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osmolator pump alternatives?
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.
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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. |
do the irrigation pumps work off 12v power? i believe the tunze pumps do.
edit: they're actually are 9v pumps. |
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 |
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...
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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.
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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. |
Sean, thanks alot for the in depth explanation. i believe i could confidently built that, i'll inform you of any success or failure!
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np. if you need help send a pm
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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, |
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. |
little off topic, but do u guys ever have problems with your osmolator? mine stops working and flashes the "too low" light quite often
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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. |
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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/ |
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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. |
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www.digikey.com
they might sell one to you but they are mostly a distributor for electronic companies. |
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