My inexpensive drip system
- Thread starter rallysman
- Start date
This is a very cool idea, think I will attempt it myself. I see a possible problem though, correct me if I'm wrong.
Say you are out of the house for a couple of hours, and there is a power failure. The main pump shuts down and the water overflowing from the tank and backflowing from the returns (if you don't have a check valve) will cause the water to rise in the sump. This excess water will drain out the drip overflow in the sump. Then when the power returns won't the pump suck air and burn up?
Say you are out of the house for a couple of hours, and there is a power failure. The main pump shuts down and the water overflowing from the tank and backflowing from the returns (if you don't have a check valve) will cause the water to rise in the sump. This excess water will drain out the drip overflow in the sump. Then when the power returns won't the pump suck air and burn up?
Drilled sump for overflow drain:
With a solenoid valve installed in the sump overflow, one would be wise to install one in the fresh water supply also if you anticipate being gone more than a day or two.
If a power surge (lightning etc...) causes the circuit breaker that powers the aquarium to kick, or in the event of a long term power failure, or some other unforeseen pump failure, you would definitely want the drip to stop.
But man unless a we can find a cheaper alternative, this $hit could hurt the wallet big time. I plan on occasionally being gone for maybe a week at a time, so a drip system like this would be awesome for my fish.
There are some fairly good automatic feeders out there, and checking in a couple of times during the week isn't too much to ask of a friend. There is just too much that can go wrong when you expect someone not familiar with the hobby to do a water change though.
I already have my aquarium plumbed to a high tech Rubbermaid reservoir with a pump and a drain to the outside. Water changes are a breeze for me, but I cringe at the thought of what could happen if a friend left the wrong valve open by accident. This drip system is the answer for me, I just hope I don't have to shell out mega bucks to make it full proof.
If a power surge (lightning etc...) causes the circuit breaker that powers the aquarium to kick, or in the event of a long term power failure, or some other unforeseen pump failure, you would definitely want the drip to stop.
But man unless a we can find a cheaper alternative, this $hit could hurt the wallet big time. I plan on occasionally being gone for maybe a week at a time, so a drip system like this would be awesome for my fish.
There are some fairly good automatic feeders out there, and checking in a couple of times during the week isn't too much to ask of a friend. There is just too much that can go wrong when you expect someone not familiar with the hobby to do a water change though.
I already have my aquarium plumbed to a high tech Rubbermaid reservoir with a pump and a drain to the outside. Water changes are a breeze for me, but I cringe at the thought of what could happen if a friend left the wrong valve open by accident. This drip system is the answer for me, I just hope I don't have to shell out mega bucks to make it full proof.
