LPS_Blasto
01/16/2011, 08:51 PM
I decided to build this auto top off system because I work out of town a lot and my wife is a full time college student. It's kind of ugly right now. I just finished final assembly last night. So far, it's working as designed. I plan to put all the relays and electronic parts inside a project box and clean up the wires eventually. For now, I just want to test and monitor it to make sure it's going to be trouble free.
I will state right now that I didn't take into account the magnets on the float switches until this weekend. After reading another thread on RC, I removed all my floats and coated the magnets with clear fingernail polish. I don't know how long it will keep the salt water out. I don't know if there is a test kit for "rust". I'm just going to try it and see how things go.
I went to the big box hardware store and bought a hose bib attachment for my washing mashing water line. It's actually made for evaporative coolers. It has a 1/4" output on the side. Keeps ya from having to solder copper pipes or use one of those pesky saddle taps. I figured it would be perfect for the supply line to my RO unit.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4418.jpg
This is my 6 stage RO unit. I used to have it hooked up in the spare bathroom. Pain in the butt. Water lines all over the floor. Buckets in the shower stall. Lugging water around every week. I moved out near the tank because all my power and relays are out there.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4411.jpg
This is the 12v solenoid valve that controls water from that hose bib into my RO unit. I had to have a positive way to shut off the water supply or my RO unit would be dribbling all the time. For now, it's plugged into a 12v wall wart. The wall wart is controlled by a relay. I'll explain more on that later.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4412.jpg
This is my 10g RO storage tank. There's 3 floats.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4413.jpg
Top float is an emergency shut off. In the event of a failure, this float will shut off power to the RO pump and the solenoid valve, effectively stopping any more water from getting into the RO unit. It could be considered the "secondary" shut-off float.
Middle float. This is the "primary" shut-off float.
Bottom float. This is the "ON" switch for the RO pump. This float also trips the 12v solenoid valve to open and thereby supply the RO pump with water from the hose bib.
There's 2 powerheads in the RO storage tank. The main powerhead supplies top-off water to my sump. It is controlled by floats in the main sump.
The other powerhead is so I can refill my mixing bucket for new salt water. I don't have this automated. I just use the RO water from the storage tank to fill my bucket. I plug the pump in and the water is pumped through a vinyl hose over to my mixing bucket. I have to stand there and babysit while it fills the bucket. I may automate it later.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4414.jpg
This is the auto top-off hose from the 1st powerhead in the RO storage tank. This hose is dumping into my sump.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4415.jpg
This is the sump.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4416.jpg
The top float is the shut off. The middle float is the "ON" switch for the powerhead in the storage tank.
The bottom float is not hooked up yet. The intention is to use it as an emergency stop in the event my sump runs dry. It would shut off the Mag 7 return pump to prevent frying the pump and possibly causing a fire. I need a manual reset button for it and another relay.
I could wire it now, but if you think about it, the pump would just get locked into an eternal loop of shutting down and starting up. Why? My tank drains about 6g of water when you shut the pump off. That water goes into the sump and fills it up. So, if the emergency "low water" float trips and shuts the pump off, what will happen? The tank will drain into the sump, raise the float, and turn the pump back on. The pump will push all the water out of the sump and back into the tank. When the water level gets low again, the float will shut the pump off. Rinse and repeat. :mad2: I am going to purchase a manual reset switch and install it with the float. In the event that float trips, it would require a human to come and push the manual reset button before the Mag 7 could energize again.
This is what my wife is calling "the death of our house" :lol: She thinks I'm gonna burn the place down.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4417.jpg
I'm going to put it all into a project box eventually. But I still have some components to incorporate into the system. Need a few more switches, relays and floats.
I will state right now that I didn't take into account the magnets on the float switches until this weekend. After reading another thread on RC, I removed all my floats and coated the magnets with clear fingernail polish. I don't know how long it will keep the salt water out. I don't know if there is a test kit for "rust". I'm just going to try it and see how things go.
I went to the big box hardware store and bought a hose bib attachment for my washing mashing water line. It's actually made for evaporative coolers. It has a 1/4" output on the side. Keeps ya from having to solder copper pipes or use one of those pesky saddle taps. I figured it would be perfect for the supply line to my RO unit.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4418.jpg
This is my 6 stage RO unit. I used to have it hooked up in the spare bathroom. Pain in the butt. Water lines all over the floor. Buckets in the shower stall. Lugging water around every week. I moved out near the tank because all my power and relays are out there.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4411.jpg
This is the 12v solenoid valve that controls water from that hose bib into my RO unit. I had to have a positive way to shut off the water supply or my RO unit would be dribbling all the time. For now, it's plugged into a 12v wall wart. The wall wart is controlled by a relay. I'll explain more on that later.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4412.jpg
This is my 10g RO storage tank. There's 3 floats.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4413.jpg
Top float is an emergency shut off. In the event of a failure, this float will shut off power to the RO pump and the solenoid valve, effectively stopping any more water from getting into the RO unit. It could be considered the "secondary" shut-off float.
Middle float. This is the "primary" shut-off float.
Bottom float. This is the "ON" switch for the RO pump. This float also trips the 12v solenoid valve to open and thereby supply the RO pump with water from the hose bib.
There's 2 powerheads in the RO storage tank. The main powerhead supplies top-off water to my sump. It is controlled by floats in the main sump.
The other powerhead is so I can refill my mixing bucket for new salt water. I don't have this automated. I just use the RO water from the storage tank to fill my bucket. I plug the pump in and the water is pumped through a vinyl hose over to my mixing bucket. I have to stand there and babysit while it fills the bucket. I may automate it later.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4414.jpg
This is the auto top-off hose from the 1st powerhead in the RO storage tank. This hose is dumping into my sump.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4415.jpg
This is the sump.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4416.jpg
The top float is the shut off. The middle float is the "ON" switch for the powerhead in the storage tank.
The bottom float is not hooked up yet. The intention is to use it as an emergency stop in the event my sump runs dry. It would shut off the Mag 7 return pump to prevent frying the pump and possibly causing a fire. I need a manual reset button for it and another relay.
I could wire it now, but if you think about it, the pump would just get locked into an eternal loop of shutting down and starting up. Why? My tank drains about 6g of water when you shut the pump off. That water goes into the sump and fills it up. So, if the emergency "low water" float trips and shuts the pump off, what will happen? The tank will drain into the sump, raise the float, and turn the pump back on. The pump will push all the water out of the sump and back into the tank. When the water level gets low again, the float will shut the pump off. Rinse and repeat. :mad2: I am going to purchase a manual reset switch and install it with the float. In the event that float trips, it would require a human to come and push the manual reset button before the Mag 7 could energize again.
This is what my wife is calling "the death of our house" :lol: She thinks I'm gonna burn the place down.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq92/LPS_Blasto/IMG_4417.jpg
I'm going to put it all into a project box eventually. But I still have some components to incorporate into the system. Need a few more switches, relays and floats.