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Assuming you were given the task of putting together a water changing system how would you answer the following questions:
- Were would I find plans or examples online?
- Which system is the safest and provides the least amount of problems? (Drip, Overflow or Drain and Fill)
- If there was one thing I could do, make or buy that would make all the world of difference what would it be?
Thanks in advance...
-Cesar
I have found that Dave C (at this site) has a great overview on these systems. I have not hooked one up myself but I think that when I do I will follow Dave's advice.
http://members.shaw.ca/dclubine/master.htm
Here’s my plan, haven't built it yet but its in the planning stage. I tried to get the best of a "Drip" system and a "Drain and fill" system. I'll try to explain why I like this plan. The problem I hear from those who use a drip system is that the water isn't as clear as the normal change and refill systems. I can understand why, the water is always being turned over and doesn't have time to age before being used. My plan is to have a aging reservoir large enough to hold two days worth of water from my input RO/tap about 150 gallons. This would be heated and oxygenated. That’s why I though using the tank on the right as a mixing tank to add RO and tap heat it and hold it. Now I didn't want to mess with figuring out how to stop the RO and the Tap when the aging tank is full so I included an overflow that would drain into the sump. This way if I'm now there to do water changes every day, the system would switch from a drain and fill system into a drip system. My plan is use the Red tank to drain water into, when I do water changes, and act as a overflow. I don't have a drain close by so I thought a sump pump would be a great way to automatically get rid of the waste water.
So here’s my daily plan for the tanks. Use a siphon to clean the tanks. The waste water would go into the red tank to be pumped off when it’s full. I’d refill with the manual refill valve under the green tank. If I’m not around to do the draining and refill then when the green tank is full it would start dripping into the sump. I would have the heaters in the sump and in the water supply tank.
Rick ... great layout.. It should work very well.
Cesar ... The drain and fill is proberly the "safest", however you have to be present . Presently all my systems are drain and fill.. with a sump and the tanks are drilled for FLOW THROUGH WATER. once I have more space ( I am moving to a larger house) ( just for the discus; wow does that sound obsevisive), I will incorperate a large storage barrel and let the water from the resivour drip into the system .
At the moment I am designing a hot water exchange system, to eliminate the electonic heaters. Actually quite simple.
What every system you deceide to use.. keep the water off the floor!!!
Smokey