Automated top up

I had got fed up (like all of us) replacing evap'ed water so i looked around for top off system. They all seemed to have draw backs. so i thought about one that would work for me. Here is what I cam up with, I hope other people benifit from this.
RO/DI filters work best when they are left on for long times, they do not do well stopping and starting like most top off system make them.
Ok, this is rally simple. I have a sprinkler valve connected inline (from the main water supply) to my RO/DI which is connected to a controller. It is set to come on 3 times a week for 2 hours. The water is piped into the garage into a holding containing. I have a nylon(ice maker) line connected to the water container going down into the basement and back up to the sump where its connected to a kent float valve. The water is replace by gravity as needed, and the top off cotainer is filled up 3 times a week. All i do now is check the level in the top off container to make sure it's ok and occasionally check the level in the sump.

Im just getting started on an auto water change on the same principle. I will have an outlet in the sump directly connected to a sprinkler valve, and routed to a dran. I have a 900gph pump in a 30 gallon tank in the garage where i mix my new salt, I will put a T of that and put another sprinkler valve on there and pipe that back to the sump. I will then use a ball valve on the waste line and measure how long it takes to remove say 5 gallons, then time how long the pump takes to replace 5 gallons. I can then set the sprinkler controller to open the waste valve for say 5 mins, and the new water valve for say 2 mins once a week.
Something like the diagram
Anyone tried this for water change, any pitfalls I havent seen?

 

I feel a little confused by this hehe. Prob my fault though. It seems a little complicated. Why don't you just link your float valve to the pump in your top off container, run the pump hose up to your overflow, and just keep the top off container supplied with RO/DI water?

 

Nice work! Good point about turning the RO on and off a lot. The auto-water-changer would be cool. I look forward to seeing how that works out. I believe vamp75 has one like that. You might want to send him a PM. Good luck!

 

Looks really cool, when you get this up and running where will the new water enter your tank?

 

As I suspected, it WAS my own ignorance, or lack of understanding. I finally get what you are doing here... And that does look like a very well planned out system. I now understand what everything is for, and that the sprinkler valves are actully electric! I am going to go sit in the corner for ten minutes. lol Man, that is a great system. Nice diagram too... :thumbs_up

 

Just one point I can see. When you open valve number 1 to start your water change and drop the water out of the sump, what's to stop the auto top off refilling the sump with fresh ro water before valve 2 opens to replace it with fresh salt? You'll maybe need a valve on the auto top off pipe to shut this down when the water change cycle is operating. If that's the case then you'll need a "normally open, power close" type to switch in when the cycle starts rather than a normally closed, power open type as you have on the others.