DRIP SYSTEMS Success & Failures

[Dan F]

DanF, Pharaoh, jcardona1 where you guys at? You have some creative drips going to, lets see them!

Well, when I read this I was at work (I missed this thread last night) so I couldn't reply properly.

To start out, I don't drip, I change my water automatically.

I currently have three different automatic water-change systems running. Each is a bit different in execution, but all share the same basic principle, which is somewhat backwards from anything else I've seen on the forum (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Rather than a drip/overflow system, I use a float valve to fill and a pump to remove wastewater.

The advantages of this method are:

Flexibility of location - While traditional drip/overflow systems require a graded drain (sloped towards the exit, or gravity-fed), this system can be placed below grade without the use of a float-switch operated sump-pump (which fail at a notoriously high rate). In fact, if the discharge point is higher that the water level it actually simplifies the plumbing, as you don't need an air-gap (AKA a vacuum-break or syphon-break).

Ease of adjustment - In two of my three systems the amount of water changed is regulated by a digital timer (the normal six on/off setting type sold at Home Depot). Changing the amount of water changed per day is as simple as pushing a few buttons.

No drilling needed - Two out of three of my installations are in standard undrilled glass tanks. By using a bracketed float valve you can do an automatic water change without using a drilled overflow or an over-the-back overflow. This can be done DIY, but there is at least one affordable ($30) bracketed float valve sold for aquarium use, the Eshopps float valve http://www.petsolutions.com/C/PVC-Valves/I/Eshopps-Float-Valve.aspx This unit has problems that can be overcome, but more on that later... Jehmco also sells a number of different float valves that can be configured either horizontally or vertically. If your tank/sump is acrylic, it is easy enough to drill the small diameter hole necessary for a through wall float valve, eliminating the ned for a bracket.

Very little chance of flood - Float valves are very, very reliable. Think about how many flushes the typical toilet sees over its lifetime...

No emitters to clog - any low flow (> ~5GPH) orifice is very susceptible to clogging due to particulate matter and/or mineral buildup.


^ All that said, nobody else seems to be doing it my way, so I may just be backwards.

I will post some photos/descriptions of each system tomorrow, unfortunately I have a couple sick kids tonight that won't allow me the time...

 

[JK47]

Well, when I read this I was at work (I missed this thread last night) so I couldn't reply properly.

To start out, I don't drip, I change my water automatically.

I currently have three different automatic water-change systems running. Each is a bit different in execution, but all share the same basic principle, which is somewhat backwards from anything else I've seen on the forum (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Rather than a drip/overflow system, I use a float valve to fill and a pump to remove wastewater.

The advantages of this method are:

Flexibility of location - While traditional drip/overflow systems require a graded drain (sloped towards the exit, or gravity-fed), this system can be placed below grade without the use of a float-switch operated sump-pump (which fail at a notoriously high rate). In fact, if the discharge point is higher that the water level it actually simplifies the plumbing, as you don't need an air-gap (AKA a vacuum-break or syphon-break).

Ease of adjustment - In two of my three systems the amount of water changed is regulated by a digital timer (the normal six on/off setting type sold at Home Depot). Changing the amount of water changed per day is as simple as pushing a few buttons.

No drilling needed - Two out of three of my installations are in standard undrilled glass tanks. By using a bracketed float valve you can do an automatic water change without using a drilled overflow or an over-the-back overflow. This can be done DIY, but there is at least one affordable ($30) bracketed float valve sold for aquarium use, the Eshopps float valve http://www.petsolutions.com/C/PVC-Valves/I/Eshopps-Float-Valve.aspx This unit has problems that can be overcome, but more on that later... Jehmco also sells a number of different float valves that can be configured either horizontally or vertically. If your tank/sump is acrylic, it is easy enough to drill the small diameter hole necessary for a through wall float valve, eliminating the ned for a bracket.

Very little chance of flood - Float valves are very, very reliable. Think about how many flushes the typical toilet sees over its lifetime...

No emitters to clog - any low flow (> ~5GPH) orifice is very susceptible to clogging due to particulate matter and/or mineral buildup.


^ All that said, nobody else seems to be doing it my way, so I may just be backwards.

I will post some photos/descriptions of each system tomorrow, unfortunately I have a couple sick kids tonight that won't allow me the time...

Now ^ THIS is what I was hoping to see this thread turn into, thanks so much for contributing. More/unique and different approaches so when someone comes across this thread in the future, they can decide which application works best for them.

Frankly I would do your desing in a heartbeat Dan, I just don't understand what is happening to be honest. I am really looking forward to your step by description and pics. Can you please let us know what you like and dislike about it?

 

[fishman09]

i would like to plump my 240 and 120 to the same sump then run a drip from the sump which would do two tanks with one drip. this would really help on my 75 which is on the bottom of a stacked rack and doing wc is a pain as i have to use buckets.

 

[JK47]

i would like to plump my 240 and 120 to the same sump then run a drip from the sump which would do two tanks with one drip. this would really help on my 75 which is on the bottom of a stacked rack and doing wc is a pain as i have to use buckets.

Yeah I've been there. Drop me a PM with if you want and we can chat options, I'll help in any way I can and am up north pretty often. This is too easy not to do, trust me. Your 75g is a prime example of why an overflow like mine may be needed since you won't have a sump under the tank to plumb to.

 

[LOPAKA]

only problem I see with yours Justin is you need a sedement filter (just in case) and a flow regulator (highly recommended) Jose had a situation where the pressure built up enough to blow one of the emmitters off the line and he had water shooting across the garage. I'll try and get pics up of mine when I get a minute. Jose's (JCardona) is pretty sweet, like most of his DYI work.... I'll let him know about this thread but his system can be found in his 190g thread.

 

[Conner]

Very nice. We just moved into a new house, and since I've got a 220g, 125g, this would be perfect. They are in the basement right next to the laundry room, so I have water line access and a sump to drain the tanks into.

I may even set it up on my 2 90g's once I have both of them set up.

 

[LOPAKA]

by chance Conner does your 220g have an overflow ? What kind of filtration are you running on the 2 ?? Only reason I ask is because I built a custom stand for my 180g so that a 75g could be directly underneath. The 180g has an overflow so I have my drip fed into the far left of the 180g (overflow on the right) water flows down the overflow into the 75g on the right side and my drain line is on the far left side of the 75g thus perfoming auto water changes on both tanks

 

[JK47]

only problem I see with yours Justin is you need a sedement filter (just in case) and a flow regulator (highly recommended) Jose had a situation where the pressure built up enough to blow one of the emmitters off the line and he had water shooting across the garage. I'll try and get pics up of mine when I get a minute. Jose's (JCardona) is pretty sweet, like most of his DYI work.... I'll let him know about this thread but his system can be found in his 190g thread.

Flow regulator, got it. Thanks Lopaka. Can you explain the need for the sedement filter? Even if I get it (which I don't) I think we should over explain things in this thread for people new to the concept. I hope Jose is able to contribute too, his work is top notch. I based most of my design off of his old setup, I'll look through his 190 thread, thanks for the heads up and letting him know about this one!

 

[LOPAKA]

The sedement filter was per Jose's recommendation, it is in the case that a piece of charcoal or anything should come down the line it will not clog

 

[Dan F]

I will start out with my 65 Hex, the last tank I set up for automatic water change. This system went together very quickly, I think the whole thing took a couple hours at most. I have well water, so no prefiltration is used.


The first thing I did was set up the float valve. This valve (Eshopps) is fairly cheap ($29.99 @petsolutions) and is a very cool idea, but it has some serious flaws in the construction of the bracket. I have been looking for a better alternative, but I haven't found it yet.

The bracket clamps onto the side of the tank and holds the float valve in place. It is designed to let you set the water level between about two to three inches below the top of the tank - this is the first problem, in order to keep the water level in the tank full, I had to drill an extra hole in the bracket to allow me to mount it higher. No big deal, but annoying.. The second problem is that while the bracket looks quite sturdy (it is made of .25" acrylic) the glue joints are horrible. It is as if they assembled them with contact cement rather than acrylic solvent-weld. This is also annoying but fairly easy to fix by popping the pieces apart and regluing them with proper acrylic cement.

Once the valve was mounted at the right height I attached the included 1/4" supply line to a valve that I teed off of the cold side of my hot water heater.

The water removal is performed by an Aqualift pump. The inlet side is adapted from 1/4" O.D. (airline size) tubing to a piece of 1/2" I.D. black vinyl tubing, a 1/2" barbed elbow and another piece of 1/2" tubing pointing down into the water (sorry that the photos aren't clearer)bing is packed with filter floss as a prefilter to protect the Aqualift.

The exit side of the Aqualift goes into a 1/2" tee fitting - the downward pointing part goes to the drain, the upward pointing part loops back into the tank (but not into the water). This serves as a syphon break, so that the drain can't continue to syphon when the pump shuts off. The half inch drain line connects to another drain (from my 75) and then goes through a hole I drilled in the foundation. It is connected to the house drains/septic system.



This is all you see of the float valve from inside the tank:


This is the view of the Aqualift inlet tube: