salinity controller

[rjf]

I have surges on my tank so the water level in my main sump (I have two other small tanks connected to the sump) doesn't stay at the same level. So I can't use a auto top off/ sump level controller to keep salinity stable. Or is there a way I can. I would like to have a digital salinity controller hooked up to a pump which would slowly ,almost drip , ro di until the controller reached its set point and turned off, similar to a ph controller. Does something like this exist I looked around and couldn't find anything like it. It would have to be very accurate like it would read 1.0249. Salinity would be very stable that way. Or am I looking at this the wrong way . Can I have surges and a stable sump level somehow ? I f so what's a precision, fail safe auto top off level controller. Thanks

[Orion76]

Sure, it's called a conductivity controller.

However they need to be kept very clean and calibrated often because their accuracy goes off very quickly. If you use this type of device you'll really need to manually verify the reading on a daily bases to make sure its properly calibrated and keep the probe in a bubble free area.

[rjf]

How ofetn do they need calibration? Manually verify I already check each day w/ a refractometer and a digital meter. I can keep it in a bubble free zone. Where can I find one, is it accurate to the ten thousanth? How far can the sal level dip before it turns on(what's the range). Is this going to be as accurate as I think, I was going to use a peristalic pump for top off. Right now I have a liter meter and monitor the sal daily and adjust the meter accordinly but lately it's a pain to get it right with the changes in humidity,etc. Are they really expensive? Do you think it will work good for my situation considering I check it versus refraco and digital meter?
Thanks

[moonpod]

to tell you the truth, I think you would still be better off with a standard autotopoff. It would cycle a bit often, but the water will be kept still within an "average" level. conductivity meters are VERY twitchy. They need A LOT of monitoring to be sure that they are reading accurately.

[OUinLA]

I would go with a good dosing pump, see how much you are evaporating, then set the pump to put that much water in throughout the day. Check weekly to make sure it's staying on course.

[rjf]

What's a good top off I was looking at tunze osmolator or the jbj auto top off. I want one that's sensitive to changes and has 2 probes to stop floods. If the conductivity meter is going to be hard to keep working accurately I'll have to go w/ the auto top.

[rjf]

Do they make digital salinity monitors that can read to the ten thousandth example:1.0249 then I can use that w/ the dosing pump since I have a hard time reading a refracometer but I would use the refrac over a digi that read in thousands example: 1.024

[reefplayer]

You better get a temp probe too, as this depend on temp.

[losmandy]

The Salinity are converted from Conductivity and with this method it is not so accurate and you're better off with a refractometer.

[Orion76]

Actually you can use a flow switch with a varying water level and use it below the lowest point of the varying water level. It's a better option than with a conductivity controller. Keeping a conductivity controller in good working condition is more work than doing the top-ups manually.

[rjf]

Thanks Orion,Where do you find such a float switch?

[Orion76]

rjf, you can't go wrong with the Tunze Osmolator.

[rjf]

Thanks Orion

[greg65]

Ive been running a surge for quite a long time and use auto topoff w/o any issue. Simply set it up at the "low" point in the sump(when the surge tank is full) , so that any time it drops below that, the topoff kicks in.

Plenty of ways to do that.......
Myself, i use a small resevoir of fresh water that has a mag 5 pump in it , and a elec. float switch in the sump. The float drops , kicks on the pump, and shoots out the right amount of water. I use a larger pump so that it puts out a good shot when needed to keep the ro/di from cycling on/off often.
Works like a champ........soak the float switch every couple months to keep it free of calc. deposits.
easy peasy
-greg-

[rjf]

Greg what kind of auto top off are you using.