A Cautionary Tale...

[billdogg]

NEVER NEVER NEVER get so complacent that you think nothing can possibly go wrong. The perfect storm can ruin any of us, and almost got me after more than 25 years.

Here is my story. Take from it what you will.

I do not trust automatic anything. No auto feeder. No auto water change. Certainly no ATO. But I have also been doing this long enough that I want to make it all as easy on me as I can so here is how I handle top-offs and water changes.

When I set up my current system, I hard plumbed a 3/4" PVC line from my 55g mixing barrel in the basement up to the wall behind the DT that ends at a PVC spigot that overhangs the sump. It has a short lenght of vinyl tubing that extends down into the water to minimize splashing. There is a Mag18 in the barrel that connects to the PVC. There is also a couple of T's in the line to supply the frag tank and a fill up station in the basement fish room. It is controlled by a remote control switch that I keep upstairs for easy access.

I turn on the pump, open the spigot, and top off the tank. Close the spigot and turn off the pump using the remote. Easy Peasy. Can't possibly fail.

Sure it can't.

Here's the perfect storm that got me. I topped off last night and as I was doing so, got called in to work - I work in the Cath Lab and somebody was having a Heart Attack, so off I went. I of course first closed the spigot and turned off the pump (or so I thought). Today about 4pm, my wife (who thankfully works at home) called because the inside the stand water alarm was going off and the sump was overflowing. I came home and cleaned up the mess. About 20g of fresh water went into the system (~140g total volume). Dropped the sg from 1.025 to 1.020. Luckily enough, all seems fine.

Here's how it happened - I must have forgotten to shut off the pump in my rush to get to the hospital last night. In the past, closing the spigot had prevented any problems. This time, however, there was just enough gunk built up on the sealing surfaces to keep it from closing completely, allowing a small trickle to go into the sump.

To keep this from happening again, I first replaced the spigot. I will be putting a small hole (anti-siphon) in the vinyl tubing from the spigot to the sump to allow any water in it to drain out. That should (I hope) prevent the buildup of gunk so that the next time the pump remains on, it won't try to fill my living room with fresh water.


REMEMBER - IF IT CAN FAIL, IT WILL! Be prepared, try to think of all the ways it might fail, and stay vigilant!

[SBV]

Nothing is completely fail safe. After being in this hobby over 12 years now if I don't double check myself daily I screw up. Then after I double check stuff still happens or I forget. My wife works in the cath lab as well. Never know when the phone will ring when she is off.

[spiraling]

Great reminder! I'm glad everything worked out well enough.

Would more automation have helped you? such as if you had a salinity drop or a leak you would turn off the ATO and possibly others?

I'm just asking because I don't have much automation on my tank and would think more would be better for not ruining my floors {again}

[salty joe]

Originally Posted by billdogg

NEVER NEVER NEVER get so complacent

This time, however, there was just enough gunk built up on the sealing surfaces to keep it from closing completely, allowing a small trickle to go into the sump.

stay vigilant!

Unless the gunk was sand or something gritty that scratched the valve surfaces, I don't see how it caused a leak. I'm thinking slime goo biofilm that seems should get squished out the way by the mating surfaces of a plastic valve.

Agree 100% on keeping your eye on things as well as using water alarms.

[johnike]

So you pulled a John then?

[Sonyardo]

Glad you dodged the bullet

[Jscwerve]

Being as it is what I do for a living, I am a big advocate for automation.

Although I just got a controller purpose built for aquariums, most of my other equipment I made automatic controls for. (like I said, automation is my bread and butter so to speak).

A properly working control system is 99.9% more reliable than a human for 99.9% of the time. I am not saying that all control systems are perfect. Everything has the possibility of component failure and you are relying on someone else's programming.

I would be willing to bet that there are just as many "thank god I had a controller" threads about people's tanks as there are "my (insert component here) failed and crashed my entire system" threads.

Glad you avoided tragedy this time. It could have been avoided with a tiny bit of automated safety built into your system. A float switch and relay to turn off the pump. A simple timer on the outlet so that if you forgot to turn it off it would do so automatically, etc.

REMEMBER - IF IT CAN FAIL, IT WILL!

"It" did not fail. The human factor is what failed.

I guess the term "complacency kills" is applicable to aquariums as well as firearms!!