Controlling ATO

Hey guys, so I've been trying to figure this out for a while and I'm still a little confused.

Right now I have a 180gl display with a 120gl sump under it, the tank is being run by an APEX controller and I have a BWI RO/DI unit for the water.

What I want to do is to use the APEX controller to Auto-top off the water for a set amount of time everyday, something like an hour a day, or a few minutes every hour, that way if the float switches fail, the tank would not be filling up the entire day and I can avoid a disaster, I will also be adding the salinity probe to detect any fluctuation as a backup.

Here's my question.... What do I need? I'm so confused about all the necessary parts to do this,

I'm thinking of getting this Auto Top Off Dual Float Level Control for the sump, what else do I need to get this to run off the APEX.

I really appreciate the help, I just don't want to end up buying random parts that I don't need,

 

To add my $0.02 . . .
I have read many times over that a membrane on an RODI should not be run for short periods like that all of the time. They produce much cleaner water on average when they are allowed to run for longer periods of time.
Also - the possibility of the float valve failing is quite real. If that bad boy fails and decides to run longer than your prescribed hour - you could have disaster on your hands. This is why many poeple use a separate ATO container that is limited in size such that in the event of a sensor failure (float sensor, float vavle, pressure senser - what have you . . . ) there is no more water in the ATO reservoir than would cause a flood if the entire contents were dumped into the system. Not only do you want to avoid the flood but the inevitable salinity swing from too much freshwater too fast can prove fatal for your reef inhabitants.

It's probably safe to say that you are not topping off more than 3-5 gallons/day. With a roughly 40 gallon container you can have more than a week's worth of topoff - but maybe not so much water that if it actually does dump the whole lot into your system - you might still be okay with flooding and salinity.

The other "automation" implementations you can apply are to setup the ATO into a barrel and have that barrel controlled by your controller with the two float switches. One would turn on the RODI when the barrel reached a certain set "low" point and the other will turn off the barrel when it reached a set "high" point. You can also likely get a redundant float valve/electric solenoid vavle that will be a "failsafe" to your "set high" shuttoff or an additional failsafe to not allow the ATO system pump to run if the ATO reservoir is not filled enough. This would require that you either get a set of about 5 float sensors or 2-3 and a separate ATO system like a Tunze Osmolator or JBJ ATO.

Either way - I would not allow something with an "infinite" source of water be allowed to potentially discharge in to my precious reef system.

 

i agree with above. an infinite amount of water could be a problem, if the sensor gets stuck or the apex fails.

from what i read you would need the break out box, i have recently contacted them to ask some questions and they get right back to you. they got back to me within 2 hours. Neptune Systems - AquaControllers - IO Breakout Box contact them on there site they really are very helpful.

now im waiting for a v day sale at one of the sites that carry the apex time to make my move to apex and get rid of the RA controller. did you see with the apex you can add the water on the floor sensor! how awesome is that. and with a cheap bridge it becomes wireless and sends the info to your computer that way. i like how the apex is so expandable and user friendly

 

I agree with you 100%, so I already have a 30 gallon container which I can use for the ATO water, then I can run a dosing pump that I control from the apex to fill up the sump. Would that work?

I'm still not sure what parts I need to get the ATO working properly. What parts in addition to the dual float valves are required to get the ATO working in the 30gl container?

I love my apex, got it on sale boxing day, it has made my life so much easier. I did see the floor water sensors, I will definitely be purchasing that. I already have emails setup, I even have a widget on my android phone that keeps all the numbers updated, if anything goes wrong I have instant notifications. Worth every penny

 

You would need between 4 and 6 sensors. If you can swing it - go for better sensors than float valves for your DT. These would be the ones that would integrate into your controller. One is a high set and one is a low set for your DT. So the high set is what activates the PUMP (which is the other piece of equipment you would need which would also tie into your controller to pump your fresh topoff water to the DT). Then your "low set" sensor in your DT would kill your return pump if the water level got too low and prevent it from ever running dry.

Now onto the ATO barrel itself. I would go with on sensor that ties into your ATO barrel to be a "shuttoff" in the event the ATO barrel gets too low for the ATO pump. This will be the same sensor that is in the DT. Now you can use two float vavles - one for a primary shutoff and the other as a secondary failsafe shuttof.

In short you need:

3 Sensors that tie into your controller
2 Float valves (or even better float sensors/pressure switch/laser activated level switch) for the ATO.
Pump for ATO container to sump
Tubing for pump
Clamps to hold tubing to prevent it from "topping off the floor".

 

I would also add that you should have the "volume difference" between your "high/low" set points on the ATO barrel to be at least 15-20 gallons so that whenever the RODI is activated - it runs for long enough to produce mostly 0 TDS water.

 

You've been very helpful, I have a much better understanding. Thanks.

 

Glad to be able to help!!!