Stone's 225 Carbonate Factory

[Stones]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Cool, thanks Stones, yeah I agree Vertex seems pretty top notch on all their other things too. I'm still sort of tempted to consider Avast because I'd probably get one of their waste collector buckets (with a skimmer shutdown relay? Boo yah!)

Having a skimmer shutdown relay has been one of the best additons I've made to my equipment lineup in years and I highly recommend installing one for all those hobbyists using in sump skimmers. Prior to the Vertex Alpha 250, I had never ran an insump skimmer before and didn't realize how finicky they were in regrard to water level consistency. I'd end up with an overflowing skimmer every time the power would go out or if for some strange reason the water level in my sump rose by more than 1".

Posted this pic at the beginning of the build but it shows how I added a 2 way shutdown relay to my skimmer.



This way if the sump level rises above the level where I have float switch #2 or if the skimmer collection cup gets full it triggers float swith #1. If either switch is engaged, power is cut to the skimmer pump until the float drops back down. This way, I'm protected against power outages where the sump level rises by ~6" or if I add something to my tank like 2 part epoxy that makes the skimmer go crazy for a day or two the skimmer also shuts down when the collection cup is full.