AWC and airline hosing getting tangled ?

[drtechno]

Hey all

Quick question on how people have set this up - I plan on using a Neptune DOS for automates continuous water changes from a 50 gallon salt water reservoir. For reference the salt water reservoir is 10 ft away on the opposite side of the room from the DOS and cannot be relocated.

So my understanding is that I have flexible airline tubing (or whatever) weighed down with (??not sure what, pvc?) in the salt water container about 3/4 of the way down/depth. However, the salt water is continuously stirred by a power head...

How are people preventing the airline tubing from tangling in the current ??

Or does everyone just attach a 1/4” bulkhead in their salt reservoir at the appropriate depth and hook that to a barbed fitting for the Neptune DOS tubing?

 

[Snoopy 67]

Most people only stir the water when mixing a new batch.

 

[K7BMG]

I just use a nylon cord gripp fitting in the top of the container.
Amazon.
I also use RO tubing as its stiffer and more manageable than the dos tubing.
I attach the tubing to a piece of PVC with zip ties to keep it down in the tank.

The problem you may have it the distance.
The dos head tubing will wear out very quickly with having to pull the liquid that far.

 

[ca1ore]

You can use a john guest bulkhead, though it is another place for a leak. I use 1/4" RO tubing ziptied to a length of PVC pipe.

 

[drtechno]

You can use a john guest bulkhead, though it is another place for a leak. I use 1/4" RO tubing ziptied to a length of PVC pipe.

Excellent. Thanks RO shouldn’t wrap or tangle. But where do you guys make the transition from 1/4” hard RO tubing to soft Neptune DOS tubing? Down the line somewhere close to the DOS or at the mouth of the salt water container?? because that adds a point of leak, and if it’s just back into the container then it doesnt

Most people only stir the water when mixing a new batch.

Pretty sure you need to keep mixing the salt water continuously if you are doing a half gallon water change every couple hours in perpetuity.. ?? Otherwise you will get precipitation?

 

[schuby]

I fill and remove using 5-gallon jugs with my DOS. For each jug, I zip-tied the Neptune DOS tubing to a length of pvc, slightly taller than the jug. When I change jugs, I lift out the pvc pipe and put it in the next jug. No tangles.

Just a note, the tubing will likely come loose over time where it attachs to the DOS pumps ( I think the tubing gets hard). You should check it every week or so with a light tug. If it comes loose by itself, then the water no longer flows up or down the tubing...

 

[snulma1]

I am using one of old style rubber suction cup holders for things like thermometers/probes...etc.
I threaded it thru the eye hole and tied a very loose loop.
The suction cup is attached to an old magfloat so I can bring it up or down to service/evaluate if needed w/o placing hands in the container.
I'll try and snap a picture later

 

[K7BMG]

I do not use the DOS tubing at all for this.

It is way to soft and gets kinked, I use RO Tubing period.
I use these in my Norwesco containers to seal the RO tubing. Just copy and paste the following in your web browser.

MGI SpeedWare Strain Relief NPT Nylon Cord Grip Cable Glands - 20 Pack (1/2")

This creates only one point for a leak. AT THE DOS HEAD.

 

[ca1ore]

Or you can just replace the grey barbs with John guest fittings.

 

[schuby]

@ca1ore Do you have to use the hard-plastic tubing with John Guest fittings? Have you experienced any loss of siphon or leaks with those fittings? I'm very interested. What size fittings work with DOS? Thanks in advance!

 

[drtechno]

I do not use the DOS tubing at all for this.

It is way to soft and gets kinked, I use RO Tubing period.
I use these in my Norwesco containers to seal the RO tubing. Just copy and paste the following in your web browser.

MGI SpeedWare Strain Relief NPT Nylon Cord Grip Cable Glands - 20 Pack (1/2")

This creates only one point for a leak. AT THE DOS HEAD.

Awesome. This is the kind of info I was looking for.
So what are you doing to keep the RO tubing in the resevoir container? Just zip tie to a piece of PVC?

do you draw off the very bottom on your salt water container?

 

[K7BMG]

Awesome. This is the kind of info I was looking for.
So what are you doing to keep the RO tubing in the resevoir container? Just zip tie to a piece of PVC?

do you draw off the very bottom on your salt water container?

Yes I just zip tie it to PVC and let it hang six inches or so above the bottom.

 

[K7BMG]

@ca1ore Do you have to use the hard-plastic tubing with John Guest fittings? Have you experienced any loss of siphon or leaks with those fittings? I'm very interested. What size fittings work with DOS? Thanks in advance!

I am curious, on your experience.
I have had several John Guest fittings leak or drip.
I have used Dow Corning's Molykote and or silicone to keep them sealed up.
I feel or thought it was more to do with the RO tubing than the JG fittings.
But using various brands of tubing proved that maybe it's the fitting.

In any case with my DIY dosing containers and other things I now try to avoid and eliminate these fittings all together.

For internal pressure they seem to work well and hold. My RO/DI system proves this.

But I have had little to no success when using them for suction, like with my dosing containers, and auto water change stuff.
This was an old lid design I used but replaced due to leakage.

Made several of these and they all leaked air into the line.
I was careful and cut the tubes straight and made sure they were not oblong before I pushed them into place. This is a good way to nick or cut the two internal O rings.
But they still leaked none the less.

 

[K7BMG]

Sorry I hit the wrong reply button, the above post was meant @ca1ore
But yes I obviously had leakage issues.

 

[ca1ore]

I have not personally had any leaking problems with 1/4” RO style tubing into John guest fittings. I have not tried any other types of tubing. Basically I just snipped the barb off the grey DOS fitting and screwed on the JG adapter. Will have to go and see which ones I used. 1/8” female if memory serves.

 

[K7BMG]

I have not personally had any leaking problems with 1/4” RO style tubing into John guest fittings. I have not tried any other types of tubing. Basically I just snipped the barb off the grey DOS fitting and screwed on the JG adapter. Will have to go and see which ones I used. 1/8” female if memory serves.

I wish I could say the same.

 

[ca1ore]

@ca1ore Do you have to use the hard-plastic tubing with John Guest fittings? Have you experienced any loss of siphon or leaks with those fittings? I'm very interested. What size fittings work with DOS? Thanks in advance!

I used these ….

John Guest Female Adapter NPTF Polypro - 1/4 x 1/8 NPTF

The John Guest female adapter makes connecting OD tubing to male NPT threads quick and easy. Manufactured in polypropylene with food grade EDPM O-ring, these fittings were developed for the filtered pure water market. Features: Push-fit Technology creates reliable, leak-free connections Used to...

www.freshwatersystems.com

 

[K7BMG]

So let me qualify my answer for you.

I have used
Hard 1/4 inch acrylic tubing, leaked
Apex DOS tubing, leaked
RO tubing, leaked but not every time

It has been my experience that the fittings work perfectly when under pressure.

When a vaccume situation is needed as with the Apex Dos, or another dosing pump the vaccume side will leak air into the line.

 

[Biff0rz]

I use RODI tubing for this, I bought these fittings to connect directly from the DOS heads: https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/4...le-adapter-white-apex-dos-fitting-john-guest/

 

[schuby]

I use RODI tubing for this, I bought these fittings to connect directly from the DOS heads: https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/4...le-adapter-white-apex-dos-fitting-john-guest/

Interesting: their selling a 4-pack and the bag in the picture is a 10-pack.


When you guys snipped the OEM fittings and put the John Guest fitting on your DOS, did you use Teflon tape or nothing?