nanoreefer17 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Looking to install 2 float switches, one as an ATO system. The other as a pump shut off in the case that my plumbing gets plugged up on my drain, as I only have one. This is my first tank, 50 gallon water volume, 29gallon display. I am curious if anyone has experience with DIY on this topic or if they can point me in the right direction? I live on the 5th floor of an apartment building and am paranoid of an overflow! Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 The only DIY I would even consider with such a Task is an Apex w/ BreakOutBox. Otherwise I would invest the money into a legitimate ATO system for peace of mind. Some good ones for relatively cheap: www.AutoTopOff.com <- Awesome Quality products hand made Hydor Smart Level <- Does not use float switches but is only $67 on Amazon Right now. The problem with your idea of 1 float switch for your ATO is the fact its 1 switch! It "WILL" eventually fail, when that happens your going to prey you don't have enough water in your reservoir to flood. Thats why the best ATO's that run off of float switches use 2 or more as a backup in case of failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanoreefer17 Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 The only DIY I would even consider with such a Task is an Apex w/ BreakOutBox. Otherwise I would invest the money into a legitimate ATO system for peace of mind. Some good ones for relatively cheap: www.AutoTopOff.com <- Awesome Quality products hand made Hydor Smart Level <- Does not use float switches but is only $67 on Amazon Right now. The problem with your idea of 1 float switch for your ATO is the fact its 1 switch! It "WILL" eventually fail, when that happens your going to prey you don't have enough water in your reservoir to flood. Thats why the best ATO's that run off of float switches use 2 or more as a backup in case of failure. The only DIY I would even consider with such a Task is an Apex w/ BreakOutBox. Otherwise I would invest the money into a legitimate ATO system for peace of mind. Some good ones for relatively cheap: www.AutoTopOff.com <- Awesome Quality products hand made Hydor Smart Level <- Does not use float switches but is only $67 on Amazon Right now. The problem with your idea of 1 float switch for your ATO is the fact its 1 switch! It "WILL" eventually fail, when that happens your going to prey you don't have enough water in your reservoir to flood. Thats why the best ATO's that run off of float switches use 2 or more as a backup in case of failure. Okay sounds good I will probably go ahead and order one of those 2 today, but what about building a float switch setup to turn my return pump off if the level in my top tank gets to high? Ever heard of anyone doing this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Okay sounds good I will probably go ahead and order one of those 2 today, but what about building a float switch setup to turn my return pump off if the level in my top tank gets to high? Ever heard of anyone doing this This is where controllers like apex and reefkeeper are nice. You can have multiple switches and control what they do to turn off return pumps, skimmers, whole system if necessary...endless possibilities. I usually tell people to think about it before buying an ATO, you could be that much closer to one! Used reefkeepers can be had for pretty reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanoreefer17 Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 This is where controllers like apex and reefkeeper are nice. You can have multiple switches and control what they do to turn off return pumps, skimmers, whole system if necessary...endless possibilities. I usually tell people to think about it before buying an ATO, you could be that much closer to one! Used reefkeepers can be had for pretty reasonable. This is where controllers like apex and reefkeeper are nice. You can have multiple switches and control what they do to turn off return pumps, skimmers, whole system if necessary...endless possibilities. I usually tell people to think about it before buying an ATO, you could be that much closer to one! Used reefkeepers can be had for pretty reasonable. If I were to go that route which would you recommend? I would be open to such an idea if the price was right I guess? Don't these also monitor salinity, and temp? and can then be assigned to a doser? I have a bubble magus 3 part doser already too so if that was in some way compatible I would be more interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 I personally went with reefkeeper only because way back when I got a deal on one with some extras for cheap. Over time I’ve slowly added on to it until I now have the Archon, 3 power bars, SL2 and a second system with 2 power bars and SL1. Had I started with an Apex it could have happened similarly. My thoughts overall are that RK is a bit more user friendly when programming for the first time but Apex has more expandability and better graphs/user interface. So you can go the cheaper route and find an ReefKeeper Lite with SL1 or 2 for your float switches used (I would estimate you to be in the $150ish range for that setup) or find a used Apex (hard to come by, likely to be in the $300ish range and up). If I had unlimited funds from the get go and everything is how it is today, I would buy an Apex gold package. May be a lot to think about and is a sizeable investment. Overall I think they are great and well worth the investment and have saved my bacon more than their value many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanoreefer17 Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 I personally went with reefkeeper only because way back when I got a deal on one with some extras for cheap. Over time I’ve slowly added on to it until I now have the Archon, 3 power bars, SL2 and a second system with 2 power bars and SL1. Had I started with an Apex it could have happened similarly. My thoughts overall are that RK is a bit more user friendly when programming for the first time but Apex has more expandability and better graphs/user interface. So you can go the cheaper route and find an ReefKeeper Lite with SL1 or 2 for your float switches used (I would estimate you to be in the $150ish range for that setup) or find a used Apex (hard to come by, likely to be in the $300ish range and up). If I had unlimited funds from the get go and everything is how it is today, I would buy an Apex gold package. May be a lot to think about and is a sizeable investment. Overall I think they are great and well worth the investment and have saved my bacon more than their value many times. Alright thanks for the help I will probably look around and see what I might be able to get my hands on used, as buying new is not in my budget right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Keep in mind a float switch is simply nothing more than a circuit that is open or closed. If you look on youtube there should be a video of a guy making a DIY ATO System I saw years ago. I would "not" follow this guy for reasoning of how failure prone a system like that could become depending on the individual making it but here's a cheap suggestion, watch that vid to get an understanding of wiring it up. Now keep in mind, flipping the float switch upside down (It's up position) is the open position. If you were to wire the switch directly to the pump itself positioning it in the pipe upside down if there were to be an overflow it would cause the switch to float upwards which would be the closed position (Usually this is what triggers an ATO to pump more water) but instead you would be using it to cut the power to the pump its connected too. Just an Idea, but if you have the money for an Apex & Break out Bocx it would make your life 100% more simple, and you wouldn't even need to purchase an individual ATO at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanoreefer17 Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share Posted September 9, 2015 Thanks for all your help, I am going with a reverse autotopoff.com setup wired directly to my return pump for now and then plan to look into a used controller over the next couple months. Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.