DIY ATO: questions and thoughts...

[H4Rk3R]

So I've read the threads about making auto top-offs with suntea jars and the like... but some have said theres a diffusion between the salt and fresh water from them always being in contact... =/... so I didnt wanna go that route...

Also I dont want to have any electric pumps envolved with this, I wanted it to be all gravity fed...

I picked up a toilet fill valve from HD along with some hose to act as the supply line... but i found out that toilet fill valves only work on high pressure... which gravity feeding doesnt supply... =/...

so that idea is "no bueno"

i am currently trying to modify the fill valve to make it work off of low pressure, but in the meantime, does anyone have any other ideas to use as a electric-less valve for an ATO system? I dont wanna purchase any expensive micro switches and solenoids to do this project...


:what:

[!v@n]

kent marine makes the valve i use. It is made for ATO's. It's a float valve that is in my sump with a line connected to it. I keep one of the blue Wal-Mart water jugs full of RO and thats it. I bought the plastic fittings at home depot and have myself a gravity fed ATO, it works great too. I've had it running for about a year now with no problems.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a335/ivanp2/IMG00023-1.jpg

http://www.kentmarine.com/assets/001/20718_600w600h.png

[H4Rk3R]

thats awesome... how much did you pay for it and where from?... might be a lot better than what im making... LOL

[!v@n]

I think the valve goes for around $15 or $20. I got mine for free from a friend. The water jug is from wal-mart with maybe $6 worth of parts from homedepot. I think you should be able to make the whole thing for around $35 or $40.

[H4Rk3R]

w00t I got it working (under ghetto-rigged setup for now)... used a 10 gallon tank that i had in storage... the tubing i bought... that modified toilet-fill-valve... and some leftover egg-crate... I'll get the pictures later if anyone cares... =P

[!v@n]

whats the egg crate for? i wanna see

how did you make the toilet valve work under low pressure?

[H4Rk3R]

...the egg crate is my mounting device as i didnt want to drain my sump and silicone a mounting plate into the sump (however if i ever change sumps, i'll probably do that as a mounting area)...

and as for making it work under low pressure thats a bit more difficult to explain... here we go...

1. buy the fill valve... ive never pulled any other fill valve apart... so I can only say that this "fluidmaster toilet fill valve" from HD works with this DIY option...

2. next I completely pulled this thing apart (see picture). After I realized that it was a high pressure valve I started thinking of ways to modify this to make it work... and low and behold I figured something out...we dont need the white insert that is in the dark grey housing...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01250.jpg

3. I sawed the bottom 1.5"-2" of the dark grey outer housing so that i could slip the black supply tube up further into the dark grey housing...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01251.jpg

4. Then I siliconed the openings at the bottom of the black supply tube (make sure it doesnt leak!!!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01254.jpg

5. Take the diaphram that was in the upper half of the fill-valve and trim the outter edges and the "nipple" tip (cannot see it in any of the pictures as it is now inside of that cap) as this insures that the rubber diaphram will be able to move freely in the cap. You can see my hack-job a bit in this picture and also the next. I used a brand new razor blade so that it would be easier to cut this small piece without taking a chunk out of my fingers...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01253.jpg

6. Now glue the diaphram onto the metal pin that it originally had going thru it. You'll want to put glue on the pin, then stick it thru the diaphram, and then put more glue on the "water-side" of the diaphram to ensure a good hold. When positioning this part make sure that the pin doesnt go all the way thru the diaphram (this allows maximum travel on the diaphram). I used super glue gel on this step.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01252.jpg

7. Ok... so now we have to put it all together... take the "cap" of the valve and reinstall it back onto the grey outer housing... now reinstall the float on the grey housing and reconnect the linkage to the cap lever... insert the black supply tube into the bottom of the grey housing until it bottoms-out onto the rubber diaphram inside. blow into the bottom of the supply tube and check for a COMPLETE seal between the supply tube and rubber diaphram. Now we have to decide on where we will silicone the grey housing and black supply tube together. I first applied massive amounts of silicone to the black supply tube then inserted it into the grey housing to get a really good seal (it doesnt have to be water tight, it just has to hold the position completely stable) but im sure you could use super glue gel. I had to do this twice as the first time didnt create a COMPLETE seal when the float was in "full" position (fully raised). The only way you can be sure that you have a complete seal is to blow into the bottom of the supply valve while you hold the float in the up position and check if air is passing by. if it is, then you need to reposition the black supply tube into the grey housing further (which is why i think silicone is a better choice, you have more time to get the position correct). You may also want to check that air will pass by when the float is in the down position (it doesnt have to be a ton of air, just a decent flow will work). Let that dry for at least 24 hours and then recheck that you still have the proper seal.

8. Now that the valve is working properly and dried completely, time to make the supply line... take the white lock nut for the supply side and thread it to your tubing (i used 7/16" O.D. x 5/16" I.D. clear vinyl tubing) then take the rubber cone washer and put that on the hose also (this needs to be tight fitting to make a water-tight seal). that will be the supply line.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01241.jpg

9. next i cut up some egg crate as a stand for the valve to be mounted to and made the stand. Its a little tall in my tank right now because I have not yet adjusted the height i want the water to be at in my tank... But as I slowly decide where it will be i'll move it down as needed by cutting a set of squares off the egg crate... i made a 2x2 square hole in the middle of my stand and tightened the lock nut to mount the valve... then i started the siphon into the supply line as it will be much more difficult after you have the line connected to the valve. Connect the supply line and place the valve into your sump... TADA!!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01256.jpg

And this is the setup in my sump ghetto-rigged with the 10 gallon reservoir just sitting on top of my sump for the time being (the float is zip-tied in the up position until I get more fresh water because i dont want to lose the siphon but so far this setup worked perfectly, stopping when i raised the float, and resuming when the float was down :D). I plan on making a stand that will put the 10 gallon up higher into the sump area. That will make it impossible to fill the reservior with RO/DI water, so I made a fill tube out of a cap for my jugs and some of the left over hose. I plan on making a top for the reservoir that will only have enough open space to put the siphon supply hose, the fill hose, and an airline hose into. This should minimize evaporation and keep from adding humidity to my house... hopefully... :shocked:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/drewdown84/salt%20water%20tank/150%20gal/ATO%20setup/DSC01255.jpg

btw... these DIY guides take forever... I'll never look at a PB&J sandwich the same... =P... this DIY is dedicated to MR and his sandwich