DOS vs Litre Meter III

[FirstContact]

Any preferences for Neptune DOS vs SpectraPure Litre Meter III for AWC?

[slief]

I ran a Litermeter III for automatic water changes for years. It worked well but if the Dos was out, that would have been my choice over the LM III. If you have an Apex, it's a no brainier. The Dos will change water faster, give you better control from the same interface you are already using for your Apex. It will be easier to manage, easier to calibrate and is designed to be used as an AWC by simply setting it up that way. With the LM III, you will need to convert ml to gallons and regular calibrations are a bit more complicated. As much as I like the LM III, if you have an Apex, the Dos will be a much better solution for the task at hand. While I use a Genesis Renew for my AWC now, I have a Dos that I use for other duties and it's truly a great solution. I think you will be very happy with the Dos and it will much easier to control and manage. That's not to say the LM III is difficult to use because it's not but the Dos coupled with Fusion and setting it up for AWC really doesn't get any easier.

[FirstContact]

That settles it. DOS it is. Thanks slief!

[slief]

Originally Posted by FirstContact

That settles it. DOS it is. Thanks slief!

Glad to help. You will be happy with the DOS! The Apex makes it about the easiest solution short of something much more expensive and complicated from a plumbing standpoint like the Renew.

[Member No. 1]

I have and use both.
DOS for daily AWC of 6 liters ~1.5 gal.
Litermeter 3 with 2 pumps for ATO of straight RODI and thru my Kalk reactor.
Both work great!

[teebone110]

What about the difference with noise levels between both devices?

I have been researching both of these since DOS was released and it was clear to me that the LMIII is virtually silent. All of the threads and video I have seen on DOS show that it can be loud during its cycles. Not sure if this can be tweaked doing shorter intervals?

Also, what about maintenance? Not sure about DOS, but the LMIII requires simple cleaning, inspection, and regular tube replacement to keep it running smoothly.

I made the decision and plumbed a LMIII for AWC into my 250G system and it has worked flawlessly and barely audible. The lack of noise factor is an important issue, so its something to keep in mind. LMIII also has a solid track record. I am an Apex user, but still went with the LMIII.

Honestly, I don't think you can lose with either of these, both are great advancements in the hobby.

The recent price reduction of DOS, is another advantage for those who are more cost conscious.

[Aero175]

I just purchased an Apex, and a DOS pump. I am going to use this for water changes. I will be brining water up to the second floor about 12 feet, and over about 15-20 feet. Where do I need to place the pump, at the tank or by my water vats?

What about the waste water coming out of the tank. Will it cause a siphon through the DOS with it staying submerged all the time? The water will be draining back in the basement by the vats of water, so down 12 feet. I know it is a parasitic pump, and I know it should not do this, but I have read some old posts from guys that had this happen. Could I install a solenoid on the waste water line? if so what do you recommend?

Thanks for the info!

[Member No. 1]

Originally Posted by teebone110

What about the difference with noise levels between both devices? Litermeter is relatively quiet. You know when the DOS is running.

I have been researching both of these since DOS was released and it was clear to me that the LMIII is virtually silent. All of the threads and video I have seen on DOS show that it can be loud during its cycles. Not sure if this can be tweaked doing shorter intervals? Based on how much you need to dose per day, how many hours per day you want the dosing to occur, Fusion will automatically set speed, per dose amount, and how frequent it doses.

Also, what about maintenance? Not sure about DOS, but the LMIII requires simple cleaning, inspection, and regular tube replacement to keep it running smoothly. Basically the same. My DOS has been running daily doing AWC of 6L (~1.5 gal) since May, and other than checking calibration once in a while, I haven't done any maintenance.

I made the decision and plumbed a LMIII for AWC into my 250G system and it has worked flawlessly and barely audible. The lack of noise factor is an important issue, so its something to keep in mind. LMIII also has a solid track record. I am an Apex user, but still went with the LMIII. I've had my LMIII for over 10 years. Never had an issue.

Honestly, I don't think you can lose with either of these, both are great advancements in the hobby.

The recent price reduction of DOS, is another advantage for those who are more cost conscious.

[Member No. 1]

Originally Posted by Aero175

I just purchased an Apex, and a DOS pump. I am going to use this for water changes. I will be brining water up to the second floor about 12 feet, and over about 15-20 feet. Where do I need to place the pump, at the tank or by my water vats? I do this with the same basic amount of run & rise. Mine is mounted in my stand. No problems.

What about the waste water coming out of the tank. Will it cause a siphon through the DOS with it staying submerged all the time? The water will be draining back in the basement by the vats of water, so down 12 feet. I know it is a parasitic pump, and I know it should not do this, but I have read some old posts from guys that had this happen. Could I install a solenoid on the waste water line? if so what do you recommend? I was concerned with this also, so I installed a siphon break. A very simple device, no moving parts, no electricity, no headaches. I'm at work, but I will post a pic tonight to explain how.

Thanks for the info!

[teebone110]

thanks Member No. 1 for your feedback about DOS, its great to get this from an actual user of the product

I have my LMIII pulling and pushing from 100 ft away with a rise of about 8 feet, including countless twists and turns

[jason2459]

I'd be interested in seeing that siphon break. I imagine it's just a long tube up from a T off? I thought I might have had a siphon recently or a stuck on pump from my litermeter III but it was neither. The LM3 has been solid for me so far and I found it easy to calibrate. Its not silent but it is fairly quite. The three rollers prevent a siphon a lot better then a two roller peristaltic pump. I've heard of some people having an issue with two rollers allowing a siphon to pass through when they are in just the right position.

I would like to have something like the DOS though that's more integrated into the Apex for my AWC. For regular dosing like my vinegar or limewater regular and cheaper stand alone pumps seem to work just fine on a timed outlet.

If I had the room I would love the Renew system.

[Member No. 1]

I will post a picture tonight for those interested.

[Member No. 1]

As promised.
This could be made with a short length of ½"-1" dia pvc, with one end capped. In the capped end, you will need a fitting to attach your waste hose that goes to your basement, storage container, or whatever/however you get rid of the waste water. The fitting can be a push barb, ¼" John Guest, doesn't matter, your choice.
The key is this is positioned above the waterline of your sump. Then the waste line from the DOS goes into open the top a few inches. How this works is since the waste line ends above the water line, a siphon can't start. The water runs into the pipe and then drains out the bottom to waste. I have mine hanging over the sump just in case there ever was a back up it would drip into the sump and not on the floor. I've been using this since I first started using the DOS and I've never had an issue with it.
My DOS is mounted above this, but it will still work if it's mounted below the sump. Key is the end of the line has to be above the sumps water level.
Here is a pic of mine, I was going to go with the pvc, but when I was going thru my box of fittings, I found an old Red Sea Air Dryer that I once used on a Red Sea Ozone Generator. It's clear, one end was glued on, and already had a hose fitting.

[jason2459]

Great idea thanks for sharing. I have one of those air dryers for a red Sea ozone generator somewhere too. I have accumulated way to much junk.

[Aero175]

Thanks for the picture!

[Fishbulb2]

I know this is a really old thread, but I thought I would weigh in anyways as I was just looking for similar info. I own two DOS systems, one for the AWC and the other for Ca and Alk. I also end a ton of other Neptune equipment and really love it. Fusion is truly amazing and so easy to use. However, my wife put her foot down on the noise of the DOS. Both of them are quite loud when running. I was changing 3.8 liters a day for the water change and it was pretty unbearable. Though the interface and set up was incredibly easy and cool. I got a new liter meter 3 and it is so much quieter. Obviously I would love to control it through the Fusion system, but that isn't going to work. Over all, I think if noise is a concern, I would definitely recommend the liter meter over the DOS overtime. Both are really high quality pumps and have their trade offs. The only thing I do not like about the liter meter is the calibration process. Talk about backwards. You have to tell the liter meter when it has filled 500 mls. So if your tubing runs halfway across the house like mine, it's a two person job where one person yells across the house to another person to push a button on the liter meter once it has pumped 500 mls. The DOS system is much better where it tries to pump 40 mls and you can calmly enter the amount the pump has actually dispensed. Anyways, that's now my experience with these two pumps. Both nice, but couldn't use the DOS because of the noise. The liter meter is not a bad compromise. It's really a beautiful pump.

Cheers,
FB

[NATCAP_Reefer]

Originally Posted by slief

I ran a Litermeter III for automatic water changes for years. It worked well but if the Dos was out, that would have been my choice over the LM III. If you have an Apex, it's a no brainier. The Dos will change water faster, give you better control from the same interface you are already using for your Apex. It will be easier to manage, easier to calibrate and is designed to be used as an AWC by simply setting it up that way. With the LM III, you will need to convert ml to gallons and regular calibrations are a bit more complicated. As much as I like the LM III, if you have an Apex, the Dos will be a much better solution for the task at hand. While I use a Genesis Renew for my AWC now, I have a Dos that I use for other duties and it's truly a great solution. I think you will be very happy with the Dos and it will much easier to control and manage. That's not to say the LM III is difficult to use because it's not but the Dos coupled with Fusion and setting it up for AWC really doesn't get any easier.