Auto Top Off Help Required

[dbdavid]

Hi, I am going on a extended vacation and need a way to automate my fresh water top up reservoir. I have a 30 gal plastic container that holds my RO/DI water that I fill manually and need a way to automate it. Any ideas out there?


Dave

[muck]

Talk to Harvey.
He makes them and for a really good price too.
I have been using one for quite awhile now and it works like a champ.

http://www.abaquatics.com/

[mr_alberta]

You can use a float valve from your RO unit to the resevoir as well.

[dbdavid]

OK, how would this work using float switches? You would need 2 switches, one for the high level and one for low level right. How would you control these?

Dave

[dbdavid]

I don't think my original post was as clear as it should have been. My sump level today is controlled from a float switch in the sump connected to a pump in my RO/DI reservoir. It all works very well.

What I have to do manually is turn on my RO/DI water to fill the reservoir and that is what I am trying to automate. What I need help with is the magical box to do this with some float switches, solenoids etc..

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/453TOP_OFF-med.jpg?7545

Any help would be appreciated.

Dave

[muck]

ahh sorry my bad then Dave.

[mark]

Why couldn't use use a mechanical float valve hooked up to the output of the ro unit.

Whatever you use, hope you can try it first for awhile before leaving.

[IslandReefer]

Hey Dave is this what you need?

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/rounits.php?product_ID=ro-kpfshut

My RO has a float valve in the reservoir (50g barrel) that stops the flow of RO when full and the valve turns off the water flow through the RO unit.

To get fancy you can put a second small tank on top of the barrel (in my case) such as a red sea 5gal jug (came free :smile: ) that goes to the sump float valve. Put a PH (MJ on a apx 20min/24hr timer) in the barrel that pumps, for a pulse each day, RO into the top tank.( An overflow line back to the barrel allows this to be a crude time setting)
...the idea is to fill a days worth of RO at once so the RO isn't just slow leak all day but runs open for ,a time, once per day, after the PH fills the small jug then stops.
Hope this is clear and helps

[mr_alberta]

If you want to do this with float switches, you will need 2 float switches and a relay set up with a solenoid...in the end its just cheaper to go buy a $10 humidifier float valve from Home Depot.

[crusty1]

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=4297&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=4298&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500
I just got my new sump up last night with my own version of a ro auto top off. I heard of bad stories of backpressure floats not shutting off and houses flooding. And I didn't want to use a pump. I had bought a Kent RO shut-off but I was leary to use it. So I bought a float switch off of ebay for $5.00, and a solenoid from stcvalve.com for $20.00, I am a lot more confident in this system.
I haven't figured out how to attach photos to posts, so I linked them up from the photo gallery.

[Invigor]

I haven't figured out how to attach photos to posts,

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1925ATOFF.jpg
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1925sump.jpg

[dbdavid]

Thanks everyone. It looks like all of the solutions that have been suggested so far will keep the reservoir full but won't allow it to empty before filling again. Looks like the magical box is still magical. I thought that there may be some sort of electronic device that would allow one float switch to be closed yet not allow power through until the second float switch opened and vis versa.


Dave

[mr_alberta]

What you are describing is a latching circuit using a relay and 2 float switches.

[dbdavid]

What you are describing is a latching circuit using a relay and 2 float switches.

Thanks Harvey, can you explain to a electronics dummy how I would make this. :smile:

Dave

[mr_alberta]

I'll post a link to a page on RC with the schematic later...I can't seem to get their search function working at the moment :rolleyes: