DIY Auto TopOff???

[SAMMY]

Nice ATO Biff! I wish i could make a gravity fed ATO because sometimes my electric float switch goes crazy and doesn't cut the circuit so the pump continues pumping water and empties my reservoir. Luckily its just 2 gallon reserve so the salinity wasn't dropped too much. My mayor problem was that i used kalkwasser and probably the Ca and Alk went hiiiigh! I preferred not to check it. Do you know if theres some kind of float like yours but smaller? Looks very big for my sump.

 

[Bifferwine]

I don't know if there is a smaller float. I think this was the only one we found that had no metal parts.

 

[NewPortRichey]

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

 

[Alexander]

too bad neil isnt around to build your cabinet to hide the skimmer and the jugs now :) i heard you can get married in a hurry in vegas!

 

[NewPortRichey]

Hahaha!

 

[Bifferwine]

Don't worry. I will find a new sucker...eh...I mean boyfriend...to take care of all my DIY stuff soon enough!! And if I haven't found someone by November, I'll be back in Vegas then anyways, and just might have to resort to marrying the first handy-looking man I see on the street.

 

[Alexander]

im sure you will. you just have to make sure to run a sneaky interview without him knowing so your sure he is a handyman

 

[NewPortRichey]

God I Hope Neal Is Reading This. Cracks Me Up!

 

[Alexander]

eh he probably doesnt care anymore..... then yet again with no biff all day long he could regular this place

 

[reeffreak]

It would be funny as hell if one of the newbies that join is actually Neal spying on Biff.

Back to ATO,I not knocking your ATO or anything Biff>If anyone wants an ATO,a controller system is so worth the measly $100 investment.

 

[Bifferwine]

He already spies on me on here. He doesn't post, so he doesn't need an account. But he reads the threads.

 

[NewPortRichey]

Thanks Reef. I got everything I need today so I'll be setting everything up tonight, or this afternoon if I can sneak away from the office. I'll be sure to post pics so this DIY thread has both ends of the spectrum.

 

[NewPortRichey]

Here's the expensive way to do it which is the way you have to do it unless you suspend a water supply higher than your sump. So, we can all see the reservoir and the pump atop my new shelf and then back into the sump's last return chamber. The JBJ auto topoff works great. I increased the safety interval to 14 minutes and disabled the audio alert. Voila! I think the system is as maintenance free as it can be. I'm trying to figure out an easy way to do water changes. My tank top is about 6.5 feet up so lifting the water jugs is a huge pain in the a$$. ANyone have any suggestions? Please see the photos below:

 

[NewPortRichey]

Oh, total cost should be just over $100, depending on where you shop. I'm all over Ebay of course.

 

[newbeetwo]

thanks

 

[bjohanson1234]

For your water changes, I would suggest maybe a small pump to lift the water out of the bucket into the tank

Brian

 

[hotimportknight]

I'm working on my DIY ATO right now step by step Ive got some decent pictures, Maybe I can filter some people over to my thread to give me some input, I asked a few ?'s like 2 hours ago and no one has responded yet... Check out my project:

https://www.livingreefs.com/forums/newbies-reefing/10733-my-ever-coninuing-questions-thread-17.html

I need to know if my bracket I'm using is acceptable or not... After I figure that out im pretty much ready to go!

 

[NewPortRichey]

For your water changes, I would suggest maybe a small pump to lift the water out of the bucket into the tank

Brian

small pump? like a small sump pump???

 

[Bifferwine]

Like a powerhead. Just hook some vinyl tubing to the output.