opinions on my auto water changer design

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
If its a continuous flow with new water going directly to the tank. Then I would put the outlet from the tank going to the drain that would flow the same rate coming in. This would not dump any more water into the sump then it would normally have without the system. There would be no need for a float valve or risk of overflowing the sump.
 
i do think the water change is a little excessive.. i have a 100 gpd RO/DI set up that i plan to do something similar with for my 800 gallon aquarium with a 300 gallon sump, when i set it up, that i think would be more appropriate for what he's doing.

i would try to do something for the smaller tanks that i have set up now, but i would have to modify the whole house and it might not sell so easily with water lines going to every room.. lol.
 
Oughtsix/Dan F, I love that idea better actually, where would I buy that type of float switch that will cut the water off?

Arowanasc2, can you give me more details about this microprocessor based water changer?

MyGiants, yes it's constant, as opposed to changing 1000 gallons a month. The water goes thru the chlorimine filter to the sump, can go to the tank no big deal but evenutally will wind up in the sump anyways. If I had it to the tank, it will overflow in the sump so that idea isn't an option in my setup. If I didn't have a sump, yes would be great. The room is heated to 70-75 degrees and with the water flowing in over the last week it's still maintaining 78 degrees in my tank, also I ordered 2 1000 watt jencho heaters with a controller/relay to improve the heating.

Yes I don't want to spend extra money and also conserve water, so still trying to find a medium. Hopefully it will be less than 8 gph.
 
clekchau said:
MyGiants, yes it's constant, as opposed to changing 1000 gallons a month. The water goes thru the chlorimine filter to the sump, can go to the tank no big deal but evenutally will wind up in the sump anyways. If I had it to the tank, it will overflow in the sump so that idea isn't an option in my setup.
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In my last post above I said I would have the outlet water to the drain also from the tank. This would flow the same rate as the inlet water so there wouldn't be any extra water going to the sump.
 
clekchau said:
The water goes thru the chlorimine filter to the sump, can go to the tank no big deal but evenutally will wind up in the sump anyways. If I had it to the tank, it will overflow in the sump so that idea isn't an option in my setup. If I didn't have a sump, yes would be great.
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Why the sump? Why not feed the fresh water into the tank, so it dilutes with the dirty water better? By adding fresh water into the sump you probably won't have an effective water change, since a lot of that could be drained out before it dilutes with the dirty water.
 
jcardona1 said:
Why the sump? Why not feed the fresh water into the tank, so it dilutes with the dirty water better? By adding fresh water into the sump you probably won't have an effective water change, since a lot of that could be drained out before it dilutes with the dirty water.
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i can do that, but didn't think it would be a factor as the pump that drains runs about once every hour for less than a minute. by that time most of the water has been diluted back into the main tank.
 
MyGiants said:
In my last post above I said I would have the outlet water to the drain also from the tank. This would flow the same rate as the inlet water so there wouldn't be any extra water going to the sump.
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i guess i'm not getting it... i already have overflows from my tank to my sump, to accomplish what you are referring to i would need to add another external overflow and insure it is positioned to drain with excess water. but since i have a sump already, that is where the water line... am i missing something?
 
I like this valve, I have used them for years without issue:
http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Aquarium-RO-Water-Purification/I/Sump-Floating-Valve.aspx

To use this you would plumb your incoming water through your filters and into the float valve. A small pump in the sump is plumbed to your waste (sewer) pipes or out into the yard. You can either have the water dump intermittently using a timer (easier for small tanks) or continuously. No additional sump pumps, float switches, solenoid valves, et cetera. I am always a little perplexed when I see complicated water change systems using hundreds of dollars worth of switches, valves, and other doo-dads. A float valve, timer, and powerhead will cost under $100 and is relatively simple to set up and run...
 
clekchau said:
i guess i'm not getting it... i already have overflows from my tank to my sump, to accomplish what you are referring to i would need to add another external overflow and insure it is positioned to drain with excess water. but since i have a sump already, that is where the water line... am i missing something?
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You're not getting it because it impossible to do, it won't work, and defies all laws of physics and gravity LOL! You can't add secondary overflow to the tank and expect it to flow only the amount of water you put so that it doesn't go down to the sump. It's just not possible.
 
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