Jhhnn
10-05-2009, 12:37 AM
http://s908.photobucket.com/albums/ac286/Jhhnn/
I've promised to post this for awhile now. The pics alone are probably about as clear as mud, so I'll explain how it works.
To start the cycle, I turn off the filters in the pictured 120gal tank and in the 75gal tank, which is not pictured. Each tank has a powerhead suction cupped in place that starts the siphon to the standpipe and drain in the cellar, also hand siphons to suck up the poop. This tubing and the fill tubing are permanently in place. I start the drain siphon pumps, siphon off the poop, shut off the pumps when they start to suck air, pull out the hand siphons at the same time. When the siphons quit, stop slurping, I go to the cellar, check the barrel temperature, and toggle on the aquarium fill pumps. I let them run until the aquariums are refilled. Overfilling is impossible, because the aquariums were drained by an amount that matched the capacity of the barrels. The pumps cavitate but never run dry, because they're holding up a column of water. I return to the cellar, toggle off the pumps, add prime. I then toggle on the barrel fill valve, push the fill start switch. The valve operates until the float switch turns it off. If that were to fail, there's a float valve set at a slightly higher level to stop the fill cycle as well. The heaters and small powerhead circulation pump have been off, and turn on when the float switch is satisfied. The barrel fill cycle "pulls in" on the start button and "locks in" on the float switch, so once it turns off, it stays off, allowing the toggle sw to remain in the barrel fill position... which is also the heater on position...
It's expandable- the float sw just needs to be on the far end of the barrel chain away from the fill pipe. The circulation pump flow would need to be altered as well. It keeps all the barrels at the same temperature, but is only there because I insist on adding water conditioner first, then filling from the tap... The tops of the barrels are usually covered in a double layer of bubble wrap.
Planned refinements include a water alarm, toggle switch guard, and check valves on the water lines leading to the fill valve.
I may add a couple of pics for clarity, edit the pic captions and this post for the same reason. I apologize for posting the link last night and then the rest of the post this morning... mea culpa.
I've promised to post this for awhile now. The pics alone are probably about as clear as mud, so I'll explain how it works.
To start the cycle, I turn off the filters in the pictured 120gal tank and in the 75gal tank, which is not pictured. Each tank has a powerhead suction cupped in place that starts the siphon to the standpipe and drain in the cellar, also hand siphons to suck up the poop. This tubing and the fill tubing are permanently in place. I start the drain siphon pumps, siphon off the poop, shut off the pumps when they start to suck air, pull out the hand siphons at the same time. When the siphons quit, stop slurping, I go to the cellar, check the barrel temperature, and toggle on the aquarium fill pumps. I let them run until the aquariums are refilled. Overfilling is impossible, because the aquariums were drained by an amount that matched the capacity of the barrels. The pumps cavitate but never run dry, because they're holding up a column of water. I return to the cellar, toggle off the pumps, add prime. I then toggle on the barrel fill valve, push the fill start switch. The valve operates until the float switch turns it off. If that were to fail, there's a float valve set at a slightly higher level to stop the fill cycle as well. The heaters and small powerhead circulation pump have been off, and turn on when the float switch is satisfied. The barrel fill cycle "pulls in" on the start button and "locks in" on the float switch, so once it turns off, it stays off, allowing the toggle sw to remain in the barrel fill position... which is also the heater on position...
It's expandable- the float sw just needs to be on the far end of the barrel chain away from the fill pipe. The circulation pump flow would need to be altered as well. It keeps all the barrels at the same temperature, but is only there because I insist on adding water conditioner first, then filling from the tap... The tops of the barrels are usually covered in a double layer of bubble wrap.
Planned refinements include a water alarm, toggle switch guard, and check valves on the water lines leading to the fill valve.
I may add a couple of pics for clarity, edit the pic captions and this post for the same reason. I apologize for posting the link last night and then the rest of the post this morning... mea culpa.