auto top off system....can i do this?

lil.guppy

lil.guppy

Active Member
Can I purchase one of those auto top off system things and hook it to a jug of water and put the jug of water under my tank or does the water have to be above my tank?
If you have any plans or information that would help me design a top off system for a tank without a sump that would help too. Its a 46g
 
jdl

jdl

Member
there is a cheap easy system at autotopoff for about $40.
You will be fine having it under your tank. My ATO container is taller then my sump. I had to velcrow the lines up the wall so my water flowed uphill so when the pump is shutoff it doesnt continue to siphon.
 
lil.guppy

lil.guppy

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rigdon87
http:///forum/post/3067793
Wow guppy havn't seen you in a while where ya been

Nuthin much just trying to stay busy and nothing has been going on with the tank lately.
All I know is I got to get something done about this evaporation. sometimes I feel like I am putting a gallon of water in ever other day!
 
salt life

salt life

Active Member
Originally Posted by lil.guppy
http:///forum/post/3067801
Nuthin much just trying to stay busy and nothing has been going on with the tank lately.
All I know is I got to get something done about this evaporation. sometimes I feel like I am putting a gallon of water in ever other day!

I lose about a gallon each day, a gallon every other day you should consider yourself lucky.
 
sir mixxalot

sir mixxalot

Member
List of supplies needed:Aqua Lifter

[hr]
9.00
airline tubing for aqua lifter

[hr]
1.50 (Home Depot)
a Float switch

[hr]
4.00 (----)
old extension cord

[hr]
FREEBIE
black electrical tape

[hr]
Everyone should have some
container to hold fresh water----2.00-3.00 (Home Depot)
razor blade and wire cutters

[hr]
Everyone should have some
Drill

[hr]
Everyone should have some
small sheet of thin Plexiglas

[hr]
5.00 (Home Depot)
aquarium safe silicone

[hr]
Everyone should have some but 4.00-5.00
Weld on #3 (OPTIONAL)

[hr]
most expensive 10.00 but Everyone should have some lol
this can be a in sump or in DT kind of design. to get prepared this is what you need to do.
[list type=decimal][*]take the Plexiglas, measure a inch strip from top to bottom. take something hard and straight and score the Plexiglas deeply just once. you have to score it deeply the first time or else there could be "runners" (when glass breaks in the places you do not want it to)
[*]slide plexi to the straight edge of a table so that the score you just made lines up with the edge. Apply pressure on the plexi on the table then apply EVEN pressure on the plexi that is hanging over the side. Now if done correctly you should have one even 8 inch by one inch strip of plexi.
measure how far you want the water level to be in the tank from the top of the aquarium. Write this number down as you will be using it soon
now lets say you want the water level to be one inch from the top of the aquarium. you would bend the plexi to this shape. reason being is so that a snail does not find its way onto the float switch and pump ALL the water out into the tank.
[/list type=decimal]Attachment 226772
Like so.
how you bend it is simple... grab a pair of oven mitts light a candle and bend accordingly... in total your going to be using 6-8 inches. then sylicone the bent plexi to the tank! once you get comfortable with acrylic you will never use anything else because its so easy to use!!
now take your float valve and look at it... there will be 2 wires. Take your extension cord and cut it right down the center INBETWEEN the 2 humps. DO NOT CUT THE ENTIRE EXTENTION CORD IN HALF!! Now cut the single cord in half so now you have one of the cords in still one piece and the other cut... if your doing this in a sump you can do it anywhere on the cord BUT if your doing this in the DT its self you may want to cut it more towards one of the ends. It will just be easier this way.
now strip the wires on the cut ends of the extension cord and intertwine the wires that are on the float valve with the extension cord.
Attachment 226773
wrap in electrical tape and vwalla! that float valve will make one complete circuit with the water level starts to fall and then pump water into where ever you want until the float valve rises and completes the circuit... phewwww thats alot of typing lol
sorry for the cave man like drawings!!! lol any questions guppy? :)

 
sir mixxalot

sir mixxalot

Member
i would take pictures of my setup but currenty i am computerless due to someone that wanted to get into my house and believed that the computer was more theirs than mine lol .... people are getting very desperate these days....
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
i think ive seen a similar system on youtube. my only concern is if the float switch gets stuck in the open position. i guess mabee i can only have like 5 gal at a time in the top off resivior. that way if it does happen...it wont flood the house.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Originally Posted by lil.guppy
http:///forum/post/3067723
Can I purchase one of those auto top off system things and hook it to a jug of water and put the jug of water under my tank or does the water have to be above my tank?
If you have any plans or information that would help me design a top off system for a tank without a sump that would help too. Its a 46g

I have such a system for my 90g...a 10g tank under the cabinet. I have a pump with a sensor attached in the 10g and a sensor attached to the above tank. When the tank gets low the ATO unit comes on and the pump refills the tank to the level of the sensor and shuts off.
I just refill the tank under the cabinet. I do this because I burst one of my MH bulbs when a tiny drop of water splashed up and hit the bulb when I was manually topping off.
The 10g will last me three days without needing to be refilled. If I am not going to be home, I transfer the pump and its sensor to a 35g plastic garbage can I have designated for fish only that I fill up with RO water that will last about 10 days. I set it beside the tank.
 
number1gsxxr

number1gsxxr

Member
Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/3070425
i think ive seen a similar system on youtube. my only concern is if the float switch gets stuck in the open position. i guess mabee i can only have like 5 gal at a time in the top off resivior. that way if it does happen...it wont flood the house.
You can also wire 2 float switches in series I think so that if one gets stuck you have the 2nd to stop the flow of water. Most DIY auto-top-offs use 2 floats with the 2nd one being a little higher. You would set the height of that one as your backup.
 
king_neptune

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by number1Gsxxr
http:///forum/post/3070837
You can also wire 2 float switches in series I think so that if one gets stuck you have the 2nd to stop the flow of water. Most DIY auto-top-offs use 2 floats with the 2nd one being a little higher. You would set the height of that one as your backup.

Brilliant!
Makes sense. now I feel safe.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by JDL
http:///forum/post/3067750
there is a cheap easy system at autotopoff for about $40.
You will be fine having it under your tank. My ATO container is taller then my sump. I had to velcrow the lines up the wall so my water flowed uphill so when the pump is shutoff it doesnt continue to siphon.

I keep my hose out of the water...so it doesn't siphon back, I put a 10g tank under my cabinet...the pump and sensor goes into that...the hose runs up into the tank where another sensor is placed. It works great.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by lighteningthes
http:///forum/post/3098683
where does one find the "float switch" locally? Don't want to order anything, I think I want to build this over this weekend.

I purchased an AUTO top off unit, placed a plastic 32g new garbage can with a hose and power head pump leading from it, to the tank...one sensor goes into the can and the other in the tank at the level I want my water to stay...The sensor in the can is if the water goes too low the auto top off will not come on and burn the pump up. I am attaching some pictures. Also I rigged up the hose leading to the tank so the end does not get submmerged so there is no worry of back siphoning.
Just getting a float switch won't do, it has to shut off and on according to the switch...by the time you buy all the parts...you can buy this unit for $80.00 bucks and there are cheaper units besides. Shop around. Oft times the cheap comes out expensive.

 
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