JBJ ATO - Anyone have it?

I am looking for some people that have the JBJ ATO unit and would like some feedback on it.

How does it work?
Are you happy with it?
Is it failsafe?
Is it hard to setup?
What pump are you using with it?
Would you recommend it?

Maybe even post a picture of the setup!!!

Thanks!

 

I just picked up that unit about a month ago.
It comes with two float sensors, 2 sets of brackets that clip on the rim of your tank and hangs down into your with circle nudges that u hook the float sensor to, the control box, and a suction cup (if you dont use the brackets).
it's works fine, still been fine tuning my evap. rate/temp. not hard to setup (three diff. ways), i'm using a rio ..umm i forget a small one, I'd recommend it, beats having to fill'er up! lol

i'll see if i can get a pic up of my set up or if you want me to go in detail just let me know

SR

 

I've had mine a long time and it works great. I would recommend it.
None of them are fail safe... but a lot of that depends on the operator to keep it reasonable clean and secured where the wires and hose is not hindered.

 

I bought mine about a month ago also. It works great and like Av8Bluewater said, a lot depends on the operator. If you check it daily, you should have no problems with it. I like it. Also, your a Yankee fan as I am. I could not possibly steer you wrong. Go Yankees!

 

I have been using (2) for about 3 months now and really like them. The only thing I do not like is the color so I painted it black . I use in a 5 gallon bucket with hole in the middle top of the lid (for the pump to bring RO/DI to tank) with the sensor in the sump. Very easy to setup. You can use the second sensor in the bucket to prevent burning out your pump if it runs out of water. If you check on regular basis you should be fine.

 

I have a similar setup with the same JBJ ATO mentioned on this thread. I really dig mine very much. I have 1 sensor in a 5 gal bucket with RO/DI water and a maxijet 600 for top off line. One sensor in the bucket, one in the return section of my sump.

It's very predictable and never had a problem with it in the 2 months I've had it. It keeps my levels stable.

One of the things that I heard about them is that some of the older units have the built in speaker that you can't shut off. It seems to be really annoying and even JBJ posted instructions on their website on how to remove the speaker from the board. Mine was newer and came with an internal switch to turn it on or off. I would have preferred the switch to be located on the outside, like the mode selector switch, but it's ok. It was turned off from factory and Left it that way. All I have to do is look to see if any sensor light has kicked on and take the necessary steps to bring it back to normal.

I would highly recommend this ATO system to anyone.

- Mag.

 

Thanks to everyone....I think I may give it a try.

What part do you have to check everyday though? I thought all you would really need to do is add more RO water to the source bucket!

Do the float switches come with suction cups or brackets?

Thanks Again!!!

 

You have an apex controller correct? Why don't you look into using that to control the top-off.

 

I just look at the LED light indicators. The power is a Green LED and then Sensor 1 and Sensor 2 LED's are yellow. The pump sensor only goes ON when pumping water, so, I look every now and then, if I see anything yellow, it means my water reservoir is almost dry and I just re-fill with more RO water all the way to the top.

The system does come with brackets AND suction cups. I use the brackets on my Reservoir tank, and suction Cups on the sump since I couldn't find a knot on the bracket for my sump's sweet spot.

So, yeah... it comes with both. They leave it up to you on how to set it up, although they strongly recommend using the brackets if possible, since, as we all know, suction cups suck

- Mag.

 

The Reef fanatic ATO is a better built and more reliable ATO. I think you can get it for around 80-90 dollars. I have used mine over 2 years with absolutely no issues. I use a TOM aqualifter pump to add the TO water to my sump. You can use alterante means to attach the switches, but it comes with suction cups. FWIW, the suction cups work very well, but like I said, there are screw head slots so you can use a piece of acrylic and some nylon screws to attach them.

There have been some failures of the JBJ one, internal failures that might not have been able to be prevented.

In any case, make sure to set one switch as a back up to turn off the TO pump in case the lower switch fails. The TOM aqualifter is nice because it can be run dry so running it this way is smart, and works well. Also, when the TO container is empty, the TOM aqualifter pump gurgles and lets you know you need to add TO water.