SchnitzelReef
05/16/2016, 07:56 PM
Pretty excited about how clean my new ATO turned out. I've been waiting for the new Apex FMM, but I couldn't wait any more. I really wanted an optical sensor like the Tunze, but it could be another 6months to a year before Neptune releases their ATO. (Which will use an optical eye as the ATO sensor)
I was using a Tunze Osmolator, and it was working like it should, but it wasn't right for my setup. The Tunze has an auto off feature built into the controller. If the water level doesn't reach the sensor within 15 minutes, the ATO shuts down, and it won't restart unless you unplug the power. My ATO is gravity fed from my shed, and it trickles out. There was many times that it took longer then 15 minutes to fill. Now that it's getting hotter out, I had to reset my Tunze multiple times a day. If Tunze just had a way to bypass this safety feature, I would have never changed. Oh well.
Since Neptune is taking forever I started looking into float switches to connect to my break out box. I really like this feature, because not only does it control your ATO, I can also check in on my Apex Fusion and see if my sumps water level is high or not. That's a big plus for me, especially when I'm on vacation or gone for extended periods of time.
The guys at avast marine were great to deal with, and told me if I didn't like their ATO to send it back and I would get a full refund. Avast marine uses a pressure switch, so there is no moving parts. They told me they have been using the same pressure switches for years with out having one go bad. (This of course doesn't mean there aren't some people that have had problems with Avasts ATO. I've read a few negative reviews online, but that's with any product.) One of the big pluses with their ATO, is they offer it with bare wires to connect directly to an apex break out box. Neptune systems doesn't even offer some sort of float switch/sensor for ATO uses.
Before I bought the Avast ATO, I already purchased some common float switches to use in my sump as a back up to whatever ATO I went with. I got a Tunze ATO magnet that the float switch can hang on in my sump. I figured that way looked the cleanest.
So my current setup is avast marine ATO as primary control, and back up float switch that will shut down the ATO if for some reason the Avast pressure switch were to get stuck on. And I also setup my apex to send me an email so I will be alerted that my ATO isn't working correctly.
Here's my apex code for the ATO
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/E25E345B-15C8-46FC-9BD3-D419ED8C4A8C_zps1sj90qid.png (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/E25E345B-15C8-46FC-9BD3-D419ED8C4A8C_zps1sj90qid.png.html)
Pretty basic really.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/F13AF220-123F-46C9-8FF7-710DE3225907_zpsvto5ixcl.jpg (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/F13AF220-123F-46C9-8FF7-710DE3225907_zpsvto5ixcl.jpg.html)
Avast magnet mount. Comes with either a 2 or 4 hole setup. They can be used to hold probes, or in my case 1/4" lines.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/BA815EA7-21FC-49E4-8822-45C41160DD98_zps0ym3mfid.jpg (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/BA815EA7-21FC-49E4-8822-45C41160DD98_zps0ym3mfid.jpg.html)
The pressure switch is connected to this black box, that is where the actual pressure switch is located. The tube inside the tank is just a clear acrylic tube. No wires, no electricity, no moving parts. I really like that.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/E3768460-0B62-46AF-8E7B-8CE126DC0507_zpsrbmngx4k.png (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/E3768460-0B62-46AF-8E7B-8CE126DC0507_zpsrbmngx4k.png.html)
You can see the ATO "open/closed" that is my avast ATO. And on the right side is my back up "SUMPHI" float switch. The other 2 floats are in my RO/DI reservoir.
Here's the final setup
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/1751114E-7477-443E-8960-E4552A979F01_zpscpt1aswq.jpg (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/1751114E-7477-443E-8960-E4552A979F01_zpscpt1aswq.jpg.html)
1 line is ATO, 1 is effluent from my calcium reactor, and 1 is for my auto water change pump.
I've been wanting to setup float switches in my sump since the day I got my apex. I'm really bummed it took me 4 years to get it done. It's so simple to setup and program.
If anyone has any questions, shoot away. I'll post back after a few days, and let everyone know how the pressure sensor works out. (Sorry for the long read, it's kind of a lot of info)
I was using a Tunze Osmolator, and it was working like it should, but it wasn't right for my setup. The Tunze has an auto off feature built into the controller. If the water level doesn't reach the sensor within 15 minutes, the ATO shuts down, and it won't restart unless you unplug the power. My ATO is gravity fed from my shed, and it trickles out. There was many times that it took longer then 15 minutes to fill. Now that it's getting hotter out, I had to reset my Tunze multiple times a day. If Tunze just had a way to bypass this safety feature, I would have never changed. Oh well.
Since Neptune is taking forever I started looking into float switches to connect to my break out box. I really like this feature, because not only does it control your ATO, I can also check in on my Apex Fusion and see if my sumps water level is high or not. That's a big plus for me, especially when I'm on vacation or gone for extended periods of time.
The guys at avast marine were great to deal with, and told me if I didn't like their ATO to send it back and I would get a full refund. Avast marine uses a pressure switch, so there is no moving parts. They told me they have been using the same pressure switches for years with out having one go bad. (This of course doesn't mean there aren't some people that have had problems with Avasts ATO. I've read a few negative reviews online, but that's with any product.) One of the big pluses with their ATO, is they offer it with bare wires to connect directly to an apex break out box. Neptune systems doesn't even offer some sort of float switch/sensor for ATO uses.
Before I bought the Avast ATO, I already purchased some common float switches to use in my sump as a back up to whatever ATO I went with. I got a Tunze ATO magnet that the float switch can hang on in my sump. I figured that way looked the cleanest.
So my current setup is avast marine ATO as primary control, and back up float switch that will shut down the ATO if for some reason the Avast pressure switch were to get stuck on. And I also setup my apex to send me an email so I will be alerted that my ATO isn't working correctly.
Here's my apex code for the ATO
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/E25E345B-15C8-46FC-9BD3-D419ED8C4A8C_zps1sj90qid.png (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/E25E345B-15C8-46FC-9BD3-D419ED8C4A8C_zps1sj90qid.png.html)
Pretty basic really.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/F13AF220-123F-46C9-8FF7-710DE3225907_zpsvto5ixcl.jpg (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/F13AF220-123F-46C9-8FF7-710DE3225907_zpsvto5ixcl.jpg.html)
Avast magnet mount. Comes with either a 2 or 4 hole setup. They can be used to hold probes, or in my case 1/4" lines.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/BA815EA7-21FC-49E4-8822-45C41160DD98_zps0ym3mfid.jpg (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/BA815EA7-21FC-49E4-8822-45C41160DD98_zps0ym3mfid.jpg.html)
The pressure switch is connected to this black box, that is where the actual pressure switch is located. The tube inside the tank is just a clear acrylic tube. No wires, no electricity, no moving parts. I really like that.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/E3768460-0B62-46AF-8E7B-8CE126DC0507_zpsrbmngx4k.png (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/E3768460-0B62-46AF-8E7B-8CE126DC0507_zpsrbmngx4k.png.html)
You can see the ATO "open/closed" that is my avast ATO. And on the right side is my back up "SUMPHI" float switch. The other 2 floats are in my RO/DI reservoir.
Here's the final setup
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/nickfrick66/1751114E-7477-443E-8960-E4552A979F01_zpscpt1aswq.jpg (http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/nickfrick66/media/1751114E-7477-443E-8960-E4552A979F01_zpscpt1aswq.jpg.html)
1 line is ATO, 1 is effluent from my calcium reactor, and 1 is for my auto water change pump.
I've been wanting to setup float switches in my sump since the day I got my apex. I'm really bummed it took me 4 years to get it done. It's so simple to setup and program.
If anyone has any questions, shoot away. I'll post back after a few days, and let everyone know how the pressure sensor works out. (Sorry for the long read, it's kind of a lot of info)