20 gals of that on hand all the time too) although I still have to manually top up. I sleep good though.

Might be an interim step til your auto top off is set up.

[Mitchell]

Here is what I use

I fill a 50 gallon food grade drum up with RO. In the drum is a small RIO ( I know I know, I hate them, but they work ok for top off)

To turn the pump on and off when needed , I use a Tsumi auto top off unit.
A sensor goes into the sump and the RIO plugs into the controller.

When the water level drops, it activates the RIO and when it fills up the controller shuts the RIO down.

[Mitchell]

here is a diagram off there site

[johnfish]

Thanks for the info, John. That sounds like a cool way of doing it. I will scope out float valves and RO auto shut off valves.

I am thinking two redundant methods of cutting off the water are essential to a good night's sleep :)

And then there's the time when I'm at work. I jump everytime the phone rings thinking it will be the landlord telling me I have flooded the suite below with saltwater resulting in tens of thousands in damage.

:idea: Hmmmm.....maybe a spill alarm hooked up to an autodialler which dials a pager?

Is anyone else this paranoid? Should I seek psychiatric help??

[johnfish]

Wow! Excellent info Coralmorphian!

Thanks :)
John

[Mitchell]

oh and ya dont need a 50 gallon drum either. anything will do!!

[Mitchell]

he he ooops...the price...I paid a little over $100.00 for it brand new.

[Mitchell]

:eek2: I forgot 1 other thing. You will notice that the sensor attach's to the glass via 2 suction cups. :eek2: You know they are going to fail, the thing is going to fall into the sump...water is going to go till the reserve is empty...:angry:

This is what I did. I got a hanger that comes with the Maxi Jet powerheads and used plastic ties to secure it to the hanger. I then hung that on the sump. Any plastic will do but the maxijet is already formed to hang over a tank:D

paranoia solved

OK I'll shut up now

[johnw]

Coralmorphian, how do you control RO water flow to your holding drum? do you use a float valve like I decsribed or just manually fill it periodically?

Presuming you are giving the Tsunami 2 thumbs up?

[Mitchell]

Presuming you are giving the Tsunami 2 thumbs up?

well never having a problem with it, yes definatley.

Its a 50 gallon so I fill it only when needed usually about every 2 to 3 weeks( mind you , that was on the 180 gallon)

[johnfish]

Thanks for the info, Coralmorphian. Outstanding tank photo, too!

With the water pressure I get I can make about 16 GPD with my 60 GPD RO/DI filter. It would take three days straight to fill a 50 gal resevoir.

This place has those food grade drums and lots of other cool industrial stuff:

http://www.avenuesupply.com/

I am going to scope out the lawn sprinkler sections of Home Depot, Rona, etc. I seem to remember seeing timers and solenoids and stuff there.

It would be nice to just run the RO/DI straight into the tank with one or maybe two auto shut-offs AND a timer.

[Wayne's World]

I use a DIY float switch and a solenoid (home depot) on the feed of the RO/DI, that fills my storage aquarium. This is just for making RO water, not for top off. Too often I would turn on the RO filter and forget about it, luckily it's in the basement with a drain close by. I have a 5gal container with mixed kalkwasser that does my top off from a humidifier float valve.

[Chrismo]

Hey Mitch,
Great info on the Tsunami, and timely too, I'm going on vacation in 10 days, and NEED a top-off.

2 more questins though, how far does the water drop before it turns on? AND Where did you get it?

Thanksa!
Chrismo

[Ocean Images]

Chrismo, I bought a Tsunami top off system from MOPS last week. It was very easy to hook-up, in my sump, the water drops about 2-1/2" and then the pump kicks in.
Mitch is right though, the two suction cups that hold the sensor WILL fail so its best to "hard wire" the unit in place.
The Tsunami has been running for almost a week now, of course I checked for a couple days to see if in fact was working properly and it has been!
I should have bought one of these a looooong time ago :)
:cheers:

[User Name]

Me my ro/di is feed by a 24v selenoid valve from homedepot ($21)
the selenoide is activated by a 24v ($24 homedepot) transformer
that one lead go directely to the selenoide and the other pass across a mercure contact ($1.99 at my local electrician) i make out a flot mecanisme witch activate the mercure switch

it's safe (olny 12v around the bac) is cheap! and it's DIY!

:idea:

[johnfish]

Thanks for the info, User Name :)

I ended up using one of those 24V solenoid valves from Home Depot you mention. They are designed for controlling garden sprinklers and cost about $25.

The solenoid valve is installed between the water pipe and the RO/DI filter. Home depot also had all the fittings nessissary to adapt the 3/4" fittings on the valve to 1/4" plastic pipe.

I also bought the programmable sprinkler timer that goes with the solenoid. It allows up to three "waterings" a day and you can set the time duration.

It took some experimentation to get the duration set to the correct time which maintains the water height. It is now set to three top-ups per day of 75 minutes each. This keeps the sump level pretty much constant.

I used another one of these programmable sprinkler timers to switch on the stirring pump on my kalkwasser reactor. It does three stirs a day for fifteen minutes each.

The RO/DI filter feeds the kalkwasser reactor which feeds the sump. The timers are set so the reactor is stirred just after a top-up finishes. This leaves lots of time for the lime to settle before the next top-up.

The system has been working well for a few months now without much intervention. Occasionally, evaporation is higher than normal so an extra cycle must be triggered manually.

Cheers:)
John

[User Name]

Hi John
I replay because i'm not sure of my lucid explanation!
My mechanism work with a mercury switch (scuse my French) witch consist of a glass bubble filed with a mercury bubble and two contact , when the switch go unleveled the mercury bubble roll and make contact .
I made a mechanism witch hold it and it's precision is about ½" in the sub
and i pay $1.99 (one dollar and ninny nine cent)

The mechanism is simple one peanut butter jar inside an acrylic pipe , when the water evaporate , the jar go down and pull the switch!
:pint:

[johnfish]

Cool design for the float switch, User Name!

Thanks for the info.

Cheers:)
John