mauro Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Hi there, I just finished my top off device, taking inspiration from various internet DIY projects. It is the gravity feed /syphon contrlled, it has a capacity of just 2 liters, but it is enougth for my 12 liter pico reef. How I do it: I took a clear acrylic pasta container (as i live in Italy this was easy) I drill two little holes in the cover and I glued in to the holes two airline straigth connectors, to one of them i attached a rigid pice of air line tube that is long enougth to reach the very bottom of the container. Than I drill at the center of the cover a bigger hole (it is where you pour the RO water), then I cut the neck of a plastic water bottle and i glue it around the big hole, in this way I obtained a perfect ermetic closure (the bottle has a screw type plug). Finally I connect two clear airline tubes to the ouside part of the two conectors. I put the other end of the tubes in the tank water (the one not connected to the rigids tube just above the water level, the other just below the water level) I fiil the container and close it with the plug and I start the syphon. Water will flows to the tank trougth the rigid tube A until the level will reach the other tube B then air is prevented to enter the container and the water flows stop, when water evaporates the B tube will be exsposed and air start again to flow in the container so water to the tank via tube A and everithing start again). Link to comment
lizbeth Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Very nice Mauro! How often do you have to fill the top off container? I'm thinking of building a 2.5 gallon tank and your top off method would work well for that tank. Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Nice post... But I'm still trying to picture the whole thing in my mind! LMAO!!! THink I'll have to put one together to understand the TOTAL PICTURE. Otherwise, if CaliforniaReefs gets back I'll order a top-off from physh1!!! Link to comment
freakaccident Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Check this link out for a diagram of how it works and stuff. http://mailer.fsu.edu/~lleclair/watertop.htm Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 I just knew it would be a SIMPLE process! Thanks for the link freak! Link to comment
mauro Posted April 3, 2003 Author Share Posted April 3, 2003 hi, the pasta container need to be refilled every 20 days since my pico reef is not an open one so very few water evaporates. when I refill it I clamp both air line tubes so the syphon remains primed while I unscrew the plug regards Mauro Link to comment
2D_Todd Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Super, thanks for the link, something I definatly have to do for my 2.5 once the semester is done. Link to comment
freakaccident Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 A 2 liter bottle will work quite nicely too. Just drill a couple small holes through the cap and shove the two hard lines though. Silicone them up and you are good to go. Link to comment
pulse13 Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 If you don't want to have to get the siphon going every time you refill it, you could drill a hole in the bottom of the water container and attach the water output tube to it, then seal it up with some epoxy. Link to comment
mauro Posted April 4, 2003 Author Share Posted April 4, 2003 Just a specification: whatever container you decide to use, make sure it is rigid! If not it when air stop to flow in it will schrink and the water does not stop to flow to the tank. Link to comment
pulse13 Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 A nalgene bottle would make a good container. You can get them out outdoor / sporting goods stores. Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 Originally posted by pulse13 A nalgene bottle would make a good container. You can get them out outdoor / sporting goods stores. My thought exactly pulse! I have quite a few of them laying around the place, but think I'll grab a new one and maybe a larger one. The ones I have had had quite a number of things carried in them! Link to comment
pulse13 Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 I was just explaining this setup to a friend of mine in the lab that I work in. He pointed out that there has to be one change in the plan in order for the setup to function properly. This is that the water output tube cannot be in the tank water, but has to be raised above it so that water drips in. This is because if the output tube is in the tank water, then the topoff bottle and the aquarium are one continous system connected by the tube. Because of the osmotic differences of the two containers, salt ions will quickly flow up the tube and into the topoff water until the two are of equal concentration. Link to comment
mauro Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 Interesting this fact on ion balance, but not very practical, infact if you keep the inflow tube above the water level it easier lost the priming (I do not know why ) and the syphon stop foreever. I'll test the refill tank in order to see if the ion effect has produced appreciable result (my top off water is in the container since feb) regards Link to comment
freakaccident Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Engineers think too much. Its a frikin' 2.5g! Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 I stopped by Wally-World and picked up a pack of air hose, bottle and silicone to fabricate a makeshift top-off until Physh1 can get back to me. My plan is to drill a small hole just above the bottom of the bottle instead of through the top. This way it will be gravity fed. So if you were wanting to keep the outflow line up out of the water, losing the siphoning effect wouldn't be a problem. Nor would this ion thing climbing back up the line. As for the air input, I'm going to drill it into the bottle just below the cap and knot it off so it doesn't slide or move around too much. The bottle I picked up was a Coleman nalgene bottle 1000ml for $5.87. I have a number of these bottles at home but I wanted to be certain there wasn't any foods or contamination from earlier uses on camping/climbing outings. Link to comment
mauro Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 Hi there, you guys convinced me! I'm going to "refurbish" my top off device converting it into the "hole in the bottom" version. It is less "magic" but safer and ion proof. mauro Link to comment
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