timfountain Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I have the output of my RODI system connected directly to a 1/4" wet solenoid that is controlled by a Hydor smart level controller located in the sump of my Red Sea 350 (25G sump). The Hydor includes an alarm for low and high level conditions. So far the system has been working great and SG is spot on but I can't help thinking there are multiple points of failure, including the solenoid failing (it is normally closed when not energized so that is at least a good point). and the Hydor level controller. My current thinking is a second solenoid, again normally closed, that is controlled by a second float switch, such that it would cut-off the water supply if the level got too high, independent of the Hydor. This requires the solenoid to be energized 100% of the time and they are prone to failure when on all the time. I'm also considering a digital input to the Apex Aquacontroller with a separate float switch that would email me if that second high-high float switch was tripped. Only problem I found when prototyping this is that I get high-high alarms whenever I enter a feeding cycle as the sump fills. I could fix this in the logic of the APEX to only email me if the float is tripped and there is not feed cycle. Since I have a potentially unlimited supply of fresh water to continue to pump into the sump in the case of a failure, I really need this to be foolproof and any ideas on improvements in this ware would be welcome. Thanks - Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesmiles902 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Wait. So...currently you have two safety points, correct? The solenoid and the Hydor level controller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 The Hydor itself if controlling the pump has another built in mechanism that your not accounting for, it will only pump water for so long before it shuts off I believe 30~40 seconds. The Device knows it shouldn't be pumping water longer than that as it begin topping off at the bottom prong and raises it to the 2nd prong. Therefore I think you have more than enough fail safetys in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timfountain Posted March 29, 2016 Author Share Posted March 29, 2016 Just so we are clear, there is no pump in the system, the Solenoid is plumbed directly to the RODI output via 1/4" tubing... Failure of the solenoid (sticking open) or the Hydor would allow unrestricted flow of RODI water into the sump. I'm trying to figure out if I should invest in a secondary solenoid on a completely independent level controller. Or something else entirely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timfountain Posted March 29, 2016 Author Share Posted March 29, 2016 I just realized the Hydor has a trip at the 10 minute mark, i.e if the output if on for 10 minutes and the water hasn't covered the maximum level sensor, it will shut down permanently! That's a nice feature.. The Hydor drives a 12V DC 2A wall-wart type power supply which energizes the solenoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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