Automatic water changer idea, need help

[MCary]

I know what I want this thing to do, but my brain can't work out the plumbing.

Idea:

I have a plactic tank. 45 gallons with bulk heads top and bottom. A vented lid that seals itself when full.

I want to set up a recirculation system in that tank, kind of a closed loop. That part is easy. Water will be drawn from the bottom bulkhead to the top bulkhead with a pump. A pipe will be run from the top bulkhead on the inside to a couple inches off the bottom so that the return flushes the salt sediment from the bottom.

Once the water and salt has been circulating for a day or two, I want to open valves to make that tank part of a closed loop with the Aquarium. Mixing the contents of the tank with that of the aquarium. That can run until well mixed or continue to run until next water change. It doesn't really matter.

When its time for a water change, I need to be able to isolate the tank from the aquarium. Empty its contents down the drain. Refill it with water and salt, let it recirculate for a couple days and then mix with the aquarium again.

I wish I was better with my Turbo cad or photoshop. But I think I explained the idea simply enough.

Does anyone have any ideas the best way to plumb such a thing?

Mike

PS

I can drill glass.
More than one pump can be used.
Height of holding tank can be adjusted.

[Bergovoy]

There are many diy for auto water change and auto top off.

IT is not difficult, and there are a variety of permutions, you basically have it right there.

I am not sure what the 'vented seal' is about, but basically you will need access to the tank anyway to add the salt, (unless you are going to automate that too?) and to add the RO water unless you are going to hard pipe thta into the filter also)

But assuming you will mix the water yourself, then a small power head, placed intot he tank will keep it circulating.

And again it can be asimple as havign a pump in the tank that you turn on when you want to fill the tank. If you want to make it simple, you could just have a flex hose and place in the tank when you are ready to fill, if you want to hard pipe it, just run the pipe with a check valve and a gate valve. When it is time to change water, turn on the pump and open teh gate valve.

If you want to do it automatically, you will have to get a bit more involved, with water draininage, float switches, relays, elctr solenoids, and on and on..

So try searching and reading and let us know what you decide on.

Bill

[MCary]

The vented seal is just a discription of the tank cover. Has no relevance.

The idea is to flip a couple switches or turn a couple valves and do a water change. I don't want to measure the amount taken out or measure the amount going in. I don't want to mix salt and water in garbage cans or siphon anything with my mouth. I know exactly what I want. I just need help with the plumbing.

Basically, have a 45 gallon tank and a 240 gallon aquarium plumbed together with water circulating through them. To do a water change, isolate the 45 gallon tank, empty it, refill it with saltwater, and then put it back online. Easy, breezy, lemon squeezie. Lets call it semi-automated.

I think I need two pumps.

Mike

[MCary]

I think I've got it.



Red Blocks are valves.

One Valve is missing. It would be a drain valve T'd off the bottom somewhere.

Mixing:

A Closed
B Closed
C Open
D Closed
E. Open

Water Change:

A Open
B. Open
C Closed
D. Open
E Closed

Mike

[Bergovoy]

A coupel of three way valves to replace valces A/C and E/D

Might minimize the deal.

And a three way valve at B/Drain...

Good luck

Bill

[Bergovoy]

That and plumb it into the sump rather then teh tank...

Bill

[MCary]

Thanks, I'll look into three way valves.

[chinaman4u]

This would depend on the level of your resevoir, but I currently use an old 45 gallon tank with an OVERFLOW. After mixing NSW, I start a siphon from my main tank using tube that drains into my 45, in your case you can use a pump from your tank. The 45 tank fills up and overflows into the main display tanks sump. Then I let it run, until I stop the siphon, drain the 45 and start over again. So maybe if you had a drain hole at the top of your NSW tank, you could pump water in and let gravity do the rest.

[Bergovoy]

And as I would like to keep the non marine items to aminimum in my tank, with all those valves, you could easily just take teh water lines in and out of the tank when you want to do your water change.

Up to you though. See moer pipes in your tank, or not??

[MCary]

Its a typical example of how I over engineer everything.

With a little reflection I came up with this:



2 Plastic 3 way valve. One off the existing intake from my closed loop. A small water level window can be scraped off the black paint on the back of the tank. The closed loop pump is turned off, the 3 way valve is opened and the water is allowed to drain down to the window. Then the valve is closed.

Then the 3 way valve is turned on the holding tank so that the water is diverted into the aquarium instead of the recirculation loop by the recirc pump.

I way overcomplicate things sometimes.

Mike

[douggiestyle]

if the sw mix tank was sealed it would even be easier. a barrel with a bung.
ive thought the same idea. im now leaning towards an overflow in the sump that leads to a drain.

im not sure what you are trying to achieve in that last drawing mike but it looks wrong to me. maybe if you explained a bit more.

[Bergovoy]

I am not clear on the scraping of thepaint on the tank, cant you put a small sharpie mark at the corner of the back corner of the tank?

[MCary]

The back of the tank is painted black. Its 240 gallons built into the wall and the stand is 36 inches high. By scraping a small window in the black paint, 1/2 inch wide by 1-1.5 inches long at the level of a 10% water change, I would know when to stop draining the tank. This is just my way of marking the tank. There are tons of options.

In order to drain from the sump, the sump would have to hold at least 24 gallons of water. I have a 35 gallon sump, but much of it is dead space. My closed loop intakes however are a third of the way from the top, this also gives me much more flexibility in case I want to do 40 gallon water changes.

The SW mix tank is sealed pretty much. It looks like this, only 45 gallons. 18" diameter x 51" high.



The design was to take water from the bottom bulhead and pump it to the top bulkhead in a loop that would mix the contents. The top valve could then be switched to divert the contents to the aquarium.



Mike

[enemec1]

Hi I am going to jump in on this.
Lets say you have a 180 display, 100 or 150 sump can you just do the water change by draining what is needed to out of the sump instead of the main display?

[Bergovoy]

If you ahve sufficient water level in the sump to equal or exceed the amount of water you want to remove?


good luck

Bill

[DoubleDoor]

How big is your sump? I came up with this.


Make the in and out at the same hight. Use a check valve at each pump. Use the same type of pump for the in and out. The water level in your change tank sould be at the same level as your sump. I would use a heater and a power head in the change tank to mix the salt. On the wireing side, use 3 swithes. 1 for the in and out pumps, 1 for the heater and power head, 1 for the drain.

[oldsaltman]

FWIW Here is a link to the ATO/autowater change system I use.

Link