Small Fishroom Construction pics

[ronrca]

My new fishroom under construction. Since we are expecting an addition to the family beginning of May 2004, I must move all the fish stuff downstairs to make room for the baby. To see the ‘fish stuff’ check out http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=28496
My wife had already agreed on giving up a bedroom downstairs dedicated to my fish.

So, here it goes! ;D

Entrance to the fishroom. Ive already started construction by installing the artificial turf and a 2” drain pipe around the perimeter of the room. You can also see the T’s for stand pipes allowing for lots of drainage access. To the right of the doorway is the bathroom door. Btw, this artificial turf is great for a basement. I didnt want to be walking on cold concrete so decide on the turf. It is inexpensive and when 'accidents' happen, it drys out in no time.

[ronrca]

Close up of the 2” drain pipe. You can see the pipe strapped to the wall.

[ronrca]

Pic of the closet and where the drain pipe enters the room. Directly behind the wall is the bathroom which is really convenient to run water/drain pipes from. To the right is the entrance into the fishroom that is seen in pic#1.

[ronrca]

This is in the bathroom closet. Where the pipe enters the wall (left side) goes into the fishroom in the above pic. The right side is connecting to the bathtub drain. I had to reduce the 2” pipe to 1 ½”.

[ronrca]

Again, a pic of the entrance into the fishroom but a little further away. Looking into the fishroom you can see the water storage container. Excellent container only taking up 32” of floor space however it is very tall, I think around 80”+. However, as you can see, I could not fit the container though the doorway. So I cut an entrance in the wall. I guess I will never again place doorways in hallways. LOL!

[ronrca]

Water storage tank holds 250US Gallons.

[ronrca]

Reverse view of pic#1 – looking out from the fishroom. The storage tank almost fit standing upright but was ½” or so too tall! O well, some drywall and mud will take care of the hole. I'm actually just going to put some painted hardboard over the hole since I may need the entrance when I move sometime!

[ronrca]

So now Ive ran the water line to the water storage tank as seen upper right corner and also ran the fill pipes shown half way up the wall. I use bowpex to run the tap water and you see 2 valves on the bowpex, 1 for hot, 1 for cold. This is how I mix the water to get the temp. Plumbing is completed to the storage tank. Why so many pipes? LOL! A couple of reasons. Lets start with the bulkhead on the storage tank. Valve placed to insolate the storage tank if any repairs needed for the pump or changes to the fill system. Then it Ts with 1 pipe going straight up bypassing the pump. This is because I want to utilize gravity (red arrow) to fill my sumps and rather than flowing thru the pump, it bypasses it. Or I can turn the valves and start the pump up (green arrow). The angled pipe (blue arrow) goes directly to the drain if I need to drain the storage tank. The pipe goes up (upper left corner) is for when the pump is running. Since it is a pretty good sized pump that could create a lot of pressure, when all the valves are closed that fill the sumps, the water will circulate (yellow arrow) back into the storage tank. I like control therefore I put lots of valves in. LOL!

[ronrca]

Again the water storage tank this time connected to the tap water. Inside the tank is a compact ball cock which has been mentioned before. Works great! Ive also put an overflow on top and in the center of the tank is another valve that doesn’t connect to anything. Why? Since the tank is so tall, it’s a pain to climb on top, open the tank (it has a really nice lid that screws on! Well actually 2 lids, one small 6-8” inside a 24” lid). I needed a way to get some water to test the parameters. The tank is sitting on 1” Styrofoam btw. You can also see a mess of extension cords because the electrical has not been run yet hence the empty surface mount receptacle boxes.

[ronrca]

We jump ahead and the racks have been setup for the 65G, the plumbing is setup and electrical is done. This is shot of the back of the rack showing the fill pipe (green), drain pipe (light blue), circulation thru the tank (red) and overflow (dark blue) setup. Again, note all the valves. Its not quite connected how I wanted and will be changing it. The valve from the pump (clouded in yellow) should actually be located above the drain (light blue) pipe so I don’t have to adjust it every time I drain the sump (it drains much slower than if fully opened). The filter as you can see is homemade and have replaced it with a improved version seen later on. This filter is mechanical only, filtering the water as it overflows from the tank. The overflow pipe is 1” pipe and the little pipe beside it is ½” which allows me to drain the tank is need be using the siphon effect. Notice the valve is placed below the tank level.

[ronrca]

The overall setup but only 1 65G. Now you see the bio filter near the ceiling. The angled pipe seen is the pipe with the red arrow in the previous pic. The pump brings up the water into the bio filter and exits the filter thru the front. The water then travels down the clear pipe into the tank. At the bottom of the clear pipe I have a V cut so I can direct the water flow anywhere in the tank to ‘sweep’ everything towards the overflow located on the opposite side of the tank, again a clear pipe, having not to use a python to vacuum. This clear pipe is actually fluorescent guard tubing which you can buy in 12’ lengths pretty cheap. Beside the overflow you can see the ½” pipe that can siphon all the water from the tank. The blue container is the 45G sump which all the heaters and pump.

[ronrca]

Both 65Gs are up and running. Electrical has been complete.

[ronrca]

The second 65G or the right side. There is a hang on filter on this one because I had to take down the 30G Qt but I still want to keep the bio alive.

[ronrca]

A pic of both bio towers!

[ronrca]

This is the second 65G setup. The plumbing is setup properly with the valve placed above the drain pipe. Now I can drain the sump without sacrificing the pump power and not having to adjust the valve. The connector to the valve can be seen at the very top of the pic. Also seen is the improved version of the mechanical filter. I made it out of plexi. I had to put a cover on since it would splash a lot and I mean a lot. Over 12-20hours, around 10G can splash out!

[ronrca]

What needs to be done next is setting up the mini rack for breeding, the RO and RO barrels. I also plan on getting some 1” float valves to put on the fill valves since Ive already flooded the fishroom by forgetting to close a fill valve. My wife was not happy! Eventually I'm going to automate the wc’s using solenoid valves, limit switches, etc.

I should perhaps expand on the electrical setup. Since there are a quite few heaters and pumps, I installed a 6 circuit subpanel in the closet. I ran split circuit receptacles for the pumps and heaters for the racks allowing me to switch only the pumps off from a main switch panel but still have the heaters powered all the time. This main pump switch allows to me turn off all the pumps running on the racks in case of emergency or at feeding time. The lighting is on its on circuit also switched from the main switch panel. This lighting is only for viewing and as seen in the pics above, installed directly above the tanks. There is a main room light with a photocell that is on 24hours a day except during the day when there is enough ambient light from outside. This light is not on the subpanel though. The water storage tank is also has its own split circuit. The main pump, AmpMaster, is on one split receptacle and again can be controlled from the main switch panel. The other side of the split receptacle has the heaters and air pump plus provision for an exhaust fan. This circuit is not switched.

So, finally Ive managed to get it setup partly and the rest will have to wait until after the baby room has been renovated and we get settled in with the little guy.

I hope this will give some ideas and I also hope the there are some suggestions on how to improve. ;)

[CanadianGuy]

Looks great Ron! I know who to turn to when I get lost building my system. ;D

I'd like to use your system to drain the tanks, but for filling I'm just going to rely on a hose and a pump. It's a little more work that way, but I don't want things to get too complicated. I'll have enough going on anyways!

P.S. I love the idea of an escape hatch in the fishroom! ;D

[Jason]

:thumbsup: Looks tottaly awesome Ron!

I went with abs all around the room for drains aswell, whered you get the 250g storage tank from? I can't find one like that, I had to cut the tops of mine to fit them downstairs >:( >:( >:( >:(

[ronrca]

Thanks Jason! ;) I do hope to see some of your fish in the room sooner than later! ;D

Devin aka shorthair I must thank graciously for the tank! ;D Its made by norwesco. http://www.norwesco.com/

[Jason]

Thanks Ron, got my eye on 2 of their poly tanks ;)

let me know if you need to borrow glass drill bits, got 5 sizes :P

[Multiclone]

Hi Ron,
Good luck with the system I know you have done a lot of homework preparing for this. How many tanks will you have when finished? One of the best things we did was when painting the walls we added a mold killer, works like a dream. I noticed you have lids on your tanks, we don't, so your humidity will be a lot less.

Good luck,
Geoff

[ronrca]

Thanks Geoff! When the fishroom is completely setup hopefully in the near future, I will have 2 65G, 1 75G, 1 90G-100G, 3 20G! My wife had suggested painting the walls and I may regret it later. Im hoping that I can keep the humidity down with the dehumidifier and perhaps an exhaust fan to avoid mold problems. So far I have been able to keep the RH under 50%. Tank covers do help a lot! ;)

[KARINA]

amaizing work you have done there Ronrca ;)

[ronrca]

Thanks Karina! I work hard on my fish because I love it! Its like a stress relief! ;D

[Multiclone]

:thumbsup: Keep posting the pics.

Geoff

Stunning fishroom. I like your setup a lot. Please post more photos with details. I'm following ya! :thumbsup:

**Angie**

[discus420]

what are u using for overflows??

[ronrca]

Overflows on my tanks are drilled with 1" and 1/2" bulkheads. ;)

[Smokey]

any new updates , ron[??].

[ronrca]

Finally I have an update! After many months of planning, designing, buying, begging, etc, we (my future brother inlaw and I) started with the automation (fill and drain) of 1 tank. If it works then all my tanks will be automated. We are still currently working on the wiring and logistics. Hopefully I'll have some pics and explanations near the end of the week!

Ive attached a pic of 1 of the most important components being utilized in the automation, electrically operated solenoid water. These valves are used for sprinkler systems and are fairly cheap (around $20cdn). The only draw back being that these valves require pressure to operate. This is why I am using the Ampmaster pump. I have been using this valve 'manually' now for around 2 months. Manually meaning that when I need to open the valve I plug it into the transformer to open/close! O yes, they operate on 24VDC.

[ronrca]

Some more pics to update the automation process. We are not quite done as the sensors have to be redone. This pic is of the sensors. Very simple technique being used. Im using titantium rods that are also used as grounding probes in saltwater tanks.

The short rod on the right is the high water level sensor. The middle rod is ground and the one on the left is the low water level sensor. The way it works is the same technique used in the Aquatec Tank Level Controller (TLC) for RO systems (http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=38410).

[ronrca]

Both Solenoid valves connected to the power supply and ready to be used. You will notice that I still have the ball valves. I think they are still necessary for back up and if the solenoids require replacing/maintaince.

[ronrca]

The wiring for the solenoid valves and sensors.

[ronrca]

Thats it for now! Hope to have more soon!

[ronrca]

Well, its been awhile since I had a chance to post an update. I have not been able to work too much on my fishroom setup however did manage to get 1 tank fully automated for my trial. I have been using this PLC for at least 6 months now. I just need to buy more float switches now to get the other tanks fully automated.

Here is a pic of the beast that runs my wc's. Its a Siemens PLC and works absolutly fabulous. Underneath is the battery backup and the switches that manually control all the pumps and lights. The push button is used to start the wc's.

[ronrca]

Here's a quick pic of the float switches that I am using. I will try to get a pic of them installed as low and high lvl. The operation is very simple as it functions like a float valve however instead of actually closing a valve, it sends a signal to the PLC. I bought them thru omega.ca and they are not too expensive.

[ronrca]

Here is a quick pic of the 2 65s that are running. O, btw, I have my own digital camera now so taking pics will be much easier.

[Moon]

Ron
Can you post a schematic diagram of your control system?

[john2gs]

Nice Set-up bro Ronrca!

and yeah...pls show us the schematic diagram of your set-up! :)

[Barb Newell]

AMAZING RON!!! If you ever want to visit :D ..... LOL I'd like my fishrooms like that!

Joe... Ive got some nice black veil babies available.

Barb

[ronrca]

Thanks! I hope to slowly continue building however Im already cramped for space! :(

I dont have a PLC schematic diagram.........yet! I'll try to get one done. I do have a fishroom schematic, block and wiring diagrams for the plc though.

[ronrca]

A simple block or one line diagram of the connection to the plc, valves and pumps.

[ronrca]

And a very simply wiring diagram for the plc. Im not sure entirely sure if I labelled the inputs and outputs connectly. To be honest, I check starting wiring and terminating. I also had the help from my brother inlaw to write the program since I learned many years ago on the Allen Bradlys PLC rather than Siemens. That saved me alot of research, studying and a whole lot of time.

[Ax]

Great job, nice diagrams.

:thumbsup:

[Moon]

THanks Ron, very nicely done

[shyvtguy]

Wow!!! Amazing fishroom. Thanks for sharing! Ron, how's your baby?

[ppv1951]

amazing work ron!

pat.

[ronrca]

Thx! My munchin is great! Absolutely wonderful. I just returned from a week of vacation with my family. I just loved being with them all day. I think I want to retire really soon. Here is a pic btw. Its already 3 months ago though.

The work continues however. I still want to fully automate the second tank plus setup the breeding rack and get some fry going. Winter is coming!

[ronrca]

My ever evolving fishroom now has RO! :D
A little crud for now as I need to find the right tap/RO mix still.

The setup includes 4 prefilters - 5micron, 1micron, 2 carbon blocks. I have 2 100gpd membranes in parallel which Im thinking isnt that great of an idea as my pressure (90psi) is split into 2 and is really lowering the output. I also have a GAC on the output.

[RandalB]

Ron,
Can you get a pressure reading on the membrane end? It looks like things are set up properly i'd have fed the 2nd membrane from the waste end of the first personally, but what you have looks OK.

What's the prefilter sizes? I see 2x 1 Micron Carbons but can't tell from the sediments..

RandalB

[Mughal]

Ron,

instead of using a sprinkler system control valve to automate the WC's, I use a "floater." They are what opens the valve in the back of your toilet when you flush it. It works by opening the valve when the water level is too low. I put this in the "standard tank" and have overflows built together into one sump. There is no water pressure requirement, and will shut off automatically everytime (think about how many times your toilet has been used). Toilets are pretty much flawless on the fill.

To drain the water, you can use the time-set automation devices for the sprinklers, they break quite abit, so I use a timer in-line with pressure-close valve. The timer itself opens at a certain time, and closes after a certain interval of time (you'll have to measure your own set time) The pressure-valve closes if the pressure on the timer side drops below a certain pressure (I got mine at Home depot). Anyhow I hope my advice is helpful.

ps: I'd also have another valve in parallel with the "timer and presure control" valves. This way if I want to do a manual WC, I can without reprogramming the timer, and I can still do WC's when my power is off.

[ronrca]

Thanks Randal! I should get a pressure reading between the output of the membrane and the GAC?

If I use the second membrane after the first, would that not be overkill? I would perhaps get even purer water. What I was hoping to do was use 2 100gpd membranes in parallel to get 200gpd. Guess thats not how it works unless I up the pressure to 180psi to get 90psi at each membrane (which isnt possible). I may just do like you mentioned if I cant get the output as hoped for anyways.

The sediments are 5micron then 1 micron before the 2 carbons.

Thanks Randal

[ronrca]

Mughal, do you have a pic I can see?
Thanks

[Mughal]

I'll try and get some pics, It's all covered up because its all finished, but I can try to take some pics after I clean up the various wires that clutter the space underneath my tanks...I don't have a central heating system for the tanks, and I don't have central air either...this makes for a mess bytheway (I'm sure you thought ahead on that)

[ronrca]

Thanks Ben! Im just curious how your are using it or how you have it connected. The filling part is not a problem actually, its the draining as these valves require pressure. Of course, pressure and flow are directly related.

Randal, I measured the psi just ahead of each membrane and both were around 90psi which is great. According to the calcs, I should be able to get 120gpd for each membrane. However, output is very low. The only thing I can perhaps think of now are the membranes themselves are no good. They are both new though. Do membranes have a shelf life? I had these membranes for around 3 years still in the sealed package.

[Mr. Limpet]

Ron,
With the two RO's in parrallel, the pressure is the same across both of them.
It should give you 100GPD each. I think Randal was suggesting running the second unit off the waste water line of the first. This should still give you full pressure across each. It is only if you put them in series, one after the other that you would divide the pressure and the division would depend on how clean each of the membranes was. I dont think anyone runs them in series, It just doesn't make sense.
Randal, please correst me If I have this wrong, but I am pretty positive on this.
Good Luck, Paul.

[Moon]

Ron
What is the unit on the feed water side of your RO system? Looks like a local pressure pump. Is this how you get the 90 psi? If so where did you get it from? I am on well water and the pressure is 40 psi. I would like to increase it to at Least 60.

[ronrca]

Ron,
I think Randal was suggesting running the second unit off the waste water line of the first.
I see! Not a bad idea. Im going to try connecting only 1 membrane at a time and test the output of each to compare. Im still concerned about the output. Given that it took 11hours to 40G, thats an output of around 90gpd with 2 100gpd membranes. Doesnt make sense given the pressure, temp, tds. I should be able to get at least 200gpd. Grrrrr!

I already tried using separate lines from each membrane output however that made no difference. Each membrane was giving an output of 20G each over 11hours. Help! Is there a way to test the membrane itself somehow. There is a local water store (distiller warehouse) which seems to be good (except prices of course). Perhaps they can test it or something. These membranes were brand new, in the original sealed packaging until a week or 2 ago.


Performance specifications based on, 500 ppm tap water, 65 psi (0.47 MPa) applied pressure, 77°F (25°C) feed water temperature, feed water pH 7-8 and 15% recovery. Element permeate flow may vary ± 15% This is the spec from www.wateranywhere.com/Item/RESTFE.htm. My tap water is 380tds, 90psi, 15C, 7.0ph.


Ron
What is the unit on the feed water side of your RO system? Looks like a local pressure pump. Is this how you get the 90 psi? If so where did you get it from? I am on well water and the pressure is 40 psi. I would like to increase it to at Least 60.
The pump is an Aquatec 8800 that I got from www.wateranywhere.com (http://www.wateranywhere.com). You can also get the same pump from www.airwaterice.com (http://www.airwaterice.com).
Be sure to get the 1/4" JG connections on the pump if possible or 3/8" to 1/4" reducers. Just a little tip from my experience. ;)
(I forgot to mention the 1/4" connections so I had to find some 3/8" to 1/4" reducers locally which turned out to be a pita).

[Moon]

Thanks Ron

[DarkDiscus]

Very cool Ron,

I think you are going to have an awsome fishroom!

I'm most envious!

John

[ronrca]

Thanks John! Im pretty happy with how its turning out except.......the RO. From the testing that Ive done, everything is working except the output of the membranes. Just a little unreasonable that it would take 22 hours to fill 80G. There is 90psi at both membranes. The outputs of the booster pump and right after the prefilters is really good. Once it hits the membranes, output is horrible. I think the next step is contacting the manufactor and seeing what the problem could be. I dont expect any warranty as I bought these around 3 years and who knows how long they were at that time already. They were in the original sealed package but.......


I just got off the phone with the manufactor, applied membranes, and while 3 years shelf life istnt that bad, the preservative should be changed every 6 months otherwise it drys up and clogs the membrane pores. I was recommended to try flushing for an hour. Also, try an acid wash as well. We'll see what happens. If nothing else, I will be buying some membranes from Randal!

[Jason]

very nice Ron!

I wish you told me you were doing this! I have a dozen solenoid valves, 12 event pcl board, 2 pump start relays and a bunch of other stuff I'm not using/needing.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Jason/Ron,

If you guys do any other advanced stuff let me know. Although, I run a Landscaping/Lawncare company now....I still dabble in Control Systems, especially in the Winter. Right now, for the next few weeks before I go to Mexico, I'm helping to rip out an old DCS system to migrate to WonderWare. It's a Canadian Company doing the bulk of the integration. My role is to assist them with what stays, what goes, making sense of archaic drawings (lots of hand over fist in field termination panels...ringing out wires) and making sure the real-time and supervisory control functionality is duplicated accurately on the new system.

ANYWAY, that said....we're interviewing operators, engineers, supervision and making command decisions left and right to eliminate this, elimante that. WHOLE LOT of Instrumentation and Control Hardare is going to just be scrapped. Anything you folks have need of? Transmitters, Valves, Press/Level Switches, i/p's? Let me know, I can seperate some of it out. I can gather the stuff 1st week of March, which is our commissioning and when I return from winter in Mexico.

BTW, this Canadian Company doing the integration is bright. I've worked with more than 7 integrators over the last 15 years on large projects and these folks seem the best prepared.

[Jason]

wow thanks Peter!

I can always use actuated ball, gate, and butterfly valves.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

might find a few pneumatic actuated ones. you probably want motorized. I'll look around.

I could send a few brass ball valves and such, but only if they are filthy and required cleanup. I couldn't in good conscience discard healthy valves, but instead will recommend they move them into their spare parts inventory.

however for the powered stuff, allot of it is one-offs that they have no future use for and don't qualify as replacement spares becuase they don't meet what they've standardized on.

[ronrca]

Thanks Jason and Peter. Wow, if you have some motorized ball valves with a 1" orfice, I love to get my hands on some. We are currently working on 'customizing' the sprinkler valves however its not the easiest thing. Thats pretty much the only 'stumbling block' we have and I cant afford to spend $100s of dollars for 1 valve as I need around 10-12 valves. However, once we get the valve customized, it will be a cheap alternative to the expensive ones. We are also going to be installing temp sensors, sonic level sensors and hopefully nitrate sensors. The PLC also has logging capablities and what is really sweet, a touch screen! :thumbsup: I can do wc's just by touching the tank or valves. Sweet!

Jason, what kind of solenoids do you have btw?

[Jason]

yeah those irrigation walves are a pain in the ***, take too long to drain by gravity or siphon, pump assisting them gets a bit better flow rate, I guess the next alternative is 4 times the cost.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Might be able to get my hands on a few Milltronics Ultrasonic Level Detectors. 0-60" , 4-20mA.I just gave away a few 1" solenoid valves. 120v. I think I even gave away a 1 1/4" with a bunch of PVC fittings I sold.I'll look around. Factories are always throwing stuff away.

[ronrca]

Might be able to get my hands on a few Milltronics Ultrasonic Level Detectors. 0-60" , 4-20mA.I just gave away a few 1" solenoid valves. 120v. I think I even gave away a 1 1/4" with a bunch of PVC fittings I sold.I'll look around. Factories are always throwing stuff away. Sheesh! giving away! :( Factories throwing away! :( Send some my way then! :)

[Havoc321]

Ron
What is the unit on the feed water side of your RO system? Looks like a local pressure pump. Is this how you get the 90 psi? If so where did you get it from? I am on well water and the pressure is 40 psi. I would like to increase it to at Least 60.

Moon,
If you have a "shalow well" pump, not down inside the well, the change to get 60psi is REALLY simple! You can buy a differnt switch for your pump at the hardware store and install it yourself, 3 wires, one line connection and about 4 screws for mounting and cover. Most wells are set-up with a 20/40psa limit switch, just buy the 40/60.

Oh, then on your "wellxtrol" diapharm pressure unit, you'll have to adjust the air pressure to 60.

Kelly

[Moon]

Kelly
Thanks for the tip. I will try it. I tried to adjust the existing switch, but as you said it would go no higher than 40.
Joe

[1977]

Wow, makes the Python look like a toy! That is one high tech system!

[born2lovefish]

I just want to know how you convinced your wife to let you do all that. I'm 18 and my parents told me 2 tanks after we moved to Indy. I have 6 back up right now....

[White Worm]

These posts were from Nov 05.

[ronrca]

I just want to know how you convinced your wife to let you do all that.

Slowly, gently, convincing and lots of sacrifices! :p Actually, Im not entirely sure but it all started with 1 tank :D

Ive done a few updates, changes and additions that I'll have to update soon. Im kind of in limbo land atm due to other engagements.

[RyanGSP]

SWEET room. Where did you buy the discus from? looks like you got a good selesction.

[ronrca]

Minor update on progress. Last week I received 2x 150gpd systems plus some spare filters. Now I should be able to fill my 250G storage day everyday.

Now to find time to install them............:p

Btw, I bought from Walter and Dianne at Air, Water and Ice.
Highly recommend, excellent service, very knowledgable and understanding of your addiction requirements plus price is very reasonable and tough to beat anywhere else. ;)

Thank you Walter and Dianne!

Now I hope my brother inlaw can hurry up with completing the automation. 1 tank is completly automated and running great for the last 10 months.

[Ed13]

Minor update on progress. Last week I received 2x 150gpd systems plus some spare filters. Now I should be able to fill my 250G storage day everyday.

Which models? Looks like a lot of equipment!


Btw, I bought from Walter and Dianne at Air, Water and Ice.
Highly recommend, excellent service, very knowledgable and understanding of your addiction requirements plus price is very reasonable and tough to beat anywhere else. ;)

Good to hear that!



Now I hope my brother inlaw can hurry up with completing the automation. 1 tank is completly automated and running great for the last 10 months
I've read the thread a dozen times and I missed how you solved the irrigation valve needing preassure problem. Any pics? descriptions?:)
Thanks

[CAGE-RATTLER]

Thats alot of spare filters!!
How often did they say they needed changed??

[ronrca]

The 2 ro models are eskimo's. The box says 200gpd if I were to use 2x 100gpd membranes however the 75gpd give a better rejection rate so Im using 2x 75gpd instead.

We had to modify the valve using a threaded shaft, small 12VDC motor and a timer to open/close the valve. Its been tested but not installed yet. I hope that it will be installed soon. Then I'll take some pics.

Not all the spare are mine actually, most of them though. The carbons last 9000g and seds are changed when needed. I find that Im changing 10micron seds every 6 months and 1microns every year. Carbons I change every 6 months although I may need to change them more often if Im filling my storage tank everyday but that remains to be seen yet. I basiclly have enough spares to last 2-3 years.

[Ed13]

We had to modify the valve using a threaded shaft, small 12VDC motor and a timer to open/close the valve. Its been tested but not installed yet. I hope that it will be installed soon. Then I'll take some pics.


Very interesting, I'm sure many will appreciate how you did this, please take a lot of photos. These are cheap valves that could very well, make hour water changes way easier!

[dishpanhands]

We had to modify the valve using a threaded shaft, small 12VDC motor and a timer to open/close the valve. Its been tested but not installed yet. I hope that it will be installed soon. Then I'll take some pics.
I wouldn't use a timer to fill my RO tank it will always need to be adjusted on the fill time. the older a membrane in your RO gets the longer it will take to fill the tank.
I would get a float switch that way it doesn't matter how long it takes to fill it will fill up and shut off.
I use the float switch and the 24 volt valve here.
http://www.jehmco.com/PRODUCTS_/HARDWARE_/Float_Valves___Switches/float_valves___switches.html
you will have to get a 24 volt transformer and a 24 volt relay but it works great. the switch can't handle the valve is why you have to use the relay to turn the valve on and off.

[ronrca]

I wouldn't use a timer to fill my RO tank it will always need to be adjusted on the fill time. the older a membrane in your RO gets the longer it will take to fill the tank.
I would get a float switch that way it doesn't matter how long it takes to fill it will fill up and shut off.
I use the float switch and the 24 volt valve here.
http://www.jehmco.com/PRODUCTS_/HARDWARE_/Float_Valves___Switches/float_valves___switches.html
you will have to get a 24 volt transformer and a 24 volt relay but it works great. the switch can't handle the valve is why you have to use the relay to turn the valve on and off.
lol! The timer isnt intended for filling storage tanks. The timer is used to open the sprinkler valve which are installed on the drain of the tanks. As sprinkler valves require pressure to operate, we had to rethink and modify the valve to get around the pressure issue hence my last post. The timer would turn on the small motor which turns the threaded shaft and opens the valve. This would provide unrestricted flow and no minimum pressure differential to operate.
For filling my ro, I like the Tank Level Controller TLC900 by Aquatec. ;)

[disvegas]

Can't agree more with Ed13. Pictures help greatly.

Collin,

[Ed13]

Can't agree more with Ed13. Pictures help greatly.

Collin,
Yup, I'm still confused! but I trust Ron won't let us hanging for long!;) :)

[ronrca]

Yup, I'm still confused! but I trust Ron won't let us hanging for long!;) :)
lol! I'll try to get a pic soon then. As I mentioned before, we have not installed it yet in the fishroom however the valve has been constructed.

Here is an update on the RO which is now installed and works great! :D Filled 220G in less than 24 hours. Still need to 'tidy' up the hoses but I was in too much of a hurry to get them installed.

[ronrca]

Another update on the evolving plumbing setup as the previous pics are a little outdated.

Ive color coded and numbered the pipes for easier reference.
Red - 'new' water being pumped in from the storage tanks
Green - water from the sump being pumped up to the bio filter and drain
Blue - overflow from tank to sump
Magenta - Filter overflow if required

1 - This pipe comes from the 250G storage tank
2 - Pipe that comes from the 80G storage tanks (2x 40Gs in the closet)
Each has its own ball valve and tee together to a solenoid valve (Solenoid is a little difficult to see) and enter the sump.

3 - Pipe connected to the Mag950 inside the sump
4 - goes to the bio filter
5 - when the ball valve/solenoid opens, the sump will drain using the mag950 pump.

6 - 1" overflow from the tank
7 - 1/2" siphon drain for draining the tank and doing large wc's.
Both these pipes flow into a the mechanical filter which is easily cleaned daily.

8 - pipe connected to the biofilter in case it starts to overflow.

[ronrca]

Small update:
The upstairs shower had to be changed out due to leaking when it was turned off. Must of been a seal or something inside that didnt allow it to be completely turned off so I had to replace it. This gave me a great idea. Why not use it in the fishroom? :D This particular shower kit is a constant temperature unit and we had it for years. It was really nice because if someone would use water anywhere in the house while you were showering, the temperature didnt change, just the pressure. So here it is in its new application!

I also installed a thermometer and pressure gauge. The bowpex is running to the ro units which is a bonus as well. Rather than trying to heat 15C/59F water, I have it set at 30C/86F so the heaters dont heat as much anymore.

[ronrca]

Another toy I found that I installed on the 250G storage tank. Setup is really easy and so far works great. The only thing Id try order different is a more accurate scale for the TDS as now you need to multiply it by 10x so if my water is around 85ppm, the meter would read 8 or 9. I do like browsing hydroponics websites though.

For more info and if anyone is interested in buying:
http://www.betterthannature.com/catalog/default.php/cPath/14?BTN_ID=359aec52e2787f9a6409eb0372387f49