HELP With my Auto Top Off

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bonita69

Guest
My ATO will not break siphon. I was using a 5g bucket and it was working fine.
I found a container that holds more water and fits behinde my tank.BUT.....
It will pump then when the switch cuts off it still siphons from the ATO container??? Here is a pic of how it is set up.
 
kynekke

kynekke

Member
I had that problem too, I put a few holes in the tube just above water line and it doesn't siphon anymore.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Is that how it was setup before just with a smaller container? The picture shows the end of the hose out of the water, is this true all of the time?
 
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bonita69

Guest
???
My tube never touches the water line into the sump. Look at the pic. It siphons from the ATO into the sump causing it to overfill.
 
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bonita69

Guest
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2510721
Is that how it was setup before just with a smaller container? The picture shows the end of the hose out of the water, is this true all of the time?
yes, it is set to the T as the pic
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Strange that it worked before with the same setup and all you changed was the container to a larger one. I wonder if the water pressure of the added volume has anything to do with it? A good test for that would be to reduce the amount of water in the new container and see if you still get the siphon.
 
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bonita69

Guest
Yes I know driving me crazy?? I cut notches out at the end like this..... to see if that would help....NOPE
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
so it is a constant siphon that would continue to flood the sump eventually and you have it turned off now?
I know this will sound stupid but I have to ask, are you using float valves to turn the pump on and off? If so is it (they) stuck in the on position?
 
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bonita69

Guest
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2510757
so it is a constant siphon that would continue to flood the sump eventually and you have it turned off now?
I know this will sound stupid but I have to ask, are you using float valves to turn the pump on and off? If so is it (they) stuck in the on position?
I have a dual float and no they are not stuck you see/hear it shut off and the pump turns off. The flow drops to a small flow.
Yes will flood the sump It almost did that is why I knew it was not working right.
 
brettd

brettd

Member
If the water level is higher in your ATO container, you will have a siphon. You need to put a hole in the hose above the water level in your ATO. I would suggest you cut the end of the hose off so it ends higher than the highest point of the water level in your ATO container. If you don't want the water to squirt down in your sump, use some PVC tubing leading into your sump to put your hose from your ATO into.
 
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bonita69

Guest
Is this what your saying?? Use one or the other here??? This my understanding of you.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Hmmmm. very strange. If it were me I would set up a separate siphon hose from the ATO water to a separate holding tank. What I am thinking is drain out water from the ATO holding tank to see if at some point the siphon to your sump stops. Then you would know if the additional water pressure from the added volume of water in your new holding tank is causing a bypass in you pump.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
I think either one of the 2 options you posted would work to correct the problm. I will say I'm intrigued though as I want to make an ATO for my system very soon so I can stop putting 1 1/2 gallons of fresh water into my sump every day.
 
brettd

brettd

Member
Originally Posted by blackaero1
http:///forum/post/2510804
I think either one of the 2 options you posted would work to correct the problm. I will say I'm intrigued though as I want to make an ATO for my system very soon so I can stop putting 1 1/2 gallons of fresh water into my sump every day.
I just use a float valve hooked to my RO/DI unit in my fuge. This works excellent - total no maintenance top-off.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
2 reasons that won't work (for me at least). 1- There is no way for me to plumb the RODI to the tank without major construction to my house so it isn't going to happen. 2- I've heard too many horror stories of float switches going bad and top off systems putting more into a sump than it can handle or dropping the salinity way too low. At least when I build my ATO with a 10 gallon bucket the sump will hold all of it if the switches fail and once the bucket is empty it won't put any more water into the system. I may get a burned up pump, but I'll take that risk over the other any day.
 
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bonita69

Guest
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2511115
Was the water level in the old water storage higher or lower than the sump water?
lower than the hose going into sump, so I think that is my problem. I set up the 1st pic in this drawing, will see after I let Evap take place a little bit in my sump. I will plug her back in and see.....
 
ifirefight

ifirefight

Active Member
Heres how I fixed mine... The hose going UP is the syphon break...I just used a long enough piece of tubing so the pump couldnt push the water higher than my tubing.
 
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bonita69

Guest
Well that fixed the problem. Works perfect now!
*NOTE* the ATO feed tube MUST BE higher than the holding tank's water level or it will siphon even if the feed tube is above the water level in the sump.
I never knew a siphon could go uphill like that.
 
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