'passive' water changes - good or bad idea?

[shamrock]

let me try to explain. i'm sure it's been covered in the past by someone, but wasn't able to find the exact term used when doing a preliminary search

so, i've been looking at making water changes less laborious. would it be advisable to take water out, and then just put water back in, OR adding water, raising the overall volume of water in the system (sump or display tank) and letting it overflow passively into a drain or into the garden?

i've done some reading and the arguement against is that is that it's diluting the waste in the system and making the water change less effective, but it seems so much easier to do...

anyhow, thoughts would be greatly appreciated

thanks for your time
sk

 

[Reef and Dive]

To me it is a bad idea because it removes a cleaning purpose for detritus I use every WC….

 

[Kershaw]

Try searching AWC or automatic water changes

 

[WVNed]

Power goes out. Tank drains down. Water goes out the drain. Power comes back on. Pumps sucks air until you put more in.

 

[shamrock]

Power goes out. Tank drains down. Water goes out the drain. Power comes back on. Pumps sucks air until you put more in.

i see your point, but if you put the bulkhead even higher, would it not work?

 

[shamrock]

To me it is a bad idea because it removes a cleaning purpose for detritus I use every WC….

agreed. one would still need to do that part

 

[mdb_talon]

i see your point, but if you put the bulkhead even higher, would it not work?

Height of the bulkhead is not really the issue I dont think it changes the equation. If I was going to do similar to what you were thinking I would just plumb in a small cheap utility pump. At WC time would turn the pump on and it goes through your exit drain (either via bulkhead as you draw or in this case could go out the top).

 

[zheka757]

ill try to send picture of how i made my water changes symple

 

[JGT]

let me try to explain. i'm sure it's been covered in the past by someone, but wasn't able to find the exact term used when doing a preliminary search

so, i've been looking at making water changes less laborious. would it be advisable to take water out, and then just put water back in, OR adding water, raising the overall volume of water in the system (sump or display tank) and letting it overflow passively into a drain or into the garden?

i've done some reading and the arguement against is that is that it's diluting the waste in the system and making the water change less effective, but it seems so much easier to do...

anyhow, thoughts would be greatly appreciated

thanks for your time
sk

This would work. Just add a ball valve to the bulkhead drain and open it when you do a WC and close it when done.

 

[WVNed]

Depending on your system you usually cant get enough water out for a water change unless you remove it from the DT.
The return pump sucks air and the sump stops filling.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Here is how i would do it in your situation. your auto topoff would be the lowest point. slightly above that would be a pipe that goes up a few inches/whatever to a bulkhead and back down ( forming a U) when it is time to do a water change slowly pump water into the tank once it reaches the top of the U a siphon will form and drain it back to a point slightly above the ATO level. could also use a set of float switches so the pump turns on highwater level or when the siphon forms and drops back down a bit. (latching relay setup)

 

[zheka757]

just realized that my phone is dead to take pictures, my water changes are done through a separate storage container that i have inline with my system, i have a pump that feeds water to my 75 gallon storage bin, and there is a bulkhead at bottom of that bin with plumbing coming outside to my house

 

[shamrock]

fantastic, thank you for entertaining this idea. so many things to learn and do in this hobby. wonderful

 

[mdb_talon]

Here is how i would do it in your situation. your auto topoff would be the lowest point. slightly above that would be a pipe that goes up a few inches/whatever to a bulkhead and back down ( forming a U) when it is time to do a water change slowly pump water into the tank once it reaches the top of the U a siphon will form and drain it back to a point slightly above the ATO level. could also use a set of float switches so the pump turns on highwater level or when the siphon forms and drops back down a bit. (latching relay setup)

Still end up with the issue of draining a lot of water during a power outage and then likely running your pump dry when power goes on except in this scenario when your power comes back on your ato dumps in a ton of freshwater and drops your salinity.

 

[shamrock]

sounds like going 'active' by way of using pumps in and pumps out is safer ;Pompus

 

[mdb_talon]

sounds like going 'active' by way of using pumps in and pumps out is safer ;Pompus

I certainly would unless you put a valve on that drain as someone suggested(but then it not so "passive" either).