almost a flood! JBJ ATO question

[beanhead]

Is there a way to snail proof the sensor on a jbj ato or do I just have to use both sensors and run in mode B? I don't have a sump so im trying to keep down the amount of equipment in the tank. I found my tank today with the water level up to the brim and figure it had to be one of the turbo snails.

[cft916]

Tagging along

[Jackal_Knight]

If its a float switch you need to make a snail guard. Like this

[beanhead]

It has the factory float switch in the attached picture, didn't know if there was an easy mod to make it "snail proof" or if the better option was to use the system in mode B.

[Leatherneck3755]

Or buy an avast ato. Love mine!!! Just sayin. Hahhaha. Good luck

[beanhead]

Or buy an avast ato. Love mine!!! Just sayin. Hahhaha. Good luck

 

Thanks for nothing

[21093r53]

You get it worked out?

[beanhead]

I'm waiting for the water level to go back down to normal so the ato is currently unplugged. Plan as of right now is to add the other sensor and switch to mode b. Hoping there is an easy mod I could apply to the sensor housing so I can stick with 1 thou.

[lieberca]

I recently switched to a JBJ ATO, and have been thinking it would be better to modify the mode B so the second sensor would be a safety switch if the water level in the tank gets too high, rather than its current use of the reservoir getting too low. If anyone knows how to do this (other than turning the second sensor upside down in the tank/sump), I'd love to know how you did it. (assuming there is a way to switch polarity in the electronics).

 

beanhead, be cautious your salinity doesn't get too high while you're letting the tank water evaporate. Obviously it will rise, but just a reminder.

[beanhead]

Thanks for the heads up as far as the salinity goes, its actually gradually returning to normal because it was low due to the addition of the extra fresh top off water so It will return to normal as it evaporates. The other option for Mode B it to use 1 sensor for the min level and the second for the max level and placing them both in the aquarium or sump. it just takes a little more tweaking to get a stable water level it functions with one sensor engaging the pump and the second sensor turning it off. I'm going to try and set that up now and will post the results.

[RK_tek]

You should be able to take the little clip off the bottom of the sensor and flip the float end for end. That will change to switch from normally open to normally closed.

[beanhead]

what I ended up doing is installing sensor 1 with the provided suction cup to read the min level and sensor 2 with the clip over side of the tank for the max level. It took a little tweaking with the pump unplugged adding and removing water manually to adjust the sensors on and off points. The end result is probably about 1/4" fluctuation in water level from min sensor engaging to max sensor disengaging which is pretty much the equivalent to the single sensor operation anyway without fear of snails.

[lieberca]

I don't understand how the two-sensor approach safeguards from snails: now, instead of one sensor triggering and stopping the ATO, you have one trigger and the second stopping. If a snail is on the second sensor, you're still cleaning up water.

 

@RK-tek, I'd thought about inverting the sensor (so the second sensor could now be a fail-safe, in case the first sensor gets stuck), but not too crazy about immersing the wire. If anyone knows how to change the polarity inside the JBJ ATO, I'd appreciate the tip! (maybe I should start a new post on this...)

[farkwar]

Thats because youre confused.

 

A switch like this is either norrmally open or normally closed. Has nothing to do with polarity.

 

You want to use the switch on the normally open position. When you have two of them for snail protection you wite them up in parallel.

 

If either closes connection, when the low water level condition is met, it will trip the controller.

 

 

There is a little magnet in the floaty part. And a magnetically actuated switch in the non floaty part where the wires come out. When the magnet gets close to the switch, it makes a connection, closing the circuit and the ATO turns on the pump.

 

You cant reverse polarity to change the function if the switch. Polarity has nothing to do with it. Regarding the problem in your other thread. You need an ohm meter to know what your switches are doing when. And you can get the float switches in either normally open or normally closed. You dont need to turn the switch upside down, just get the other switch from what you have now.

[jbb]

This is how I did mine , and it is for a JBJ

 

[lieberca]

Farkwar, it's not confusing how a magnetic switch operates. Polarity is exactly what I was inquiring about--when a contact is made it now closes the circuit and causes a trigger. Instead, I want it to cause a trigger when the contact is broken. I started a separate thread about that, so as not to hijack the OP.

[farkwar]

This is how I did mine , and it is for a JBJ http://s1185.photobucket.com/user/slider357/media/Manta%20Ray/IMG_07661_zpsafd74d6e.jpg.html][/url]

Where did you get the black bracket?I need to make up a few, but would rather just buy them instead.

 

Farkwar, it's not confusing how a magnetic switch operates. Polarity is exactly what I was inquiring about--when a contact is made it now closes the circuit and causes a trigger. Instead, I want it to cause a trigger when the contact is broken. I started a separate thread about that, so as not to hijack the OP.

You can switch the wires on the switch, switching polarity, and it will have no effect on the functioning of the switch.Its just an opening and closing reed switch.The controller is looking for a closed or open state, not polarity.

 

These switches are either NO or NC, normally open or normally closed.Of course they use DC, direct current, to do the switching. But it doesnt matter what the positive or negative lead goes to which end of the switch.You can reverse them all day, and it won't make a difference.

 

 

 

 

Nevermind on the bracket, I remember where theyre from. They are from power heads, part if the stuff thats left over.

[lieberca]

RK_tek, now I realize why your suggestion would work (it took my looking at the AquaHub website where it suggests the same thing). Because the magnet is only in one half of the float, flipping the float upside down will change the normally open to a normally closed. Thanks for the tip!

[RK_tek]

Sorry, that I didn't elaborate further on the subject. Glad you got it worked out