Auto Water change?

Ok, well, not quite. but it's close. What do you think? I just need to turn the OF line to go to the right(rather than down) & open the line for new water.

The blue lines are my OF line & the drain line for when I do WC's. Red is the return while green is the new water for WC. Yellow is the top-off water. Circles are supposed to be the ball valves.

 

actually by putting new SW in the sump while running the return pump would mix the new with the old and not give you a true old to new water change IMO

 

Hmm. I was trying to have a way to do it without turning off the "cycle" of water.

 

You should have the system set up where it removes water first, then it adds new water. Not done concurrently.

For example, turn the valve to allow waste water out through that method. Then, close it, and turn on the ATO from the new water tank.

 

Are you trying to avoid having to be present for the change.

 

No. I certainly would not risk that.

 

I just don't like having to put my hands in the tank. I'm somewhat lazy when it comes to WC's. Just trying to make things simple so I would be more willing to do it. haha

 

could you have a seperate overflow/dump line drilled in your sump somewhere just above the return pump? open a valve on that drain the 10% (?) then open the line on the new SW tank til at operating level again? pretty similar i guess.

i love the idea haha, does anyone do something like this already?

 

I've seen similar...but just for the "waste" line. I've not seen anything to put water back in the tank. People just our the bucket. but I don't have enough room in the stand to tilt the bucket(without spilling).

 

I've decided to just make this much simpler. I will have a "waste" line drilled with a separate bulkhead fitting.

I saw on my local forum, a guy cut apart a plastic mailbox($8 at Lowe's or LHS) to hide the plumbing. basically a DIY "overflow", like you see in large tanks. I wanted to do this, but then its real job would defeat the reason I want to use it(to hide plumbing). Could I cut slits in it, the same way they do in back walls of bio-cube tanks? That way water still goes in that area without being restricted?

I think there is some kind of thing you can put on the bulkhead to fish don't go down it?