NEED EVERYONE's ADVICE, for an auto-top off for my reef tank

[klubvibez]

Let me start off by saying i got a new tank, 125 Gallon with a 50 gallon sump, protein skimmer, U'V sterilizer, built in over flows, cabinets doorts on the sides blah blah, its good for a reef however, im having major issues with water evaporation. This is what it looks like at home.

We got the tank, a cabinet full of dishes and cups and the refridgerator next to them. Since there's water access in the back of the fridge, i plan to install a R/O system in the bottomn shelf of the cabinet, taking water from the faucet in the wall in the back of the fridge. Then i plan on routing the clean R/O water output through the cabinet wall , through the back of the aquarium cabinet into my sump. Now my question..........

What kind of an auto top of system would you guys recommend? I looked online but couldn't find anything that pleases me. Any suggestions? Do you think my idea will work with all the routing and everything?

 

[Macrosill]

Where are you going to drain the waste water from the ro/di unit?

I do not have an auto top off but would like one. I am sure it can be done.

Good Luck,
Brian

 

[ryguy]

ya, that will almost work!

What ya gotta do is keep the the RO unit close to the sink to drain the waste water as Macrosill mentioned. Then just run the 1/4" tubing any way you can to the sump. KENT sells a float valve which you put on the end of the tubing. Drill a whole through your sump to install the float switch at the desired level and voila!!

Float valve: http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/rounits.php?product_ID=ro-kpfvalve

The only hitch is that your RO unit must have a auto shut-off valve (solenoid) on it for this to work otherwise you'll always be putting water through your RO membrane and it will be directed to the waste water side and wear out your RO membrane.

Ryan

 

[klubvibez]

what waste water?

what waste water, i thought an R/O system was basically just a filter. We have one under the kitchen sink, i didn't realize there's a drain.

 

[cmor1701d]

You might have a whole house filter or some such under the sink instead of a RO unit. If it is a RO unit then there is a waste water line to the sink drain. RO units waste 3-4 gallons of water for every gallon of RO they make.

 

[davebailey46]

Amen...I just installed mine and the waste water amount was pretty surprising

 

[Choas]

It shocked me too. This summer I plan on rounting the waste out side to the flowers.

 

[zenn]

klubvibez, i'm actually working on a similar system for my setup. I'm going to get some extra tubing for my RO unit which sits under the sink. I'm going to route the extra tubing from the RO unit under the sink....to the sump which sits approx. 10 feet away. I've only got an 18g sump so i still have more room under the stand for another container. I plan on using this free space under the stand to put in a container for auto top offs...complete with a direct line from the RO unit for fresh water, a powerhead to keep the water moving, and a top off system.

I'm guessing you want to do this for the same reasons i want to...to bypass carrying water all over the house everyday and also having to be home at least once every couple of days to add water. Also, extra space in my home is scarce. So having an extra bin jammed into the pantry to hold my daily top off RO water takes up a lot of space that could be used for a lot of other things. By putting the daily top off water under the stand, i'm making better use of the space i have.

My plan is to have at least a week and half's worth of water in this container so all's anyone will have to do for me is come in and feed the fish.

The only part i haven't figured out yet is the auto top off part. I don't know how i'm going to get the water from the container to the sump. I know there's lots of ways to do this...i just haven't decided how i'm going to do that part. Once i figure that out...i'll probably do it. I've already made room for this project under the stand so now i just need to put it together.

 

[robertfah]

Sounds like a great idea. You can get an auto-top-off float for your sump AND you can get a switch for your RO unit which shuts off the water going to the RO unit once the desired level is met. My LFS sells them for about $50 bucks and I think they are well worth the investment. My RO unit only makes 50gpd so I'm affraid to leave it on for 8 hours while I'm at work. Once I get some spare $$$, that will be on my list for sure.

I think it's a good idea and I'd love to see the plans/pics once it's done.

 

[DragonForce]

I just set a 5g jug on RO/DI water ontop of my hood and drip water. It is safe, costs nothing, and keeps salinity constant at all times.