Auto top off????

[pilot_bell777]

Does anyone know where I can get a GOOD float swith?

I purchased three of these and all of them quit working after five minutes.
http://www.floatswitches.net/floatswitch.html

I am building an AutoTopOff system and so far there is no AUTO to the thing.

JB
:-D

[brewercm]

Yep, those are cr@p in my opinion. Mine froze into the auto on position or auto off within minutes of using it. Don't remember which myself but the guy said that the wattage of my pump was too much (Rio 600) for this switch.

[pilot_bell777]

Ya that is what he told me too.....so what CAN you run with these? He also said that he has had NO other customers complain about them.

[wkopplin]

The Tunze Osmollator. Expensive, but well worth the $. Has a high and low switch built in and it works very well.

[pilot_bell777]

I have a pump, bucket, tubing, hanger, etc......ALL I need it the float switch to cut the power when the water is at the level that I want it. I even have a little holder for the float switch built, just need a FLOAT SWITCH!!!! I have been all over Austin looking for one, anyone have any ideas (Stores or Internet Sites)

[wkopplin]

Ultralife float switches are good. Premium Aquatics carries them.

[matt]

There's a guy named Louey who was in the MACO course I took who was designing float switches back then. You might do a search on reefs.org to see if he ever got it going. Remembering that guy, I would guess that the switches would be VERY high quality if he ever got them off the ground.

[Tim Marvin]

Tunze makes a good system called the osmoregulator, or you can set-up an R/O unit in the garage and use a simple Kent float valve. The line can be fished under the carpet to your tank since it is so close to the garage.

[reefer]

i'm running a reeffanatic auto top off and a aquamedic sp-3000 pump, and i am very happy with the purchase, haven't had any issues.

[kaiser]

try www.autotopoff.com

[samiam_orami]

The float switches I used were the Madison M8000
available at Grainger or McMaster

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?xi=xi&ItemId=1611760105&ccitem=

[R_S_C]

pilot_bell, prof and i were going to order some of the float switches sams talking about. if you want some let me know and we'll put in the order to save on shipping.

[kaiser]

Those floatswitches look just like these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20758&item=4319358 968

[pilot_bell777]

PM Sent R S C...... or I can run by Grainger and see if they have any in stock?

[brewercm]

They probably are the same style, just check the wattage they are set to run at.

[bozack]

After seeing Tim's Tunze top off that's the way I am planning to go, just looking for a place with the best prices to get the Tunze stuff now.

[pilot_bell777]

Ya, Tim won't ever let me come in his house and see his setup. JJ Tim! All though...... I have been over there several times and never seen more than the garage! LOL

[Brett Wilson]

The Tunze osmolator is the best top off unit I have ever seen or used.
Sorry to be so extreme but I really feel strongly that it is.
I have one and would like a second for my other tank some day....
-Brett

[pilot_bell777]

I got this float switch working......I found one like it and it was rated for 120Volts, and 30 Watts. I looked at my pump and it was 24 Watts. I tested it with that pump and this thing works great. I guess my other pump was too big. The auto top off system is auto now!

[NaCl_H2O]

Those look like the same float switches used for the Reef Fantastic (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RF-RFLC&Category_Code=Dosers) level controller I bought from Premium Aquatics. Mine seems to work fine with a MAG5 pump. But I think this controller is passing very low current through the switch, and switching the pump with other circuitry.

[Fairweather]

my 2 cent. . . . on my fish only at Tractor Supply (you should have one in your area) $8.99 you get an all plastic float bobber operated (like a toilet bobber) in the Bovine/equine section it uses a 5/8 regular garden hose adapter to operate BUT you want to get a pvc fitting to put a 1/4 Jaco type fitting in the fill end just plug your 1/4" line into it adjust brackets to you water level and presto !!! I have found the water level no even to fluctuate 1/16 of an inch it stays ROCK STEADY and for an added bonus for $9.99 you go to the plumbing dept at Tractor Supply and get an inline water filter good for 25,000 gallons it removes any metals in the water, these are commonly used for icemaker filters and undersink water filters. So for under 25 bucks you have a water top off system that wont let you down. hope someone can use the info! Thanks

[bprewit]

The cheap little plastic float switches work great but only with very very low wattage. I have been using one for a few months with no problems whatsoever but I use it to close a 120V relay that operates my make-up water pump. Radio Shack and any electical supply business carry 8-pin 120V relays. Use the float switch to complete the circut on the coil side of the relay and then let the relay contacts handle operating the pump.

[bumpintj24]

i have one of the floatswitches.net and have had it running for about a month now with no negative effects. Went to wal-mart and bought a cheap pump, dual pump, used a t to make them pump air through one air tube and wamo. Works like a charm. a $15 auto-top off.

[Tim Marvin]

Tunze Osmoregulator.

[cpreefguy]

www.californiareefs.com all the way, thats where I got mine from and love it!
Cameron is a really nice guy to deal with also, check it out.

[btacker]

Anyone using this floatswitch?

http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=8&paID=1039&sonID=214&productID=20 17

[Shark_Bait]

I have 2 of the one's kaiser linked to. they have both worked great with no problems.
just my two cents.

[Tim Marvin]

Kaiser?

[Shark_Bait]

yea. He linked to some on eBay on the first page of this thread. I got them from the same guy cpreefguy did. They work great.