24/7 water changes (neoprodigy style)

[benzjamin13]

Awesome job!

 

[dmopar74]

They work more by water flow/pressure against them than by gravity. Any water flowing in the wrong direction will put pressure against the flapper, closing it. Even if the flapper is hanging down. Many of them also contain springs to help close the flapper in case of water flow the wrong direction.

Awesome job! If I knew I were staying in my house more than another year, I'd probably do this myself!

thanks for letting a journeyman plumber know how a check valve works. theres a right and a wrong way to install them, this way is just plain wrong.

im not rippin on harleyk, just letting him know.

 

[Ashlee]

Impressive.. I'd really like to talk my boyfriend into doing something like this. How's it working for you so far?

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

Thanks for the kind words everyone

are you dosing the tank volume with the doser & prime or only the amount for the incoming water volume?

I am only dosing incoming water with Prime. Treated water entering the tank will have the required 5 mg/200L Prime in it

do you have chloramines?

Yes. 0.09-2.2 ppm according to my local water company's water quality report.

How long has it been set up ? Have the nitrates gone down much ?

I took it into operation on Wednesday. As for the nitrates, I haven't measured since then, but I'll measure again this weekend...

they have a flapper in them, when they are pointed down the flapper is held open by gravity.

Exactly. I decided against the one with a spring because my outlet would not achieve enough pressure to open it. Now, as you said, the flapper is open by gravity. I absolutely see your point. However, the flapper is also buoyant. Thus, any water that fills up the pipe and rises into the valve will close the flapper as the flapper will float on the rising water. I evaluated several different models at Lowes and Home Depot, and I have to agree that not all of them would close the way I installed mine. Matter of fact, my installation may not be the way a pro does it. However, I ran the laundry machine tonight and watched the overflows on the drain (i.e. pump) cycle of the laundry machine, and everything is good. No backwash. That, at the end of the day, is what matters to me. It might be that the valve works, it might be that I wouldn't have needed the valve at all.

you are using the faucet to control your drip? do you have any way to adjust the amount you are dripping or do you just eye ball it?

Yes, I use the faucet to adjust it. And a bucket and a stop watch. I adjusted it to 2.2 gal/h tonight. It's not easy to fine-tune, but then, once the flow is set I am not planning on messing with it much ...

How's it working for you so far?

I'm a happy camper just watching it drip, knowing that I have not plans for tomorrow morning other than possibly watching it drip some more. I had serious water issues with plants, shrimp, Endlers and even snails showing effects. It's too early to tell anything after only a few days. But I'll keep y'all posted.


HarleyK

 

[tcarswell]

Hey , do you have any more dynamite so I can blast a hole the size of the one in pic #3??


I kid I kid , sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[Krawnik]

Looks awesome. Helluva time saver, and I'm sure it'll make the fish happy.

 

[T1KARMANN]

if it wasnt RO i wanted is it possable just to run a HMA filter

 

[dannieman]

damn jealous... you no longer need a bucket unlike the rest of us lol

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

How long has it been set up ? Have the nitrates gone down much ?

Today is day 4. Nitrates are at 10-20 mg/L, perfect for my planted tank I also realized the my iron is down to zero, I'll have to dose fertilizers a bit more now ...

Hey , do you have any more dynamite so I can blast a hole the size of the one in pic #3??

LOL. That happens if you try to make due with the tools you have on hand. I drilled holes with a long but small diameter drill bit, thought I could just perforate the cinder block in a triangle and then push thru. Not so. A large bit finally made all the difference in the world, with precision and no mess.

HarleyK

 

[tcarswell]

Howdy,



Today is day 4. Nitrates are at 10-20 mg/L, perfect for my planted tank I also realized the my iron is down to zero, I'll have to dose fertilizers a bit more now ...



LOL. That happens if you try to make due with the tools you have on hand. I drilled holes with a long but small diameter drill bit, thought I could just perforate the cinder block in a triangle and then push thru. Not so. A large bit finally made all the difference in the world, with precision and no mess.

HarleyK

I absolutely know the feeling. I tried to cut a return air in a finished homes main hallway once but I only had a nasty sawzall blade
Looks great man your nitrates dropped that fast!!