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Wooohooo, new toy
- Thread starter Mark_C
- Start date
Looking good...
So, setup was a bit of a pita. This thing is sensitive, and as it works under pressure in the tube, the angle you insert the tube as well as miniscule adjustments in the depth it is in the water all play a part. So, it may activate the on at a certain depth of insertion, but it wont activate the off when you draw it back past that point. There is a noted potential 1/2" discrepancy in the unit, and its very noticeable upon setup. Saying that, once I found a semi-happy level for it, it seems to be doing well. I'll be checking salinity over the next few days along with water level to note any significant fluctuations.
I did pick up their peristaltic pump to go with the monitor as I had read some very positive reviews on it. I'm pulling from a 5g bucket of RODI, with the pump at the level, more or less, of the bucket rim. The head above the pump is a solid 3 feet, which it is 'just' rated for, and it has ZERO problems with pushing the water that high, it's pretty darn powerful, no doubt this thing can push 5-6' easily. It also is very quick to start up and shut down. Its fairly noisy but nothing thats going to travel too far beyond the room its in. Its not going to wake me from the first floor by any means.
I did not go for the mechanical float valve emergency shut off as I don't have the space, and there are no audible alarms on the unit to tell me the tank is overfilling or the RODI bucket is empty. It's a simple 'water low = on, water high = off'. I do like alerts regarding my water and RODI levels, just have to start to make a morning habit of checking the bucket level.
For a total package of $160 or so, assuming the pressure sensor works as advertised AND the +/- 1/4" potential fluctuation in water level in either direction doesn't screw up my salinity too bad in a 30g tank, this may be a winner, assuming I remember to fill the RODI occasionally.
I did pick up their peristaltic pump to go with the monitor as I had read some very positive reviews on it. I'm pulling from a 5g bucket of RODI, with the pump at the level, more or less, of the bucket rim. The head above the pump is a solid 3 feet, which it is 'just' rated for, and it has ZERO problems with pushing the water that high, it's pretty darn powerful, no doubt this thing can push 5-6' easily. It also is very quick to start up and shut down. Its fairly noisy but nothing thats going to travel too far beyond the room its in. Its not going to wake me from the first floor by any means.
I did not go for the mechanical float valve emergency shut off as I don't have the space, and there are no audible alarms on the unit to tell me the tank is overfilling or the RODI bucket is empty. It's a simple 'water low = on, water high = off'. I do like alerts regarding my water and RODI levels, just have to start to make a morning habit of checking the bucket level.
For a total package of $160 or so, assuming the pressure sensor works as advertised AND the +/- 1/4" potential fluctuation in water level in either direction doesn't screw up my salinity too bad in a 30g tank, this may be a winner, assuming I remember to fill the RODI occasionally.
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Thanks E, your posting made me secure in the choice of this thing. And I swear I could aim the RODI tube towards the living room and easily hit my kids. Was initially going to use an Aqualifter but, after seeing their pump in action, am glad I dropped the extra $50.
Mine pumps up 8ft and about 20ft across my basement to my tank.
Man I feel so far behind, all the people with this fancy equipment for their tanks. My top off is gallon jugs filled with ocean water that I dump into return chamber when looks low and my ATO is my 17yr old daughter, lol
Mark congratulations on your new toy hope it lives up to your expectations/ one of these days I’ll be able to say,,,,,Alexa F4 ,,,,(sponge) lol
I ran one of these a while back when I had my 180 going. When I first set it up l loved it, over time though I found that the stated =/- 1/4" fluctuation became upwards of 1". In my system It did not effect salinity to much so I kept it going. But I would keep an eye on it for sure.
Every time I try out a new system I always end up going back to tried and true float switches.
Every time I try out a new system I always end up going back to tried and true float switches.
An update.
I'm used to alarms telling me something is amiss.
This system is in a 30g and has no alarms, so, when I left in the morning hearing a whirring noise, I assumed the pump was filling the tank.
9 hours later, when I came home, the whirring was still going on.
Seems the ATO bucket was dry. The pump was running for at least 9 hours, dry.
I topped up the ato bucket, the pump immediately primed and filled the tank, and its working great a few days later.
Just have to be aware that I need to check the ATO bucket every few days.
Per level fluctuations...
No worries. I've seen a 1/4" around the pressure sensor, but salinity, even in a 30g, maintains at 1.026.
No severe highs or lows. Even with the recent concern where the ato bucket was empty, when bucket was filled and system kicked in, all was good within a few minutes.
This thing seems incredibly stable (Graz, I was told that every few months it sould be rinsed for salt buildup on the port, and the line should be reseated firmly into the control box in case it slipped off a bit).
I'm used to alarms telling me something is amiss.
This system is in a 30g and has no alarms, so, when I left in the morning hearing a whirring noise, I assumed the pump was filling the tank.
9 hours later, when I came home, the whirring was still going on.
Seems the ATO bucket was dry. The pump was running for at least 9 hours, dry.
I topped up the ato bucket, the pump immediately primed and filled the tank, and its working great a few days later.
Just have to be aware that I need to check the ATO bucket every few days.
Per level fluctuations...
No worries. I've seen a 1/4" around the pressure sensor, but salinity, even in a 30g, maintains at 1.026.
No severe highs or lows. Even with the recent concern where the ato bucket was empty, when bucket was filled and system kicked in, all was good within a few minutes.
This thing seems incredibly stable (Graz, I was told that every few months it sould be rinsed for salt buildup on the port, and the line should be reseated firmly into the control box in case it slipped off a bit).
I have their calcium reactor its awesome