Tunze ATO Keeps filling after it turns off

[fltekdiver]

Hey guy's, can't seem to figure this out

I have my Tunze 3155 ATO controlled through my Apex. It turns on every 6 hours for 3 min, then the Apex shut's down the outlet it's plugged into. Most of the time it runs for less then a min to top off

After it top's off , it keep siphoning and keeps flowing. It's enough that it concerns me

You'll see in the pic's, the right tank is my 20 Gallon high top off tank, the middle tank is my 40 gallon breeder which consist of my return pump, and skimmer , and the left tank is my 20 gallon high Refugium

As you can see, my configuration has been up and running now 8 months, and lowering the top off tank is not an option

You'll see the first pic, the black line to the left half way up is my top off line, you can see how much more it fills past it. Problem is, after 4-5 cycles every 6 hours, it's up over my overfill sensor

Thanks for the help

[knap_123]

Try adding a siphon break on the line for ato tank. Do it so the water will go back in the top off water. You can see here on mine I have it just under the lid. I poked a hole in the tube and used a airline t fitting. Cut one end off and filled it with silicone. So the water falls down into the water. My ato kept siphoning and overfilling. This fixed the problem for me.

[All__talk]

The end of the ATO output tubing needs to be out of the water and above the reservoir. In you case you could mount it a bit above the sump edge and let it drop in or maybe feed it into a larger diameter length of PVC pipe with a open top.

Another option would be to do what I did and run the fill line up and dump it into the overflow.

Gary

[fltekdiver]

I have it at the top of the tank ( the output ) see pics

[Boboli]

Just put your top off line higher than the highest level of water in your top off tank.
Run your top off line to the display tank overflow. It will can not siphon up higher than the top off tank water level.

[fltekdiver]

I run a Herbie over flow, I'm not sure if that's a good idea?

So your saying leave the optical eye in the sump, but run the line upto the DT overflow?

[All__talk]

Originally Posted by fltekdiver

I run a Herbie over flow, I'm not sure if that's a good idea?

So your saying leave the optical eye in the sump, but run the line upto the DT overflow?

That's how mine is plumbed.

[fltekdiver]

Ok thanks, are you guys running Herbie Style plumbing ?

[Dapg8gt]

I would use the pvc pipe mentioned earlier. Just stub a piece up to the underside of the stand and discharge the top off into it. If it's higher than the holding tank there is no way for it to siphon. It will look clean and function perfect imo.

Why do you turn you Ozmolator on and off? That's gotta be putting unneeded stress on at least the power supply and I'm sure the unit itself. I think the beauty of the tunze is it keeps the water so stable by itself. I get maybe 1/4" drop at most between fills Only time I turn mine off is in my water change code for my controller.

And imo running it into your herbie will cause overflow noise every time it turn on if you have your herbie running as most recommend with the dry sandpipe elevated out of the water. That sorta built in alarm that's supposed to let you know something is wrong will be sounding numerous times a day jmo. Maybe dropping your level in your overflow will remedy that though

[fltekdiver]

Ok, yes, I run the Herbie with the dry stand pipes. I'm running a Herbie in each Weir

I use the Apex to turn it on and off every 6 hour's, so if the Tunze would fail, It wouldn't dump 20 gallons into the sump

Also, by turning it on and off every 6 hours, it turns on and runs for a min, and shuts off

If I plug the Tunze into a live outlet all the time, it will keep turning on and off every 1/2 hour or so.

I'm not following the PVC pipe idea?

So run the discharge hose up along the bottom of the stand, into a 90 which is PVC pointed down to the sump, and discharge it their, way above the sump?

[Dapg8gt]

You just run the pvc into the water so you don't hear the splashing so much. You could probably use 1/2" piece stubbed up from just below the water line in the sump chamber up to where your discharge from the tunze is.

I made a siphon break for my avast kalk stirrer out of a tee in the line with a piece of dry tube running up to the higher point. It worked as planned for the time I used it. The key is to have either the discharge (end of the tunze hose) or a part of it (tee fitting with open tube for a vent) higher than your highest point of your 20g. You just want air to break the siphon when the pump shuts off.

[fltekdiver]

If you use a TEE , wouldn't the pump pump water through the tee up and out both ends of the TEE ?

I'm sorry, I'm still lost on the PVC idea?

I just lay the line in a vertical PC of 1/2" PVC, above the 20g tank, let it pump into a open PC of PVC and 90 it down into the sump from up high?

[Dapg8gt]

Water will always find the path of least resistance so by running the tee in the line and a tube that has a higher elevation than the tube running into the sump the water is going to use gravity and flow down vs up . If your concerned about it you can run more tube than is needed and coil it up on the underside of your stand. All your trying to accomplish is a siphon break . when the pump shuts off it will suck air from that line causing any siphon to break..

Making sure the discharge tube is not submerged in the water is mostly all that is needed as long as the pump inside the reservoir is not higher than the water in the sump Ime. But being that your Ato tank is so tall it may need to be altered with one of the examples given above by myself and others.

For the pvc idea is to just run the pvc into the sump straight up and down and put your tube into the top of it at a height taller than the highest point of the Ato tank and your golden. If the smaller tube is going into a larger pipe there is no way for it to siphon Back into the reservoir because the pvc will be full of air.

Hard for me to explain but just researching siphon break here or on Google will lead you to understanding the concept.

[All__talk]

Picture = 1000 Words
(excuse the crude drawing)

[fltekdiver]

Originally Posted by All__talk

Picture = 1000 Words
(excuse the crude drawing)

LOL, that easy ! Geez, I can't believe I missed the boat on that one!

Got it, I'll stop at Home Depot now and get what I need thanks !

[McPuff]

I agree with earlier post... just run the ATO by itself and not through the controller. There's really no need. My water level does not deviate by more than 1/8" and it does not run every 1/2 hour either. When I first got my osmolator I had the same problem of siphoning and just made it so the output tube was higher than the water level in the reservoir. Easy fix.

[zoomonster]

I just got a Tunze for my current project and it will definitely have a siphon break of some sort. But I have to agree with running it on the Apex which I'm going to do. ATO is one of the riskiest components of any system. Best, better or worst equipment and they can and likely will eventually fail. Automation, especially ATO, should have redundant control (granted Tunze has sensor and mechanical). Its been some years but I had an ATO (don't recall brand but one of the old air tube models but top of line at time) fail and pump 55+ gallons of fresh RO water into a system that held about 130 gallons tank + sump. That did not end well... fortunately the sump overflowed and it was in the basement. At least this build the system will be about 235 gallons and ATO capacity only about 5-7g since it will all need to be contained in stand. So really that leaves me with 4 levels of safety. The eye, the switch, the apex and out of water.

[rocsec1]

Mine drips a. Little as long as the water level in my container is higher then the water level in my sump. I can't do anything about it but the way to stop is to raise the container

[Dapg8gt]

I totally agree on allowing the tunze to control the Ato. Why pay a premium price for the features if you aren't going to use it. say you don't need the sump topped off when you activate the unit it's going to run for 10 seconds every time it's powered on so that multiple times a day may skew things and drive your salinity down.

I'm all for redundancy honestly but I feel the tunze isn't the best choice to be run off of a controller since it has one built in that is meant to fail in the off position if it does fail.. I would think running the optical eye dry daily could cause salt build up on it and cause it to malfunction. Might be a good thing to ask in the tunze forum.

Imo your approach could be done with a break out box and a few standard float switches and be cheaper and more suited to running the way you guys are seeking. That is just my opinion though =).

I also have never had an uncontrollable drip or siphon that was not remedied easily with my Ozmolator or Ato's in general and I've had 2 generations of them on multiple tanks. Siphon breaks work, along with having the discharge higher than your supply tank. Honestly you could run a reservoir above your dt with a functioning siphon break and it will fill the sump and not drip, leak or siphon. But to each his own and there is many ways to run a tank and spend the money to get there =)

[LoneStar45]

My ATO kept filling my sump after the pump turned off when I put the pump in a 44 gallon brute trash can before I left for vacation. Apparently the 4 ft rise in the head pressure created a suction.

[LQT]

With any ATO that uses a centrifugal pump, the outlet of the ATO fill tube into the sump must always be higher than the water level in the ATO reservoir or a siphon will occur when the ATO pumps shut off.