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View Full Version : Salt & Water Hooking up a RO unit to a sump: A recipe for disaster


melev
05-23-2007, 01:14 AM
This is an article that I wrote, which is in the current issue of Reefkeeping Online:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/ml/index.php

Hope it helps keep your reefs safe. :)
cweber
05-23-2007, 08:13 AM
Excellent article! I need to do this on my tank.
Sweetpea
05-25-2007, 03:29 PM
I run my RO unit from the kitchen sink and set a timer to remind me when to turn off the faucet. There have been a number of times when I was in another part of the house when the timer went off, and I returned 10-15 minutes later to find my kitchen floor covered in water. As a result, a 15ft. section of the wood floor has become warped and will eventually need to be replaced. (The edges of some of the boards stick up far enough to snag holes in your socks!)

I will definitely look into that garden hose timer... I imagine there is a way I could rig it to my setup. Any device that can help me and my forgetful brain avoid disaster is worth it!

Thanks for posting such a helpful article!
melev
05-26-2007, 12:59 AM
If you placed that container in the sink, as it overflows the water would go down the drain.

At a store like Harbor Freight, you can buy a screamer that will wail when its contacts sense moisture. You have to have the probe at the first spot water collects to get quick notification though.
Sweetpea
05-26-2007, 08:48 AM
If you placed that container in the sink, as it overflows the water would go down the drain.

I found out the hard way that I'm not strong enough to lift the filled container up and out of the sink. Being a few inches taller would help too, but what's a gal to do? :cool:

I have heard about the screamer and think it's a great idea, especially if something were to go wrong with a tank during the night!
melev
05-27-2007, 02:32 AM
So buy the screamer, and get a large planter saucer (drip tray) to put that jug or bucket in. Place the probe in the saucer. If the jug overflows, the saucer catches the water and the screamer reminds you to get back in there and turn off the RO/DI unit. I believe you could do this for under $15.
Sweetpea
05-27-2007, 09:45 AM
Sounds like a plan! Thanks! :)