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Since installing the fans on the top of the aquarium, the system evaporates something less than 30 liters per day. I replace this with water from a SpectraPure RO/DI. The unit also has a small drinking-water tank and spigot on the sink, which I use to rinse things like test kits, and to get drinks when I'm in there working!
Why all the complexity? Safety is king! If the level switch in the reservoir fails, the reservoir bucket overflows and runs down the floor drain. No big deal. If the float switch in the sump fails, the LiterMeter pumps the full 30 liters per day, causing a gradual rise in the sump level which I will see after a day or two, before any real salinity change. If the LiterMeter goes crazy and starts pumping constantly despite the float switch and the meter setting, the mechanical float switch will cut off the flow when the sump is filled, with only a very slight decrease in salinity. The only way I can flood my aquarium with fresh water is to have the level switch, the mechanical float valve, AND the LiterMeter all fail at the same time!
The reservoir bucket is also a convenient way to add things - I usually add kalkwasser this way, dumping several teaspoons into the bucket every day or so. As the water is pumped out, the concentration of kalk drops, but who cares - that's what I have the reactor for. The kalkwasser just helps stabilize the pH a bit. Lately, I've been forgetting to add kalk, so the pH drops to 8.0 in the morning and rises to 8.25 by the end of the photoperiod. I use a Pinpoint pH monitor.
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The RO/DI unit puts
water into a white 5-gallon bucket I use as a reservoir. there is a level-switch
to keep the reservoir bucket full. I have a LiterMeter dosing pump (hiding on
the floor next to the orange bucket) that pumps the water from the reservoir
bucket to the sump. The LiterMeter is set to 30 liters per day, which is
slightly more than evaporation. A second level switch in the sump controls the
LiterMeter, so it shuts off when the sump is full. A mechanical float switch
also protects the sump as a redundant safety.
The float switch in
the picture works on the principle that as the water level rises, the air in the
hollow tube (with its end in the water) becomes more pressurized as the water
pushes against it. The deeper the tube is in the water, the higher the pressure.
The airline tubing transfers that increased air pressure to a switch built into
the unit.