osmolator pump alternatives?

[fishface]

has anyone got any? love the system but the pump has a hard time making a few feet of head. would love to hear alternative measures if you have any.

[untamed]

Any larger submersible powerhead to overcome the head height. I ran a pump into a couple of irrigation drippers. That prevented the pump from pushing too much water into the system too fast. Even if a float switch stuck on, the pump just couldn't push that much water through the drippers.

The pump could be stuck on for days before you begin to notice that the water level is increasing.

[fishface]

do the irrigation pumps work off 12v power? i believe the tunze pumps do.
edit: they're actually are 9v pumps.

[fishface]

ok, i re-read your post, i misunderstood what you said about the drippers.
so my problem still lies in replacing a pump that works from a 9v system...hhmmm

[mr_alberta]

Build a relay circuit with the 9VDC signal as the control for a 120VAC circuit. Then you can have the osmolator trigger any 120VAC pump. I believe that should work...

[untamed]

Yes, sorry I left of the important bit of info...in my case, it was a 12V relay. If the osmolator runs on 9V, it is a pretty easy and inexpensive build if you know someone with a little electrical knowledge.

[fishface]

Yes, sorry I left of the important bit of info...in my case, it was a 12V relay. If the osmolator runs on 9V, it is a pretty easy and inexpensive build if you know someone with a little electrical knowledge.unfortunately not...bump for any other idea's :)

[kwirky]

unfortunately not...bump for any other idea's :)

http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/productimages/sk1668.jpg
relays and switches are easy.
The way a relay works is you connect your osmolator's 9VDC + and - to the two "throw" terminals (the top two terminals in the picture). What that means is your 9VDC current (when on) will "throw" the switch, or turn the switch inside the relay on and then power your AC pump.

There will be another 4 terminals that you connect your AC power and pump to.

I'll explain using the picture above where you would connect all the wires:
if you look at that picture you'd hook your 9VDC the "top" two terminals of that relay.

Your AC power wire (from the wall) has two wires, and your AC powered pump has two wires. Notice on the bottom of the relay there are two sets of terminals.

You connect one AC Wall wire to a the top pole on the left-handed set, and the other AC Wall wire to the top pole on the right handed set. You then Connect one pump wire to the bottom pole on the left handed set, and the other pump wire to the bottom pole of the right-handed set.

So then everything would work as follows:
your osmolator switch reads a low water level. It sends 9VDC through it's +/- wires to power the 9VDC pump that'd normally be there. Instead it hits the relay and your relay then turns on the AC power of the AC pump.

It's pretty wordy the entire thing but it's really not that hard to understand if you have one in your hands to look at.

[fishface]

Sean, thanks alot for the in depth explanation. i believe i could confidently built that, i'll inform you of any success or failure!

[kwirky]

np. if you need help send a pm

[fishface]

so radio shack has one that's 12vdc and 120vac...do you think that would work or should i just try to look somewhere else for a 9v relay?

thanks,

[Willito]

How far up are you going. I have no problem going vertical 6 feet and 6 horizontal. You might want to check for trapped bubbles in the pump. Also if your pump happens to run dry or in low water for any period of time, it too will trap bubbles and may not run properly even after you refill the reservoir. Try banging the pump against the bucket to release the bubbles and it should resume normal. Best way to avoid this is to never let the water level get too low in the reservoir

Suggestion, especially if your pump is working against such gravity force, is to install a check valve. This will ensure that the back flow won't create bubble pockets in the line and will also prevent flooding. How this helps.

[adidas]

little off topic, but do u guys ever have problems with your osmolator? mine stops working and flashes the "too low" light quite often

[Samw]

little off topic, but do u guys ever have problems with your osmolator? mine stops working and flashes the "too low" light quite often


My first one died around the 2 year mark just before warranty expired. I cleaned the eye sensor and soaked it in vinegar for a week and it still couldn't detect the waterline. If its not completely dead, you should be able to get it work better by cleaning the eye sensor.

[adidas]

My first one died around the 2 year mark just before warranty expired. I cleaned the eye and soaked it in vinegar for a week and it still couldn't detect the waterline.

mine still detects the water level fills for a bit and then that line goes on, i then have to unplug and plug back in to reset it, i already had the pump exchanged, maybe the controller is faulty too

[fishface]

How far up are you going. I have no problem going vertical 6 feet and 6 horizontal. You might want to check for trapped bubbles in the pump. Also if your pump happens to run dry or in low water for any period of time, it too will trap bubbles and may not run properly even after you refill the reservoir. Try banging the pump against the bucket to release the bubbles and it should resume normal. Best way to avoid this is to never let the water level get too low in the reservoir

Suggestion, especially if your pump is working against such gravity force, is to install a check valve. This will ensure that the back flow won't create bubble pockets in the line and will also prevent flooding. How this helps.i'm doing about 6 horizontal and 4 vertical feet. i've been dealing with bubbles in the line for quite some time, do alot of knockin' em out. problem with the check valve is that i'm pretty sure it wouldn't be able to push through it! also, reservoir never runs dry...i like Sean's idea with the relay and may give it a go.

[kwirky]

so radio shack has one that's 12vdc and 120vac...do you think that would work or should i just try to look somewhere else for a 9v relay?

thanks,

I wouldn't recommend it. It might work unreliably because it doesn't have a full 12v to throw the switch. Might even do something wierd to the osmolator too.

Check with some electronics wholesalers if you have any in your area. you could try these guys, they're canadian: http://www.active-tech.ca/

[Willito]

i'm doing about 6 horizontal and 4 vertical feet. i've been dealing with bubbles in the line for quite some time, do alot of knockin' em out. problem with the check valve is that i'm pretty sure it wouldn't be able to push through it! also, reservoir never runs dry...i like Sean's idea with the relay and may give it a go.

When air pockets are present in the line, it usually transfers to the pump, this is where your problem lies. In the past I've used 2 check valves on the same line and the pump was still managing. This was because I was dosing Kalk via top-off and the dual check valve prevented any kalk water from back flowing into the reservoir. I stopped using kalk so now it's just the one cheap check valve ($1.99) and it does the job. The other check valve was the John Guess fitting one, ($10).

[fishface]

i'll give it a shot, one thing i found out was that i had a broken connection inside the console itself. right at the power connection to the circiut board so the lights would be continually lit, but the power was actually fluctuating at the pump itself. this caused the water to pump, then fall back down, pump, then fall back down. resoldered that and it works fine now, although still a weak delivery but working. i'll most definately give the relay a shot when the time to replace that pump comes.

thanks for everyones idea's.

[adidas]

http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/productimages/sk1668.jpg
relays and switches are easy.
The way a relay works is you connect your osmolator's 9VDC + and - to the two "throw" terminals (the top two terminals in the picture). What that means is your 9VDC current (when on) will "throw" the switch, or turn the switch inside the relay on and then power your AC pump.

There will be another 4 terminals that you connect your AC power and pump to.

I'll explain using the picture above where you would connect all the wires:
if you look at that picture you'd hook your 9VDC the "top" two terminals of that relay.

Your AC power wire (from the wall) has two wires, and your AC powered pump has two wires. Notice on the bottom of the relay there are two sets of terminals.

You connect one AC Wall wire to a the top pole on the left-handed set, and the other AC Wall wire to the top pole on the right handed set. You then Connect one pump wire to the bottom pole on the left handed set, and the other pump wire to the bottom pole of the right-handed set.

So then everything would work as follows:
your osmolator switch reads a low water level. It sends 9VDC through it's +/- wires to power the 9VDC pump that'd normally be there. Instead it hits the relay and your relay then turns on the AC power of the AC pump.

It's pretty wordy the entire thing but it's really not that hard to understand if you have one in your hands to look at.

sorry about bumping an old thread but can someone tell me where to find a relay like that? or anyone have on they could sell/? the source doesn't sell them.

[spreerider]

www.digikey.com
they might sell one to you but they are mostly a distributor for electronic companies.