My DIY Drip System/Water Changer

[dragonfish1ca]

Hey pharaoh,
I used a 1/4 inch ball valve inline, and another ball valve from my laundry room tap and both are set at about 1/4 pressure. Before i added the nipple it trickled out of the 1/4 inch tubing so i figure it was about the same as a regulator.... I couldnt find one i was comfortable with and the hydro shop i bought the nipples from said they were good for standard pressure with the diaphrams ect. Seems ok but a 1gph nipple still does 2.5 gph lol..... i had to try it with a 5 gal pail. 1 hour...half full.
Im going to be adding another tank to my drip in the future and there is no hole in the sump so I will have to start looking for a float of some kind, any ideas where to start?

 

[dragonfish1ca]

Also, What ballpark did they give you for change out time on the filters? they said 4-6 months..... thats too vauge for me

 

[Pharaoh]

Sounds like you still have too much pressure on the drip emitters. Water will force it's way through if the pressure is too high.

Check Jehmco for float swithces and float valves. I'll see if I can dig up the other couple of sources I had.

They state that the filter is rated for right at 5,000 gallons before needing to be serviced.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

Question!

So I'm right to assume the drain part of your design is you have a Overflow in you sump that connects to a drain to prevent flooding etc.

Darwins design icludes one in the tank, you don't need that right? The sump over flow should handle things right?!

I want to do this for my sump system it will handle 400 gallons of aquarium and I want to keep it in tip top shape.

 

[Pharaoh]

Yep. The sump is drilled and has a line running to the drain. The thing with doing it this way is that you have to run a higher level of water in the sump in case of a power outage. If the sump level increases, the water will drain out. You need to make sure the drain is high enough to allow the whole system to start back up without running the pump dry.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

Ok, so I may have to have a second tub just to meet the volume requirements of my sump resivoir

 

[Pharaoh]

Not necessarily. If you don't have a lot of plumbing, the water might just need to be an inch or two higher depending on how big the tub is.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

I got the largest tub at taget, and there is tons of plumbing since the sump will service 10 tanks: 2 x 100 G. 2 X 40 G. 6 X 20 G.

 

[Pharaoh]

Set up the system before doing the drip. Find out what water level you have to have for your system to restart. Then, set your overflow to that level.

 

[Low Budget]

WOW!! What an awesome thread exactly what I am looking to do for my new 180g setup.

This is what I was thinking for my setup please let me know of any flaws you see.

180g drains to 55g sump w/ 40# ceramic rings
55g sump has a 1" hole drilled in the side w/ bulkhead ( near the top)
This hole is plumbed into the house drain
Incoming water T'ed off from cold water
Inline whole house filter output goes electronic sprinkler valve
Sprinkler valve output to shut off valve used for a fridge water supply 1/4" flex output (the clear tube type)

A couple of questions

Where should I put the return water? Into the tank or the sump?
I live in MI I am worried about the cold winter water that would be coming in. Would hot water be better to use?

I plan to use mine how you are using yours. Setting the sprinkler timer for scheduled water changed.

Amy thoughts?