# Need your help--Tank Full Warning System



## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

Greetings!

We've got a fairly large setup in our tank room (600+ gallons), but no access to water in the basement (this cannot change, as we cannot modify the pipes).

Not a problem; we run a hose from the upstairs faucet to a 55 gallon plastic drum (the kind they use to hold liquid sugar, then sell off). This drum is under our stairs, right next to the fish room.

One problem while doing water changes, we've noticed, is that it takes a while to fill the drum, and so it's easy to forget to check the drum on a regular basis (or easy to get distracted cleaning sand, tanks, messing with stuff, etc.). We've had overflows a couple times.

I'm thinking perhaps if we were able to rig up some sort of alarm (light or sound based) which would be triggered by water reaching a certain level (perhaps using a float valve?).

Any thoughts for doing this on the cheap? My other idea is just to drill a bulkhead into the top sidewall, run a small bucket/tank next to it, and have the barrel overflow into that bucket...

Thoughts welcome.


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## daowner (May 4, 2009)

im still thinking atm but what about some kind of shut off when it gets to a certain level that would help when its getting to full not sure about knowing when to fill it up.

i like the float idea im going to think of some ways and try to help ya


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Stock tank float valve..
It keeps a farms stock watering tank at an adjustable height. Rig it to hook up to your hose and adapt your drum to the valve.
Check for a Tractor Supply, THC, in your area.


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## fourleafandy (May 13, 2009)

You could use something similar to the stopcock in your toilet. I think hardware stores will have spares that you could adapt to suit your needs.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

If an alarm is what you really want, try the alarms made for wet area alarms. They are designed to set on the floor under a water heater or near a sump pump to warn you have a leak coming. One brand is Watchdog. Battery operated, cost about ten dollars when I bought. They have a set of contacts on the bottom which set the alarm when they get wet or the contacts can be taken off with a wire leading to them so the unit can be placed above the potential water line. I kept one in the drain when I had a basement with sewer line that sometimes backed up. Saved a barrel of trouble a couple times. I now keep it under the tank in a plastic tub with the canister filter. Seemed like a place that might need to be monitored.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

If a water on/off valve is what you want, there is a cheap, scrap way to go. I think you can find a mercury switch on the doors of old Kenmore washers. This is the switch that shuts down the washer when the lid is opened. One of those can control a solenoid to turn the water on or off. Snag the solenoid off where the water goes into the junk washer. It will be a double solenoid but just use one side. When I had a remote tank like you have, I built float switchs from styrofoam floats with the mercury switch glued on, using solenoids to shut water off or on. Worked fine for several years as an automatic water change system if I could keep several siphons on the tanks working. Now I find chloramine does not dissipate as chlorine did so can't use that system. Bet you can find a junk washer to haul home and tear down.


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## aji1217 (Aug 22, 2009)

http://www.amazon.com/Zircon-Leak-Alert ... B00004XOVI

could always rig one up at the desired water level. Just epoxy it to the side. We have one under our big tank to let us know if there are any leaks. work really well.


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

*PfunMo*
*aji1217*

Thanks. This is looking like what I'm after. I'll do some shopping around.

I have a stock tank float valve, but the bloody thing cost $25 and doesn't hold up well to faucet pressure (works well enough for a top off system, though).


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

One small warning on the alarm I mentioned. Once the contacts are wet on the alarm, I takes a bit for them to dry and let the alarm stop. I found wiping them dry will help. Seems to take very little moisture to bridge the gap and set it off.


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

"Hudson" stock tank float valves are made to hold up to 80 PSI. they are under 10.00 and available all over the place. Some are made of zinc (cost more) and some are all plastic.


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

PfunMo said:


> Now I find chloramine does not dissipate as chlorine did so can't use that system. Bet you can find a junk washer to haul home and tear down.


Tangentially, what do you mean by this?


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

why not just do one initial fill-up, figure out how long it takes, and then the next time you go to fill the 55 drum, jus set a clock alarm, timer, cell phone alarm to let you know it's at your desired level??? am i missing something here, or wouldn't that work...


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

If you can not find an automatic water control valve, take a look
http://www.aquahub.com/store/diygbuildverwater.html


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## lmhollist (Aug 7, 2009)

venustus19 said:


> why not just do one initial fill-up, figure out how long it takes, and then the next time you go to fill the 55 drum, jus set a clock alarm, timer, cell phone alarm to let you know it's at your desired level??? am i missing something here, or wouldn't that work...


I don't think you missed anything, however, we don't always start off with the same level of water in the barrel. Sometimes we're left with it being a third full of water, other times, nearly empty. A timer is an excellent (and simple  ) suggestion, but I think we are still going to look into alarms that will go off when they get wet.

Does anybody else have this sort of situation? What do you do to alert yourself to when your top off tank is getting full?

Thanks for all the help so far! It is MUCH appreciated!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

On the question of Chloramine not working the same as chlorine-- I had been planning a spare tank to use to let the water set before using. Long ago when doing fish this was a system that I used and liked. It let the water warm to room temp and the chlorine dissipated out into the air just by bubbling air through it. I am now finding most large public water treatment is using chloramine rather than chlorine. There seems to be some evidence chlorine was reacting some way to form some type of cancer producing agent. For that and to make the germ killing last longer, I'm now finding they use chloramine. For fish keeping that means the old store the water trick does not work. I was dissappointed to hear that I am now unable to get around using water treatment such as Prime, etc. to break down the chloramine. I 've worked in water treatment at a minor level and I know any hint of cancer causing would make most treatment operations run screaming for an alternate. Your water may or may not be treated with chloramine. Using Prime, etc. solves the question. :thumb:

For the question of using a timer for refills, I can see a potential problem. Depending on how/where/ when water is drawn, the amount drawn will vary quite a bit. The pressure in the city varies a lot depending on how many people are up using water. Rural lines might vary more. In a house it will vary with who is using what water. Different pressure makes different volume in any time period. Float switchs are about the only sure way to get the same amount each time.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Float switch! The alarm is loud. My wife said she hated wet floors so I got the alarms. One day one went off. When I got home, all of the alarms had been smashed to pieces with a hammer. She said she'd rather have a lake on the floor than have that alarm go off. 'Wake the dead." Also if you have room, get a Rubbermaid stock tank and hang it from the fishroom ceiling for the water storage instead of or added to the barrel. You can plumb a hose to the bottom bulkhead and gravity feed water to your tanks.


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## aji1217 (Aug 22, 2009)

Mcdaphnia said:


> She said she'd rather have a lake on the floor than have that alarm go off.


Yeah nothing like waking up at 3AM to a loud SOS beeping over and over because your cat was playing with it and got it damp.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

You guys have obviously never had a sewer backup and fill a basement. You would feel different about an alarm waking you. There really are a lot of things worse than waking up. :zz:


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

*PfunMo*

Been a long time since that's happened... thank those above.

The ones I'm looking at are 80-110 Db. Ouchies to get close to. Better make sure it has an "off switch" 

You've been a big help folks. Thanks a ton! :thumb:


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Geddonight said:


> *PfunMo*
> 
> Been a long time since that's happened... thank those above.
> 
> ...


My wife found the OFF switch! (hammer)


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

That's the thing to remember about warning alarms. They never go off at a convenient time. I owned a basement apartment that never flooded for years. Then suddenly the basement tenant called just as I was heading out to work. They had unplugged the sump pump so they could plug in a boombox to run out in the yard. From then on , there was an alarm that they could not get to and shut off. I also locked the basement storage so they could not get to that but that was after I replaced the carpeting, sheetrock, etc. Alarms are a pain but compared to the alternative, I love them. If seventy gallons of water floods the floor, how far will it wick up the sheetrock wall ? That is the more important question to me. :roll:


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

This may sound old school compared to some of the other ideas here but couldn't you just have an overflow on the barrel that poors into another container that makes enough noise to alert you to the possible flood. From what I understand here you are always around when filling the drum.

The other cheap reliable idea was the toilet valve comment from one of the first posts. You could probably even get an old toilet free somewhere which would have all your floats etc.


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## non_compliance (Dec 4, 2008)

I would tell you to get a LEAKFROG, but I cannot find them available anywhere...

http://www.amazon.com/Leak-Frog-LF001-W ... B000WMSTUO


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