matt the fiddler Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 thnks for the pm- nice work. good graphics.. gona have to think about this.. :-) Quote Link to comment
matt the fiddler Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 there is one problem with the daisy chaining DIY air pressure cans.. as i did a similar feat with a bunch of old 1/2 gallon jugs.. any jug downstream from the air .. if there is ANY small leaking in the seals.. you will loose that air space on the top until the upstream ones empty out. this will turn into a slow leak... not too important.. slow leak- just be carefully. remember - it is wise to have an air release valve someplace in the system too. to remove the pressure that causes leaks like this is multi jug systems... some air pumps will act this way if they don't have check valves... Quote Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted May 24, 2004 Author Share Posted May 24, 2004 Oh, I see. That is a good point. Well, in the past, I have used just a single jug with kalk being mixed in and it worked...I know it isnt a true reactor...but hey...were talkin nano here anyways... Quote Link to comment
rutledgek Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 Well i am almost complete with the process of making one of these. I have two questions, 1) I dont have space for a pvc pipe like in your plans, how would you suggest I put the float switch on my tank(eclipse 6). 2) is there any way to quiet this thing down, if not I may just have to do my topoff on the day timer with the lights. I know that this may create larger swings at night but most of the evaporation will occur during the day when the lights and fans are on anyway. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted May 27, 2004 Author Share Posted May 27, 2004 If you dont have space for the PVC, perhaps a piece of plexi bent with a hole in one part for the switch would be good. There are many possible ways to do this, many of them explored in other threads already. The only way I could make a specific suggestion would be if you had a picture. Now, as far as the noise...yes, it can make some...and running it on the light timer is a fine idea...like you said, most of it happens during the day when the lights are on...and although that may not make it 100% stable...it is still loads better than doing it by hand. I use about a gallon a week on my ten gallon, and my salinity does not flux anything noticable throughout the day. It is so gradual, I just forgot to turn it back on yesterday after doing those tests...my water level dropped and I was scared cuz I tend to keep my salinity at the upper end...1.025%...but I checked it and it was still 1.025%...no big deal. If it was, Im sure my brittle stars (notorious for being sensitive to salinity changes) would let me know. Quote Link to comment
matt the fiddler Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 radar.. i would test it under pressure for a few days. every few months..... you can use check valves to keep the pressure in pump it up... and let it sit.. if that air space is there in a few days- you will be fine... just make sure your opening and filling the kalk doesn't make it loose- most jugs do not have o rings... and as plastic wears.. it looses the seal... [unless you find one with an O ring :-) and can definatly secure the hoses airtight remember that tank- due to the upstream pressure of the water- is going to remain under some pressure all the time.... my only worry is if loosing air- especially out of the kalk side.. will spill kalk all around... and that can be a mess... Quote Link to comment
HobokenAddict Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Question, is it necessary to use rigid line in the water container? I'm working on my battery powered auto top off and I can't get enough pressure to pump the water up approx. 4 ft to drip into my HOB skimmer. I can't start adding my corals to it until the auto topoff issue is handled cuz i get a lot of evap(pc fans needed for temp control) Quote Link to comment
billpa Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 hey will this battery air pump work? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...ial&Np=1&N=2004 Quote Link to comment
billpa Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 another question I have is do you add kalk to your top off water? I would like to (for my 44g) and incorporate this auto-top off so I was wondering if it I just have to set the float switch level up high so it frequently adds small amounts to my tank? thanks billpa Quote Link to comment
Wolf Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I too have a question. I really like this idea, but my understanding is, and someone please sincerely correct me if I'm wrong, but the ph goes up when the lights come on, right? And when the lights are on, is that not when you experience the most evaporation? I'm totally guessing there but it seems logical. And if so, is that the best time to be adding kalk, which increases the ph even more? And if that's true, wouldn't that mean the the ph is really high while the lights are on, water is evaporating, and the kalk is being dosed, and then drops really low when the lights go out? I'm looking for an auto-topoff solution, but I only want it to come on after the lights go out, to sort of balance out the ph. Hey I just thought of something. I guess you could put the phone charger adapter for this auto-top offer on a timer opposite the lights, eh? Quote Link to comment
billpa Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 yup...just set up a timer so you just top off at night. Quote Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted June 17, 2004 Author Share Posted June 17, 2004 You are right. This is the reason why many run both a kalk reactor and calcium reactor (aragonite based). Or, if they run kalk alone, they run the kalk off of a seperate drip (24/7), and the top off with just regular water. You have pointed out a problem some might be concerned with. I dont use a kalk reactor, so I cant comment any further. Quote Link to comment
Wolf Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Hmmm. The only problem is that it will probably dump it all in there at once right after the lights go out. Is there a way to have the pump come on after the lights go out, but just long enough to start a syphon through a slow drip valve, and then somehow break the syphon and stop the slow-drip when the float switch detects the water level is good? Is this taking it too far, or does this issue actually have some merit? Quote Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted June 17, 2004 Author Share Posted June 17, 2004 The syphon thingy...no, no way to do that that I can imagine. Perhaps you should ask birdman in the advanced forums about the merits of timing with regards to autotopoffs and kalk. Quote Link to comment
Wolf Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Yea, but reactors are EXPENSIVE! That's why I'm trying to get around it with something like this. One day when I have a 500 gallon tank, I'll buy a reactor! Quote Link to comment
mcarland Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Very cool project. Since I'm a newbie on the reef stuff, maybe I can contribute on the electrical stuff... First, it looks like the battery discussion has parallel and series reversed. Two 1.5V cells in series will be 3V, and 1.5V in parallel. Not that what you call it matters as long as the adapter voltage replaces what is actually measured. Also, most switches can cary much higher AC voltages than DC. Flipping open a Jameco catelog, and looking at a random relay, it can handle 3A, with either 250VAC or 30VDC. DC is much harder on switches, because when the switch is flipped, a rush of current (starting or stopping) tends to arc the gap, wearing out the contacts. AC has multiple zero crossings per second, giving the switch a smaller voltage/current it has to break. People often think if a switch can handle 2A at 120VAC, it can easily handle that amperage with ~13VDC in automotive applications, such as extra lights, but this is not the case. If the switch isn't rated for that DC load, it will wear out very quickly. At least this is what I remember from my engineering degree, long long ago. I agree that having one fewer sources of 120V in the tank is a good thing though. -Michael Quote Link to comment
Wolf Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I think I just thought of something. What if you have two of these? One of them could drip RO water during the day and the other one could drip kalk at night? You can just put the pumps on timers. That way, the water level would stay at a reasonable level all day, so you would never be adding too much at once. BTW, thanks for the feedback Undertheradar! Wolf Quote Link to comment
billpa Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 thats not a bad idea Wolf...a larger container would probably be in order for the daytime RO topoff...and then all you would need is a small container for night time...although I dont know how much evaporation you will get after topping off in the daytime continuously...I'm sure you could restrict the flow a bit so that you could do kalk top-offs 24/7...or at mount the float switch up high so that it is activated more often and lesser volume top offs...what do you think Undertheradar? and I forgot to ask you if you buffer any of that automatic topoff water. billpa Quote Link to comment
Wolf Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Actually, I'm pretty lazy so I was thinking of two 55 gallon drums. j/k Quote Link to comment
billpa Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 haha...thats funny...actually I just snagged a water jug from the office water cooler and will be using it for my auto top off unit...now I just have to go out and get the pump Quote Link to comment
birdman204 Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 UTR is the man when it comes to DYI, especially plumbing . listen to him. Bill, make sure the pump you get is small enough to fit through the hole in the reservoir .... Quote Link to comment
billpa Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I was going to do an air powered ATO as opposed to a submerged pump Quote Link to comment
Wolf Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 I was just reading this article and from what I'm gathering from it, the limewater will lose its potency in a reservoir if it's continually mixed or not sealed well, something to do with the mixing of of carbon dioxide in the air, I think. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rhf/...ature/index.htm The author, Randy Holmes-Farley, suggests mixing the kalk with the water initially, and then letting it remain still during the dosing process, making sure that the lid is tightly sealed. He also claims basically that this method is actually better than a kalk reactor! Just thought it might be some useful 411 to someone... BTW, I just ordered my floatswitches. I can't wait to put this into action! Wolf Quote Link to comment
rutledgek Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 My auto top off is finally finished thanks to your plans. I spent forever looking for the right jar and I found it. Its an applesauce jar that is thick plastic and a great sealing lid. Now I just have to figure out how and where to mount the switch in my tank Quote Link to comment
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