ato or no ato

[xtreme]

Originally Posted by tgoeujon

i definately want to get one but i dont understand how they work still, sometimes im just to dense i guess lol

As other people have said the osmolator is great. I picked one up a couple weeks ago and love it. As mentioned all you have to do is mount the optical sensor inside your sump at the height you want your water level. As soon as your level drops below the sensor it will turn the pump on and top up for you. This system is not for use directly with your ro/di. You need to have a reservoir full of top up water and the pump is placed in there. Currently I fill up my reservoir weekly, much better than having to top up daily. HTH

[randallino]

A float valve is much like the one in your toilet... when it drains it fills up again. The only problem is that they require regular cleaning, or they may become jammed and a overfill is a possibility.

My 2cents.

[Snaz]

Originally Posted by randallino

A float valve is much like the one in your toilet... when it drains it fills up again. The only problem is that they require regular cleaning, or they may become jammed and a overfill is a possibility.
.

Or a Turbosnail may lift the float and your water reserve drains into your tank. The sonic sensors are better.

[banditpowdercoat]

I made a ATO with some parts form ebay. A couple float switches, and an Omron timer H3CR and wiring base. I acctually had the timer, but the float switches cost me $2 ea I think. I have a 20g rubbermaid garbage pail that I house the RO/DI water. The ATO circut runs a little pump in the bucket that keeps the sump full. Cheap, easy and reliable.

I can help ya make one if needed

[tgoeujon]

bandit i think i may take you up on that offer sometime in the not so distant future

[lorenz0]

i picked mine up just because i was getting sick of filling up the tank every day. it actually was a pain in the ass. when you forget to fill up one day cause your tired it comes and kicks you in the butt with a pump beathing in air

[wolf_bluejay]

I ran for years without an ato. Then I finally put on it, it was a "kit" for about $40.

Just a few float switches, a relay, power supply. Just add a small pump like the aqualifter. The kit came with directions, and they are pretty easy to do if you are not very handy with electronics.

As i have had a little flood that the wife didn't like very much, I went a little nuts. I have a fresh water tank that gets topped off with a manual valve and a float switch in case i forget. From there, if the level in the sump tgets low, it turns on the pump and adds water from the top off tank. I have an extra switch in the sump for "saftey sake" and one in the topoff tank so as to not run the pump dry.


Over all it was under $80 buck for everything, and took about 1 hour to setup (except for the custom topoff tank). And the best thing I have ever added to the tank. Now, I just top up the tank once every 2 weeks, and it keeps it perfect.
If you're in kamloops. feel free to poke around at how it is setup. I can even give you the pretty picture directions that it came with.... They do have a few nice photos that make it all make sense.

[phillybean]

I have a very simple set up that works great for me.

I have a 20 gallon brute with Kalk. I drilled a hole in the lid and ran a 1/4" Hose to the sump. I then added a 1/4" valve and set my drip rate. I left for a week and never had an problems with it.

Since Kalk is my main Calcium additive, I didn't want to go with a Aqualifter due to the Kalk plugging them up. A Maxi-Jet is another option I could have gone with, however I was worried it would add too much at once and mess up my pH.

I check the drip daily with my other daily maintence (feed, dose Vodka, Sugar, Zeo and check skimmer). Rarely do I need to tweak it.