My DIY Drip System/Water Changer

[Pharaoh]

and you're not running anything else with the chloramine filter? like RO?

No sir.

 

[Austin]

No sir.

cool. really thinking about this vs. the minidos for now.....

 

[Pharaoh]

I wanted something that was simple and didn't require constant a lot of maintenance. I never like the idea of relying on a dosing equipment. I don't have to worry about overdosing or underdosing. With this setup, there are three things that could fail.

1. Controller dies.
Result: No drip until I fix it, no biggie

2. Electronic gate stick closed
Result: No drip until I fix it, no biggie

3. Electronic gate sticks open
Result: Constant water change until I fix it, no biggie

 

[Austin]

I wanted something that was simple and didn't require constant a lot of maintenance. I never like the idea of relying on a dosing equipment. I don't have to worry about overdosing or underdosing. With this setup, there are three things that could fail.

1. Controller dies.
Result: No drip until I fix it, no biggie

2. Electronic gate stick closed
Result: No drip until I fix it, no biggie

3. Electronic gate sticks open
Result: Constant water change until I fix it, no biggie

i agree. as far as changing the media itself, do you just keep a record or does it change color or what? for example: during the rainy season the city adds more chloramine here, would that affect things?

 

[BoCoMo]

Great setup! Sorry if I missed it but how does the old water get out of the system? I saw that the tanks overflow to a central sump but where does it go from there? The reason I ask is because I am also a monster housplant keeper and like to use the water change waste water for the plants. Thanks in advance

 

[Pharaoh]

i agree. as far as changing the media itself, do you just keep a record or does it change color or what? for example: during the rainy season the city adds more chloramine here, would that affect things?

Sorry, never saw this to answer. I just know about how much water I am changing per week. Then I figured how long it would take to hit 5000 gallons. From there, I cut it down a bit to be safe and then just change it. I figured I could do about 6 months before changing, then easily found out that it lasted closer to a year on the first charge(when testing the water). I do not expect to get that much from an subsequent changes as the system will contain some older media. I guess I could change it all and be back to square one.

Great setup! Sorry if I missed it but how does the old water get out of the system? I saw that the tanks overflow to a central sump but where does it go from there? The reason I ask is because I am also a monster housplant keeper and like to use the water change waste water for the plants. Thanks in advance

I have a hole drilled in the sump that is the overflow. Once the water reaches a certain point, it will drain into the sump pit in the basement and be pumped out. You could easily change this over to a holding tank to hold any water that you might want to save.

 

[BoCoMo]

I have a hole drilled in the sump that is the overflow. Once the water reaches a certain point, it will drain into the sump pit in the basement and be pumped out. You could easily change this over to a holding tank to hold any water that you might want to save.

That is what I was thinking - I guess to make it simple (which goes against what I usually do) I could have it gravity feed into the holding tank via overflow and have the holding tank drain to sewer via overflow as well.

Thanks!

 

[Darwin]

I have been working on plans to add a drip system to my 400 gal ray tank (below). This thread has answered many of the questions I had. Thanks for the information. I do have a couple more questions if anyone could help me better understand these.
Why is there a pressure regulator?
- The filters should withstand city water pressure
- The Minidos’ operating pressure is up to 100psi
Any problem using the hot water line for the drip system to avoid heating the new water with the tank heaters?
- The Energy added to the tank is not that much
- E = mass of water added x specific heat of water x temperature difference
- 2 gph of 110°F water is equivalent to a 132w heater or one of the 300w heaters I use on 26 min/hr
Do you need to use something like a sprinkler valve to control the water flow or could you use a mechanical valve on the output to control the flow rate?

Below are the plans I put together for my tank but would appreciate any recommendations anyone might have.

 

[JayHRC51]

now that is a nice stand setup, wow!

 

[Pharaoh]

I have been working on plans to add a drip system to my 400 gal ray tank (below). This thread has answered many of the questions I had. Thanks for the information. I do have a couple more questions if anyone could help me better understand these.
Why is there a pressure regulator?
- The filters should withstand city water pressure
- The Minidos’ operating pressure is up to 100psi
Any problem using the hot water line for the drip system to avoid heating the new water with the tank heaters?
- The Energy added to the tank is not that much
- E = mass of water added x specific heat of water x temperature difference
- 2 gph of 110°F water is equivalent to a 132w heater or one of the 300w heaters I use on 26 min/hr
Do you need to use something like a sprinkler valve to control the water flow or could you use a mechanical valve on the output to control the flow rate?

Below are the plans I put together for my tank but would appreciate any recommendations anyone might have.

The pressure regulator is for the chloramine filter. At the PSI that the municipal water is at, a guess would be 90psi, it will blow the line straight out of the filter. This filter is not designed for higher pressure applications.

I do not use a minidos at all

I chose to just use the cold water line that was directly above the fish room. I wanted the WC to simulate rain, hence the cooler water.

I use an electronic controller and an electronic gate valve to operate the system. One could also use a drip emitter to achieve the drip effect. My setup is strictly an auto water change system.