Automating Water Changes
- Thread starter kinetic
- Start date
Gomer
Guest
there are 2 ways I can think of doing it.
Method 1: Dual channel pump (what you pump out is what you pump in. Think of a dosing pump). This lets you do a 24/7 exchange. It counts on both channels being equal.
Method 2: dual float valve + 2 pumps + day/night timer. use a lighting timer that turns one socket on when the other isn't on. One pump on each socket. Use a float switch to turn on your drain pump which will auto shut off when the water drops to a certain level. Your timer switches. Your fresh saltwater pump turns on till it triggers a floatswitch. Key. The time it takes to drain/fill to your markers needs to be less than the time interval on your timer. The number of drain/fill cycles is dependent on the frequency of your timer.
Method 1: Dual channel pump (what you pump out is what you pump in. Think of a dosing pump). This lets you do a 24/7 exchange. It counts on both channels being equal.
Method 2: dual float valve + 2 pumps + day/night timer. use a lighting timer that turns one socket on when the other isn't on. One pump on each socket. Use a float switch to turn on your drain pump which will auto shut off when the water drops to a certain level. Your timer switches. Your fresh saltwater pump turns on till it triggers a floatswitch. Key. The time it takes to drain/fill to your markers needs to be less than the time interval on your timer. The number of drain/fill cycles is dependent on the frequency of your timer.
tonggao
Guest
Art, I use two Littermeter III pumps, and it works reasonably well. The pumps turn on 150 times a day, and does 150 little water change for you (I always brag to people that I do this many water changes a day 
). One pump is hooked to new saltwater from a 55G drum in garage to the sump, and another pump goes from the sump to the drain in garage. One really nice thing (probably the most important thing) about littermeters is that they can be precisely calibrated for each pump INDEPENDENTLY, and I think you need this since water distance travelled from and to the pumps are different for the two pumps and water pressures are different, and a dual channel dosing pump or preistaltic pump will not pump the same amount of water. I found it difficult to perfectly balancing the water going in and out even with Littermeter pumps, but they are reasonably close, and you can make small adjustment to getting the fee. I have been using this for a year now, and just measure salinity and adjust the flow slightly when needed on monthly basis. Surely beat the manual water change by far.
I use a third littermeter pump to pump water into kalkreactor to do auto top off, and this pump has a water level sensor (it shut off the pump if level is too high). Instead of depending on the level sensor which does not work that great, I just adjust the pump so it pump the right amount of water for water topoff, with the level sensor as an extra insurance. Now balancing the water level with 3 pumps and water evaporation is fun.
If you ever come down this way, you are welcome to come to my house and check it out.
). One pump is hooked to new saltwater from a 55G drum in garage to the sump, and another pump goes from the sump to the drain in garage. One really nice thing (probably the most important thing) about littermeters is that they can be precisely calibrated for each pump INDEPENDENTLY, and I think you need this since water distance travelled from and to the pumps are different for the two pumps and water pressures are different, and a dual channel dosing pump or preistaltic pump will not pump the same amount of water. I found it difficult to perfectly balancing the water going in and out even with Littermeter pumps, but they are reasonably close, and you can make small adjustment to getting the fee. I have been using this for a year now, and just measure salinity and adjust the flow slightly when needed on monthly basis. Surely beat the manual water change by far.I use a third littermeter pump to pump water into kalkreactor to do auto top off, and this pump has a water level sensor (it shut off the pump if level is too high). Instead of depending on the level sensor which does not work that great, I just adjust the pump so it pump the right amount of water for water topoff, with the level sensor as an extra insurance. Now balancing the water level with 3 pumps and water evaporation is fun.
If you ever come down this way, you are welcome to come to my house and check it out.