Water Storage: Keep your Float Valves..

[RandalB]

Hi all,
I recently broke down and setup a water storage barrel in my under construction upstairs bathroom (it will go in a closet later..) I got tired of waiting hours for the RO unit to fill tanks and I hate carrying 5 gallon buckets upstairs.

I use a 150 GPD RO unit with a 160 PSI booster and I have a 10 Gallon storage tank under the sink to supply the family with drinking water. I used to use the 10 Gallon tank to provide water for my discus pairs. I also use a Permiate pump to provide increased pressure to the output line as I ran it up the wet wall to the second floor after dropping a 5 gallon bucket down the stairs (BIIIIIGGG Mess!). The RO unit under the sink is controlled by an 80 PSI pressure switch because of the 10 gallon pressure tank and is also equipped with a shut-off solenoid. My big concern was water leakage and reliability. I've heard lots of horror stories about float valves failing and causing floods. In a basement, it may be no big deal, but in an upstairs bathroom, leakage could do some major drywall damage below. I do have a real nice high quality float valve that I sell (Stainless steel fittings and 100PSI rating!) but I just couldn't bring myself to use one in this application.

The Solution? The Aquatec TLC 900 Tank Level Controller. I've sold a bunch of these over the years but I've never used one personally until now. I can't say enough good things about this sucker. Works like a charm, is fail safe and is easy as heck to install.

Without further Ado Here's the pics:

RandalB

[RandalB]

Here's a shot of the barrel itself and the bathroom under construction:

You can see the vent fan I haven't gotten around to installing yet supporting my Tank Fill hose...

The Extra "T" and Ball valve is for connecting to a faucet so I can mix tap.

[RandalB]

The TLC is easily installed and only requires 3 small holes to be drilled through the side of the plastic tank.

As you can see in this pic, I used a 1/4" John Guest Bulkhead with a 90 degree elbow to attach the product water hose and allow the tank to be filled with no leaks.

The 3 Bolts with the wires attached are the Stainless Steel Sensors that the TLC uses to control the water level. The Red Wire is the shutdown sensor, the Green the startup sensor and the Black is the ground. The TLC is also designed to control a 6800 or 8800 Booster pump.

[RandalB]

Here's a closeup of the TLC. Note the Sensor connection and the two black wires at the bottom, they are the Booster Control and power connectors.

The TLC comes with John Guest Fittings which makes installation even easier.

[RandalB]

Here's a shot of the Transformer that comes with the TLC. It's the same 24VAC 2 Amp Transformer that the 6800 and 8800 Boosters use, so If you have the booster already you don't need a second.

The 24 VAC level is for safety near water. It's still a good idea to plug it into a GFI outlet tho...

[RandalB]

Here's the inside of the barrel.

I placed a ball valve and another elbow inside (bottom of the pic..) with a length of green tube. This allows me to direct the water flow in order to reduce water noise when filling. (Bathroom is next to the bedroom and hearing water dripping drives me batty..)

Also inside the barrel is a powerhead (bottom right) with another length of green tube that connects to an air pump. On the left is a mag 7 for water transport and in the middle, a Marineland dual temp 300W heater I had laying around.

[Jean]

Common Randal... get this thread done; can't wait forever

Nice work from what I see and a great idea~!

The Weenie ;D 8)

[RandalB]

That's about it,
The whole job required 4 holes to be drilled in the tank and took about 15 minutes to complete.

A few things about the TLC:

It's failsafe, if the unit fails, it Shuts down. If the power goes out, it shuts down.

It's only for atmospheric (unpressurized) Tanks made of non-conductive material like plastic.

It's not for use with DI water unless reconstituted. (The Sensing threshold is 3 PPM)

The Sensors come with self-sealing gaskets.

The sensor wires can be exended allowing the unit to be used as an RO unit shut-off.

The TLC carries a 1 year warranty.

2 of them can be used on a tank for the perfect RO/Tap mix...

It's just a nice piece of equipment and I can now sleep at night without worrying about dropping the downstairs ceiling....

Feel Free to ask any questions you might have...
RandalB

[Amadhunter]

That's a great looking setup! I can't even count the times I've had minor spills, and one major overflow. Flooded the fishroom and my boys bedroom.
The small float valve leaked, on both sides. So I abandoned it, and now just sit and wait for my barrel to fill.
Randal, do you seel the components needed to build that setup? If so, how much?

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

I bought that exact same one from a local dealer for $45. It included everything you needed (minus the drill bit for the holes). I have had it for almost 6 months now and has worked flawlessly. I love it!


-Ryan

[RandalB]

My Kit goes for about the same, including the fittings and transformer. Drop $10.00 if you already have a booster...

Ryan,
Great little thing ain't it....

RandalB

[oodi]

Randal,

Any suggestions for a setup with mulitiple storage barrels?

Judi

[RandalB]

Same room or different rooms Oodi?

RandalB

[oodi]

Same room... 4 barrels, and WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too many accidents!! :-[

Judi

[RandalB]

Link them together with PVC. Either by bulkhead or with Siphons made out of PVC. Put the Level Controller on the end barrel and make sure to set the top sensor at a point where the others won't overflow...

RandalB