ATO Help

http://www.marinedepot.com/JBJ_Automatic_Top_Off_(A.T.O.)_System_Water_Level_Controller_Electric_Powered_Dosing_Pumps_Top_Off_Plug_In_Units-JBJ_Lighting-JB5111-FIDPETPU-vi.html

if i bought that , what else do i need? Ive never used an ATO before, i dont really understand what comes with it. Its says i need the pump, but thats it…? Do i just get a container of RO/DI water and stick the censor in it?
Help would be awesome!

i used this, its basicly the same thing, cheaper and you wire it yourself (not a problem for me)

all you need is a pump, i used a maxijet 1200 and some tubing and a rubbermaid tub

that looks dangerous!! lol to me anyway…

ATO’s work pretty good then? I think all i need is a pump and i was looking at the maxi jet 1200, and a bucket

You would stick your float into your sump and a pump into a separate container with ro/di and a line from the pump to your sump. When the float triggers it will turn on the pump to add ro/di water until the float is triggered off.

Another option is setting up a little pressurized jug with an air pump in place of the pump. You can then dose kalk through it without worrying about replacing pumps. i.e. An air pump is your ‘pump’, tube the output of the pump to a ‘sealed’ jug and run a tube from the jug to the sump (just make sure the jug is below the sump).

If my solution was complete and I was building them I would offer it to you, much cheaper price and many more features, but it’s not. I believe Shawn (logans_daddy) on here was making ATOs for a while at a pretty decent price (esp compared to the linked unit).

i dont have a sump, it can work on the main tank ?

Sure, depending on the float mount, but your going to have a float switch in your display (not very attractive) and will be more likely to have an issue with creatures or w/e getting into the float and jamming it. Is this for the 6 gal?

no the 24, it says it has snail shields… i guess that will keep stuff off? also its pretty bulky and ugly? hmm that would be a deal breaker

Does your 24 have a back section? Sorry I’m not too familiar with the aquapod deals.

yea, 2 chambers. one chamber i have the cheato and the other chamber i have a penguin filter. i was doing alot of reading and asking questions on numerous sites, and it seems the back chambers are sorta like a sump in a way, so im going to run the ATO to the back chamber 1. With a Maxijet 900 or 1200 havent decided yet.

In my nano i simply have two float switches suction-cupped to the inside of the return chamber with a 1/4" line going over the top from my RODI. The floats open a DC solenoid instead of a pump. Works flawlessly. No ATO needed. Just two SS float switches, a solenoid and a12VDC power supply(i.e, wall transformer) that you probably have laying around in a “junk drawer” if you looked hard enough ;D Everything is completely hidden, no eyesores, no fuss, no muss.

i gotta tell you, that made me very confused lol. maybe pics if you could??? would love to save 90$$

Instead of using a pump and another chamber (bucket) to hold the RO/DI water he has an output from his RO/DI ran to the tank to a solenoid. Instead of running a pump he just opens the solenoid until the water level is back up.

oh, so its manual?

No its not manual, its auto!. I think the confusing part is “No ATO needed” when essentially what is going on is an ATO, just not your conventional one.

Since you have that back part yea, float switches would go great back there for the ATO.
If you use floats with suction cups keep an eye on them, I’ve never had luck keeping suction cups sucking for a long time. If they came off you probably wouldn’t end up with an over flow situation, but your ATO wouldn’t turn on.

i hate suction cups!! they never stay for long. I thijnk i may try this, it seems pretty inexpensive and worth a try.

could a jug thats drained from the bottom through a stationary tube thats cut at water level in the back section of the tank work? then its gravity fed, pretty simple, and extremely cheap. just only do a gal or so at a time. think about one of those dog waterers that uses the upside down soda bottle. once the water level reaches the bottom of the fill tube, it would stop draining…

Sure as long as the jug is sealed except for the outlet of the tube.

http://delreefclub.org/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&topic=407.0

Although I personally think its not as pretty, clean, or ‘good’ as an electronic ATO.

oh, definately nowhere near as clean or pretty, i agree 100%

No its not manual, its auto!. I think the confusing part is "No ATO needed" when essentially what is going on is an ATO, just not your conventional one.

what i meant but no ATO needed, was literally no ATO meaning any mechanism other than a powersupply, solenoid, and swtiches. the method i use literally has not “ATO box”, no outlets, no pumps, nothing. its VERY simply. Ill try my best to explain. Taking pics wouldnt make it any clearer.

Buy a 12VDC solenoid($15-$20). By two float switches($5ea). The float switches will have two wires each. The solenoid will have two terminals on it for DC. Polarity does not matter so you cant hook it up wrong. Get a 12VDC wall transformer($5-$10) that as i mentioned most people will probably have laying around. These are the little ubiquitious black cubes that are used to power/charge various electronics. Just be sure that the voltages for the solenoid and transformer are the same. Cut the end of the transformer off that has the tiny female plug that would normally go into the device that it powers. The wire is always a two conductor wire that 99.99% of the time can be pulled apart with no tools. Now you should have two wires. Connect one to the solenoid. Take your other wire and connect it to one wire from one float switch(doesnt matter which). Take the other wire from the same float switch and connect it to either wire from your remaining float switch(again, doesnt matter which). Take your last remaining wire from your last float switch and connect it to your solenoid. Thats it. Very simple. Very cheap. Very reliable. Keep in mind, this only works if you have your RODI near your tank.

Take your output of your RODI and connect it to your solenoid on the input(does matter!). Take a seperate piece of 1/4" tubing and connect it from the output to your tank. Do not submerge the line because it can siphon if your RODI is T’d like mine ;D Put one switch(doesnt matter which) where you want your water level. Put the other anywhere above it. Plug in your transformer. When water evaporates below the first float you tank will fill until the water is back to original level. If the first float fails(i.e, snail or other obstruction) the second float will turn the solenoid off so no flood. The solenoids i use are rated for hundreds of thousands of cycles so these will outlast any pump. If they fail, they fail closed so you cant flood your tank that way. In other words it wont stay open unless both floats are stuck. If your really anal, and dont want to take ANY chances like me you can plug your transformer into a timer which comes for only a minute or so a day. This way even if both floats manage to get stuck you can only top off slightly more than you evaporate so that its almost impossible to have any accidents.

[quote=“logans_daddy, post:10, topic:1939”]
i simply have two float switches suction-cupped[/quote]

There is a man that likes to live on the edge, lol. Are you serious Shawn? Only time I use suction cups any more is for heaters and even then they are annoying.