Best top off system?
 

Im looking to get this top off thing going asap....
I need it to go in the sump far chamber....
Shouldnt have any critters in there.... and I can whip up just about any kind of res and have pumps already.... Ill be doing an order online right away and would love to add a controller or whatever it is i need on it asap :)
Thanks folks

tunze.

agreed :) never had any issues and works great. (only one ive tried)

Elos makes a nice unit as well, comes with a pump, hose & control. Just plug it in, set the sensor & you done.

I just installed a JBJ into my 165 gal & so far it's a good unit as well.

Right on ill check em out... gotta do a j&l order i guess as no one has much of what i need in stock so Ill add one to it :)

Check out Concept's web site, if it's equipment your looking for ask Dave if he can get it & I am sure he can.

Don't know about best, but IMO, simple is better if you have the room to do it. By this I mean an elevated reservoir gravity feeding your sump/display through a simple mechanical float valve. Only a couple of failure modes & no electrical gizmos to break.

+1 on Tunze

I got 2 Tunze ato and so far no issues, sensor is a bit sensitive, a bad angle can throw it off but it's easy enough to manage. My vote is for Tunze but mind you I have never tried the Elos unit.

I have had Tunze and other top off systems but nothing has worked better than the Genesis Storm system never failed tones of backup protection and is refills your fresh water from your ro/di unit. I have not touched it since i set it up... going to buy the renew to do auto water changes too. Just my honest opinion nothing works better than tried and tested float switches they never get film on them and in my case always work. tunze you replace too many pumps if you forget to top off your bin.

http://www.genesisreefsystems.com/

The Tunze Osmolator is the ONLY top off unit that is allowed on my systems. It has an optic sensor and a float sensor back up with alarm. I have 3 of them that I have had for years, and none have failed me yet. Replacement pumps are stocked at J&L Aquatics (and other places too I'm sure) too, so if there is pump failure a quick and easy fix is just a couple days away (J&L has quick shipping).

I have a rubbermaid bin that feeds my tank on a float switch. I turn on my RODI unit once every couple days to fill up the bin that has a float switch in it as well for when I forget to turn it off... oooo.. like right now. My bin sits partially below my sump water level when empty, it allows me to store 30 gallons of RO, with only the risk of 15 gallons getting to my tank if somehow my tank's float fails. I've also got a bin filled in the garage for emergency's. but the 30 gallons is used regularly for water changes.

I've been using the same float for 3 years now, as long as you put it somewhere where it'll get rinsed, there's little risk of the salt build up stopping it from sealing.

But yeah, if I where to buy a nice one I'd go tunze, i did this because it was a $15 float switch and works. Lots of great reviews on the tunze, which is hard with something like this, because the people with the negative experiences would be really ****ed, and speak the loudest.

I've had two Tunze units (one used and one new) and zero problems with either. As said already you want to avoid the pump running dry I suspect this is the cause for all the pump failures. I've also never cleaned my sensors and they've worked perfectly.

Tunze

One of my pumps runs dry at least once a week. I don't know why I haven't killed it yet, it is tough! :lol:

I've got 2 tunze top off's. Lately, my power connector that plugs into the controller doesn't always connect. I looked inside and see there is a build up of salt/corrosion. Has anyone had this issue with Tunze and fixed it? I'm worried one day it won't power-up and stop filling up my tank. I'm not sure what to use to clean it up and how to actually get to it to clean it up.

just unscrew the back if i recall correctly that exposes everything...

Dude all I ever did was a line straight from my rodi line straight to the float switch and it's. Never failed on me since 2002 all these top off gadgets waste of money

You have some horseshoes up your butt. I've seen systems like this fail quite a few times...a friend did this and lost his whole 300 gallon system. A top off is something I personally absolutely will never cheap out on, and I cheap out on a lot of stuff.

What did you use to clean it?

And sorry if it appears that I am derailing the thread. I thought about starting a new one, but since most people are raving about Tunze's, I thought I'd point out that I am having issues with mine. It may just be a quick fix though. Up to this issue, both of mine have worked flawlessly.

Tunze all the way... I just replaced the pump on mine, as it was about 5 years old and finally gave out. But the replacement was only $30. Great and reliable.

Yeah don't want to derail but I think the consensus here has been reached and we all know Mike is one hell of a lucky SOB =)

Basically my unit was new and when I filled my tank up I accidentally submerged the entire control unit! So I unscrewed it and 'washed' it in a bucket of ro/di and allowed to dry. That's the only reason I opened mine up I've never had any other issues.

The main reason float's fail on people is because of salt or algae build up on the seal. They only use the weight of the hanging float to seal, so it doesn't take much. Make sure it's somewhere that never see's splash, or always see's splash and gets flushed, and everything should be fine.

Greg I appreciate what you're saying but a consensus was reached man =)

I'm also leaning heavily towards Tunze ATO, but out of curiosity, has anyone seen or used the "Storm" ATO system from Genesis Reef Systems? It looks like a nicely equipped unit for about the same price as the Tunze. The "Renew" auto-water-change system also looks pretty cool.

Damn it anyway, no one listens to me any more :sad:

I did not realize that you can get a Tunze complete with a pump, when I first look at them some time ago I didn't see a pump with them.

Scroll up =) Post #10...

I just use a simple 2 float system from my rodi. If the first one would fail for any reason, the 2nd one would stop the flow 1/2 inch higher. Seems pretty fool proof to me.

Was Greg here? Just wondering as I thought I heard him.... HEHE :biggrin:

Another thing to note, is that I have my water line for the Tunze setup so it is actually pouring the water over the IR sensor and float switch... I have never had to clean either in all the years I have had this, they stay clean because of this. FYI...

I'm with the keep it simple group: gravity feed to a mechanical float switch. Too many gadgets, pumps and switches keeps me awake at night.

It would be interesting to hear from someone who actually had this system fail... and why.

It failed once on me due to a leaky float valve. It filled with water and would no longer float, luckily I figured it out before anything bad happened.
Now I use floats and switches, plumbed directly into my RO.

Any idea what caused the float to fill with water?

The seam separated slightly. It was quite old (Kent), but I drained it and applied silicone around the seam and used it for a few more years.
I did notice potential failures when I topped off with kalk, I would get large Ca deposits around the input, but easy enough to clean.

Variation on the gravity feed that's worked flawlessly for me for better than two years. No sump, impractical for me to elevate top off container above display, so I do need to cheat a little to help gravity along.

Uses air pump on a timer, 7 gal glass wine carboy pressurized by air pump, some rigid & flexible tubing, stopper with two holes, mechanical house humidifier float valve on a DIY acrylic bracket. Takes a bit of tuning to get the timing for the air pump so that it keeps the car boy sufficiently pressurized as it slowly empties, but once done, no further adjustment required. In my case, the water level in the display needs to have a close tolerance otherwise the overflow box housing the pump feeding my HOB skimmer will cavitate. This system has been rock solid in keeping water level constant with a slow trickle. Folks with a sump will be able to get away with a bit more variation with regard to water level without any disastrous consequences.

Occasionally I'll throw some calcium, epsom salts or baked baking soda in the top off if I find any of the pertinent parameters are getting a little too far out of the ballpark. I will use gravity fed once I get a new setup with basement sump. The fewer components you use, the less can go wrong. You can throw all the money you wish at backups & failsafes, but every component you add will also add the possibility of another thing that can go wrong. I'll take a guess and say that I may have spent 50 bucks on all the components. Several I already had kicking around & I don't have to go back to a specific manufacturer to replace any one of them.

I've posted these photos of my ATO setup a number of times now, some of you are probably getting sick up & fed of seeing them, but for the benefit of those that haven't....

Glass wine carboy, 7 gal, give or take. Sits on a stand next to display & keeps it topped up for 7 days. Short tube is air in, long one water out to mechanical float valve. The timer kicks in for a few minutes every hour to keep the carboy pressurized. Even if there's a power failure, there will still be residual air pressure to continue topping off for some time if required.

https://blufiles.storage.live.com/y1...boy.JPG?psid=1

Mechanical float valve. Not a sealed unit, but open chambers at bottom that trap air to lift it, so will not ever get water logged. It has a wheel on the top that allows for additional water level adjustment. I've recently shortened it by cutting one chamber off the end for a smaller in tank footprint. Still works like a charm. Very slow trickle into the display due to relatively low air pressure provided by the small air pump. You'd really have to be out to lunch for a few days for this to screw up & either over fill or not fill. It has never clogged even though I've mixed kalk, alk & mag into the carboy top off water.

https://blufiles.storage.live.com/y1...lve.JPG?psid=1

If you read on page one I use this system and it is the only system that will ever be setup on any tank I own.

see mindy another smart one plumbing it straight to your RO line is so much eaier and safer. IMo and IME the float valve cant fail its full of air.:wink:

ATO to RO is a disaster waiting to happen.....never plumb an ATO to an unending water source, or a reservoir big enough to cause a drastic salinity swing......RO membranes function best when they have water running through them for more than just a few seconds.....short run times, like when you have it plumbed to an ATO will shorten the lifespan on the membrane....

Ok went with the tunez lol....
i have wayyyyy too many things to worry about right now with this setup..... peace of mind isnt cheap... but Ill take it anyways

Now I have to try and find a good reservoire that isnt too ugly LOL.... Or a way to get it set up in another room and run to the tank?
anyone have a large capacity thinner and taller kind of setup?
Also do you have a powerhead in there too to prevent stagnent water?
It looks like im loosing about 4 gallons a day.......... So it will have to hold a fair bit.