DIY water changer

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Pavo71

got moonshine?
Sep 22, 2009
149
0
0
53
St Louis MO
Here is the parts and diagrams for a auto water change system.
This system when left on will keep your tank topped off when water evaporates or if your tank leaks a little. You have been warned.

Parts list:
MICRO SWITCH IS MULTICOMP M141T02-AC0303D $0.63 AT NEWARK.COM

RELAY IS POTTER & BRUMFIELD KRPA-11AG-120 $11.57 AT NEWARK.COM
RELAY SOCKET POTTER & BRUMFIELD 27E122 $4.68 AT NEWARK.COM

START BUTTON IS TYCO ELECTRONICS MSPF-101C $5.41 AT NEWARK.COM

SOLENOID VALVES CAN BE HAD NEW ON EBAY FOR AROUND $30.
MUST BE NORMALLY CLOSED AND 110VAC - 120VAC

SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS, YOU GUYS KNOW HOW TO FIND THESE, IT'S AQUARIA CENTRAL!
MUST BE 110-120V AND UNDER 10A CURRENT DRAW.

And now for the diagrams:

legend.jpg float switch.jpg no pump system.jpg no pump circut.jpg pump system.jpg pump circuit.jpg
 
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foolishfish

Registered Fish Offender
Dec 10, 2008
290
1
18
Where the wild things are
The dechlor is the sticky wicket 'cuz chloramine doesn't evaporate off like regular free chlorine. That's one of the reasons that the water treatment folks use it, it lasts longer. To get rid of it you have to break the chemical bond between the chlorine and the ammonia that is used to prepare the chloramine. Once that bond is broken you then have the ammonia issue to deal with, so you have to use a dechlor product that does it all or else have another way of dealing with the ammonia.

How about a bog garden sitting above the elevation of the tank so that you could just let gravity do the dripping after your water is degassed by the biological filter You could use a cheapo digital sprinkler timer (battery operated ones run all summer on a pair of AA's) to fill the bog and let the timer control the filling of your bog. Install an over flow just in case the pressure changes and you get more than you bargained for. The higher pressure fill line from the timer to the garden vessel can be fitted with a liquid fertilizer Bernoulli effect uptake that you could add a liquid dechlor through.

The garden vessel could be anything from a drilled spare tank to a peach crate with an EPDM liner, depending on your tank size. You need about 6" of washed gravel and some plants (Gunner has been modding AC filters to grow Pothos plants as a denite filter with very positive results).

The bog could be set directly on top of the tank or off to one side or even in a different room I suppose, but it needs to be above your tank. The outflow from the garden could then be regulated by some Walmart drip emitter valves.

I know that the bog works because we use them to filter our Koi ponds, and Koi are right up there with Trinidad Plecos when it comes to generating fish poo.

The 4 zone timer was $20 at Costco / Price Club, emitters are about a buck at Walmart, along with the feeder intake and a filter - another $3-5. A large pot of Pothos at H.D. or Lowes house plant dept. would run around $10 and the rest is gravel and whatever you decide upon for a shallow vessel.

Seems that it should work great 'cuz you're off of the grid - only dependent on the sun, water pressure, gravity and a couple of AA batteries - plus you get the added advantage of the house plants making oxygen for your fish room and there's nothing to buy but dechlor and a pair of batteries every 4-5 months. The whole thing might cost $50 if you had to buy the gravel, lines, vessel, etc.

Use an old toilet tank (the older ones hold as much as 10-12 gallons). Install the dechlor feeder on the supply line, plug the hole where the flapper is with a piece of acrylic and some silicone and use the tank bolt holes to silicone in some rubber stoppers to hold your drip hoses. Already has a float valve so you wouldn't need the timer. Drop a heater in and you're ready to go.

I haven't the foggiest if this would work but I thought it might give some ideas to play with.

or- Keep the bowl attached, fill with gravel and plants and siphon your drip from the bowl. Then you've got the neighborhood talkin' about the crazy fish guy with a toilet hanging on his wall.
 

shwank005

Mmmbeer
Feb 20, 2009
261
0
0
37
Morgan Hill, CA
Thanks for the diagram Pavo, interesting. I think I'm still leaning towards either a constant drip system, or a pvc system with lots of ball valves plumbed into each tank, allowing me to drain or fill each with the turn of a couple valves and one pump.
 

Padraig

AC Members
Mar 26, 2005
38
0
6
64
Verga, New Jersey
I Use One

I use a drip auto changer in the sump of my 210. A very simple system but it does require some plumbing.


First I installed a filter and run the tap water through an extruded activated carbon block which effectively removes the chlorine; I never had a measurable amount. The filter cartridges are pricy at $18 a piece but they last a good six to eight months. Mine is mounted in my basement but it would easily mount in the aquarium’s cabinet.
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Then using a ball valve to drip at what ever rate you want.
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The water level is then controlled by an over flow drain which is a bulkhead installed in the sump at the desired water level. You can see in the background the PVC supply line and the drain stand pipe.

017.JPG

018.JPG 016.JPG 017.JPG
 

Zabman

The one guy that did that one thing
Dec 17, 2009
8
0
1
Tiffin, OH
the chlorine is my biggest concern. padraig does that filter, filter out the chlorine or is it more of a particulate filter? if so, what is it called? im still working on a prototype design.
 

dundadundun

;sup' dog? ;woof and a wwwoof!
Jan 21, 2009
4,295
2
38
S.E. PA
correct me if i'm wrong but doesn't a slower flow and more exposure time (more filters) increase filter efficiency dramatically? also would ammonia really be that much of an issue from chloramine on a drip system? wouldn't carbon in a secondary filter or reservoir to be recirculated through pretty much nullify any shortcomings of a prefilter when it comes to chloramine? also couldn't one just hook a timer and regulator to a reservoir with a dosing pump to dose it as needed if w/c's were to be w/c's as opposed to a drip? of course such a reservoir would need circulation for mixing, but there's more than one way to skin a cat. i'd say you have options. prices will vary at every stage from setup to running to maintenance it just depends where you want to spend your money.

anyway one of the mods here gave me this little hint a while back... http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ check out their carbon filters.

the carbon binds with the chlorine in chloramine leaving the ammonia it was bound with free. it's typically not that much ammo to hurt on a drip system imo. it may be enough depending on your supplier to be bad on an auto changer, idk. in that case carbon in the filter itself or a dosing a reservoir and recirculating prior to introduction would be a good idea.
 
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iLunar

AC Members
Dec 30, 2009
121
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or you could try the ones they use for betta barracks just try searching them on the net on how to Build them/Do them
 

Padraig

AC Members
Mar 26, 2005
38
0
6
64
Verga, New Jersey
Filter

The filter is essentially a solid block of extruded carbon designed for “High VOC and Chemical Absorption”. The brand name is Matrikx and I get all the supplies off the internet at http://www.h2odistributors.com , they seem to have just about anything you may need to fit you design. And I’m sure the fact that the water is running through the filter at a slow rate adds to its effectiveness. I tested the output for chlorine regularly for about a year after I set this up and never had a measurable amount.
 

foolishfish

Registered Fish Offender
Dec 10, 2008
290
1
18
Where the wild things are
Likewise Veritas, great link. Apparently the type of carbon that you use, such as the one Padraig is using, makes a huge difference. According to the Filter Guy link the coal based carbon (like Seachem Matrix) and not the coconut shell type is the only one worth using on chloramine. I haven't checked yet but I wonder if Purigen would work. I know it handles heavy metals and such, the advantage over carbon being that it can be regenerated repeatedly and it gives you a visual indication of when it is in need of regeneration. The thought being that then you don't need to keep testing to make sure that your carbon is still working.
 
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