Sorry, I posted this in the wrong place the first time and thought it would be more appropriate in the DIY section.
I got tired of having to put a gallon of water in every couple of days from the loss due to evaporation so I made this system which uses the Arduino microcontroller to automatically refill the tank from a reservoir. The system senses the water level by running a small electrical current through the water every 60 seconds. If an electrical current can pass through it has enough water. If it cannot it needs water and activates the pump after checking to see if the reservoir has sufficient water in it. I used graphite rods as the electrodes. The pump that I used is a 300gph AC draining pump for hot tubs, etc. It is switched on and off by a servo that makes 2 copper plates contact and close the circuit (It would be better to have a transistor). The reservoir I used is just a five gallon bucket although it would be better to use something bigger so as not to refill as much. I now fill the bucket every couple of weeks and it keeps the tank at a constant level for that time. It has an LED that flashes to indicate insufficient water in the reservoir. I also installed a photocell for sensing light so that the pump does not run while I am sleeping, as it is somewhat loud. I am thinking of eventually adding and automatic water change system that uses another pump to pump water out of the tank every week or so. The system has been running for about 3 months and I have had no problems with it. If you want any other information on this setup, or if you have suggestions for additions to the setup you can email me at biscuit495@gmail.com or you can just respond in this thread. Please tell me what you think. I have added some pictures below.
The whole system:
The Arduino microcontroller:
The switch for the pump:
The graphite water level sensors:
The photocell (light sensor):
The reservoir with sensor and pump:
I got tired of having to put a gallon of water in every couple of days from the loss due to evaporation so I made this system which uses the Arduino microcontroller to automatically refill the tank from a reservoir. The system senses the water level by running a small electrical current through the water every 60 seconds. If an electrical current can pass through it has enough water. If it cannot it needs water and activates the pump after checking to see if the reservoir has sufficient water in it. I used graphite rods as the electrodes. The pump that I used is a 300gph AC draining pump for hot tubs, etc. It is switched on and off by a servo that makes 2 copper plates contact and close the circuit (It would be better to have a transistor). The reservoir I used is just a five gallon bucket although it would be better to use something bigger so as not to refill as much. I now fill the bucket every couple of weeks and it keeps the tank at a constant level for that time. It has an LED that flashes to indicate insufficient water in the reservoir. I also installed a photocell for sensing light so that the pump does not run while I am sleeping, as it is somewhat loud. I am thinking of eventually adding and automatic water change system that uses another pump to pump water out of the tank every week or so. The system has been running for about 3 months and I have had no problems with it. If you want any other information on this setup, or if you have suggestions for additions to the setup you can email me at biscuit495@gmail.com or you can just respond in this thread. Please tell me what you think. I have added some pictures below.
The whole system:
The Arduino microcontroller:
The switch for the pump:
The graphite water level sensors:
The photocell (light sensor):
The reservoir with sensor and pump:
