wow thanks for all the infoOK, yep--you got it right except: Water flows downhill.
The tubing should have a nice steady slope from the ATO to the float valve if possible. The way you have it in the picture, the water is being pulled by gravity from the ATO tank down into the bottom of that clear tubing, then back up to the cut-off thumb screw, then back down to the ball valve nipple. It's like the stock set-up has been spliced with that loop of clear tubing. You want all your tubing to fit the ATO and float valve nipples snugly and going as verticle as possible from the ATO to the float valve. If that black tubing won't fit on the nipples, you need new tubing in the correct diameter, or you can try and trim off about 1/16" from the ends of what you have now because it probably got flared out over time.
Two best options here:
1) Take that clear tubing out of the routing you have now and use just the two pieces of black tubing and thumb screw valve the same way you have it. Best way to describe it is you'd be making a backward number "7". If you go with this option, the tube from the the bottom of thumb screw vavle to the float ball nipple looks to be just a little bit too long --probably want to trim about "1/4" off that piece. Would look like this:
Thumb __________ ATO Nipple
Screw
I
I
Float Nipple
2) Take everything off, cut a length of that clear tubing about 5" long or so, and run it (just tubing) straight from the ATO nipple to the float nipple. Make sure it's not kinked at either nipple, sloping downward, and it fits snug. Same idea as above, just make a backward number "7". I like this way better because I've NEVER had one of those float valves get stuck open--they always seem to get stuck closed with salt creep and plug the ATO water. I usually just dunk it a few times and solved. And...that thumb screw valve is just so you can shut the water off if you ever want to remove the entire ATO tank--something you can do with a finger on the way to the sink t dump it out. Here's this option:
___ATO Nipple
/
I
I
Float Nipple
After you have it all connected and see it's working, if one day the ATO empties a lot faster than usual, that will mean you have a lot of evaporation going on, the skimmer is pulling some of your salty water out into its collection cup pretty fast/full, or one of your other reactors/equipment that use the system water is leaking, etc. In those instances the ATO will be compensating by putting fresh water in until it runs out--which is usually when you're not home or at night. That will affect your salinity too, so watch that the ATO is topped up routinely. An ATO tank can empty faster than you think.
And in case you were wondering how the gravity fed system works in simple terms:
Once there's less water in the system(evaporation, etc.), the float valve will fall with the water level in the return pump chamber, which opens the float valve, which lets ATO water trickle in to compensate. All using gravity. Hence having a very large ATO tank will compensate a lot longer for evaporation than a smaller one. This is also why you want the tubing to go as downhill as possible.
Is this ato reliable?
Absolutely!!wow thanks for all the info
thhanks. i fixed my pipe and made it shorter so that it goes like a backwards 7OK yes.......Considering that your tubing was routed in kind of a loop, the ATO water wasn't draining right. What happens then is--the float will get stuck in the "up" or "closed" position. The water level in the return pump chamber will go lower during evaporation, but the valve will stay up and be out of the water. Salt creep will get in there, and the ATO won't work because the float will be stuck like this. Hence the reason I recommend having a short tube going from the ATO tank nipple directly to the float valve nipple.
On the other hand, if you have a straight tube going from the ATO nipple to the float valve nipple, the float valve will likely never get stuck in the "down" or "open" position and drain all your ATO water--ever. Like never, ever, ever. The reason is that the float valve will always in the sump water and the ATO water will be flowing through it washing it out.
A few reasons why yours was probably getting stuck up or "closed":
1) The float valve or float valve nipple has got something stuck in it--salt creep, snail, piece of food, chip of corraline algae, bit of sand, etc.
2) The tubing and/or one of the nipples going between the ATO tank and the float valve itself are kinked, routed incorrectly, or blocked.
3) The tubing between the ATO tank nipple and the float valve nipple is too long and not routed directly downward.
4) The float valve couldn't move down with the water level in the return pump chamber because it was hitting the top of your return pump, the return pump tubing, the side of the sump glass, or something else in the return pump chamber. It has to be able to float and move up and down with the water level changes.
5) Your ATO tank is dirty. You have to take it out once in a while and clean off the salt spray, the inside, blow out the nipple, and make sure theres nothing in the water you use to refill it.
Best solution----after you have your tubing right----is to take out the ball valve and clean it with a boothbrush, or push it underwater (bob it up and down) a few times. That'll wash out the salt creep. Could also hold the float valve down, and blow on the tubing going to the float valve nipple. Might also want to clean out the ATO tank nipple with a paper clip.
To take out the ball valve, remove the rubber tubing and unscrew the ball valve nipple. Then unscrew the nut. You have to take the tubing and nipple off before you take off the nut. Then the float valve shaft will come out of the bottom of the glass triangle in the sump. Installation is reverse of removal--put the float valve in the sump, screw on the nut, then screw on the nipple and re-attach the tubing.
Remember, it's gravity that is making the whole ATO system work. If anything is interfering with the way water is flowing from the ATO tank to the sump, then it won't work like it should. And water always flows "down hill".
