# auto top offs or continuous water changer



## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

can i see how you guys have your auto water changers/flow through continuous water setups?i have 3 tanks that i want to add a central water changer to keep the levels up.i was thinking of a reservoir tank to allow for chlorine to dispersal then pumped to the tanks.any ideas or directions would be most appreciated


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

A reservoir tank is a great idea, since top-off water should be RO, or you will end up accumulating salts and other dissolved chemicals in your tank. Even if you decide to DIY it, you should wander over to the reef side of your favorite pet shops and check out the top-off equipment and the RO units.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

well the lfs is a mom n pop shop,no saltwater.the main store i go to is freshwater only and is one of the countries best shops imo.the only saltwater store i know is about 2hrs one way from me.i looked at fmueller's site but i really dont have a way to drain this.i could but it would take allot more work which is an option.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Maybe there is a discus breeder near you who uses a top-off system with RO. It seems a lot of them do something like that. You may find something on the discus boards here, or the reef boards elsewhere.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

thanks mcdaphnia.im going to keep looking.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

well after some late night reading it seems that most top offs don't accomplish much.instead of manually filling the sump you fill the auto top off reservoir.so now you have more equipment to deal with and more space taken up by it.
i had an idea last night and i'll be trying it out soon.I'm going to tap into the water line and run it into a filter,then plumb it into a float valve in a rubber maid tub reservoir.in it will be a pump connected to a float switch and relay that's in my sump.when the float switch trips, the pump turns on and the water is pumped to the sump,opening the float letting water in the reservoir from the filter.this way its a true hands off set-up.let me know if you see any problems or have any suggestions.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

I've seen float switches get stuck and I've seen float valves corrode.

I suggest a PVC float valve, check the float switch frequently and have a flood alarm sitting on the floor! Personally, I would not try that... unless this was in a basement with cement floors, but that's just my paranoia kicking in.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Number6 said:


> I've seen float switches get stuck and I've seen float valves corrode.
> 
> I suggest a PVC float valve, check the float switch frequently and have a flood alarm sitting on the floor! Personally, I would not try that... unless this was in a basement with cement floors, but that's just my paranoia kicking in.


 You are not paranoid. The reef boards have people with this kind of set up from a RO unit instead of direct from the tap. That actually reduces the scope of a possible problem but the threads are full of them anyway.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

well its not a basement its my rec room/mini fish room.i guess I'll keep lugging buckets.or i'll switch out the faucet in the bathroom to accept a python.


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## kornphlake (Feb 12, 2004)

You could install an overflow in the tub in case the float valve got stuck on it wouldn't spill all over the floor. You could plumb the overflow to a drain or attach a hose so it would direct the water out across your driveway or some other place you'd notice it (I'd likely not notice water flowing across my driveway during the monsoon season, but it sure would grab my attention in July.)

See if you can get a hold of Roland (angelman) over on GPAS.org, I'm pretty sure he's got a water change system on his central filtration.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

thanks korn.i'll shoot him a pm.maybe i'll just plumb in a drain and faucet right in my room.i think the landlord wont care :wink:


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