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Automated fresh water making

steamman

steamman

I am looking for an efficient way to automate my water making. I don't like doing it manually anymore. Takes too much time. I want to turn it on and walk away.
This is not to make up water in the tanks.
I do not use ro+di. I use Kold Ster-il+di. Should not matter what filter I use.
I think I will install a pressure regulator, a flow meter, and a solenoid, before the filter.
The Kold Ster-il requires low pressure and a flow rate of less than 4 gallons per minute. A float in the container would cut supply off when the container is full.
I have no experience with solenoid valves for marine aquariums and where to buy a reliable one. I may also install a mechanical float as a secondary backup in case the solenoid sticks open.
Bottom line is I could use advice on a good solenoid valve float switch combo.
 
jimroth

jimroth

I don't know about Kold Steril. I use RODI. When you use a mechanical float valve with an RODI, you need another little gizmo called an ASOV that senses the backpressure and shuts off the flow. The float valve alone can't take the line pressure. This stuff is all pretty good, but it can all still fail. I had the RO line pop off the float valve a couple days ago and put 20 or so gallons of water onto my garage floor. The float switched I use have stuck in the past ( Ca buildup) adn so have the solenoids I use to regulate top-up (also Ca buildup). I use two solenoids inline now and check them. I think we got them from autotopoff.com.

What I'm trying to say is, although you will have fewer problems with fresh, "un-kalked" water, all these things need to be checked out and you need to think what will happen if they fail.
 
Nickjr000

Nickjr000

I don't trust float valves or solenoids. I Start my ro unit into a 55 gal drum in the morning then shut it late that night. I've learned to set an alarm on my phone to remind me because I always forget and not only is it a mess on the floor but your wasting your filters too. Then I use an ato . I have a tunze with a sensor not a float type. It also has a high water level sensor so if it sticks on it will shut the pump down. Works great like it's own back up. This way I just fill up the drum every 2 weeks or so. I know petco had a problem with the ato staying on and turned the saltwater into freshwater. All the fish died before they noticed ( I was there that day ). And i heard from a reliable source that jenkinsons had the same problem. Fresh water top off stayed on and the salinity dropped way down, that's how they lost their sharks. Just so many bad posts and problems with them I can't trust em.
 
steamman

steamman

Jim, I have read your big tank thread. You yourself have had flood problems recently. It is great that you share your mistakes with others so they won't make the same ones. The Kold Ster-il/DI http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/ doesn't work the same way as RODI. I am not sure the aso valve would work with it because there is no wast water involved.
I am interested in how you have your solenoids wired? What solenoids do you use and what do you use to control it? I like your idea of the overflow on your drain pan (the fix on your thread)I will use that on my vessel as a third backup. That overflow will go to my floor drain and not my sump for obvious reasons.

Nick, always a pleasure hearing from you. The ato is not a problem for me. I will however look into the tunze with the sensor as opposed to the float switch that I use now. I am waiting for the JBJ ATO to be delivered today. I believe it has a limit on the time the top off pump will run so that would alleviate the desalinization problem.

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Isaac Newton, Letter to Robert Hooke, February 5, 1675
English mathematician & physicist (1642 - 1727)
 
adesimone1

adesimone1

We run the kent float valves in all of our sumps for auto top offs and our brute can for water changes all the lines are t'ed off from the main line straight from the RODI and we have never had an issue with them.
 
steamman

steamman

This water is not for ATO directly. I just want to fill a large vessel with filtered water without having to stay and watch it. I want to open a valve turn on a switch and walk away. Come back whenever and the tank be filled but not overfilled. Then make my mixes for water changes or transfer the water from there to the reservoirs for my ato.
 
jimroth

jimroth

Thank you for those kind words. I've been getting a lot of "experience" lately!

This is the solenoid I use:

http://www.autotopoff.com/solenoid/

It's good practice if you are going to automate topoff to have the solenoid on a timer so it's only allowed to run a half hour a day or something TOTAL, so a float switch or valve error can't "fresh-a-tize" your tank like Nickjr described above.
 
steamman

steamman

Thanks Jim for the link. :D That solenoid should work fine. I don't want to run it off a timer though. I would like to run it off a float switch. The ultralife float switch or maybe one of the floats on the autotopoff.com site. For a backup to the solenoid or the float switch failing I would install a mechanical float. If all fails I would pipe an overflow down to the floor drain.

I am only trying to fill a vessel not top off a sump or DT. So desalinization or "fresh-a-tizing" is not an issue.

I have a plan now. I will let you know how it works.

Thanks All for your input.
 
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