PDA

View Full Version : Drip Water Changing System



TomKoi
03-02-2009, 04:48 PM
Hello Guys,

This is my first time posting. I'm looking to add an automatic drip water changing system to my 125 gallon tank. In my case, do to space limitations, I was planning a drip system using a tank overflow pipe. I just wanted to get some recommendations. One of the issues I have is that any water which overflows the tank will have to be collected in a sump and pumped to a laundry sink. I plan on tapping the fresh water supply, installing some in-line sediment/carbon filters to remove sediment before trickling the water into the tank. One of my areas of concern is if there is a power outage or the sump pump malfunctions, I need to turn off the fresh water supply otherwise the sump will soon flood. I was thinking of installing a solenoid valve in the fresh water supply that would close on either loss of power or high level in the sump. Is there any specific equipment you would recommend. Would I need some sort of level controller, or relays that would activate the solenoid valve/pump. I don't mind paying a little extra for quality. Also, what type of float switches for the sump and what sump pump would you recommend. Lastly, what type of trickle emmitters are recommended. Should I just buy the solenoid valve and trickle emmitters from a outdoor water irrigation system, or is there something better. I would appreciate any insights you could offer. Thanks.

Chad Hughes
03-02-2009, 05:02 PM
If there is no way that you can plumb your waste line to your house drain, then you could go with a sump pump and a high level control. Just about every sump pump comes with it's own float for detecting high levels of water.Probably adjustable as well. As for your feed line, how is it plumbed? If you are using 3/4" PVC, you could get an in line sprinkler valve (home depot), a transformer (home depot) and a high level normall closed float switch (i get them off Ebay). Basically the system would always be on. In the event that a high level of water is detected in your sump, the normally closed float switch would open, closing the valve and shutting off your water supply. It would work the same way for a power failure. Since there is no power available to keep the valve open, it would automatically close. There is one draw back. I am not sure how sprinkler valves are rated for continuous use. With the valve being powered open, it may fail faster that using it intermittently as one would do with a lawn sprinkler. They are off much more than they are on.

Hope this helps! This is probably just one of many ways you could achieve this.

Best wishes!

doc3toes
03-11-2009, 02:19 AM
i drilled my sump, 1" from the top and put in a bulk head. so if i have a power outage and the sump cant handle the volume, it goes straight out the wall into the driveway. in my other sumpless system with trickle filler, the tank is drilled through the bottom and a threaded pipe sets the water level so it cant overfill. no flooding

Roxanne
03-31-2009, 04:47 PM
....What about Ibanez Mike's drip system...

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=68325