Please help, I have a new reefer 750xxl and the ATO float valve will work properly when the water drops then adds water etc..., but sometimes I fill up the ato reservoir and next thing I notice the next day is it dumps the entire 7 gal RO in to the system which lowers my salt. Anybody else has this issue ?
red sea reefer float valve issue
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Ludders
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Never happened to me and I have just fitted a new float and valve assembly. Is the float adjusted and clear (not fouling anything). Might be best to take the entire assembly out and ensure the valve is working as expected. You can do this by just blowing through the valve with the float in an open position and then closed. You should not be able to blow through the valve if the float arm is in the closed position.
arafas
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Yes took out the assembly messed with adjustment worked fine for probably 2 fills then all over sudden the next fill I did, it dumped all the ro water to sump within a few hours. So I am not sur ewhats going on
arafas
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Do you think if my sponge in the back the black one that is between the skimmer chamber and the return pump could cause this, if for instance gets dirty and doesnt raise water level fast enough in the return chamber so the float is down which causes the water keep filling, I am going to test that out or adjust the float valve lower
FortyFour44
Active Member
Something to check: If the overflow valve is not properly adjusted, the water level in the actual overflow can fluctuate significantly. It is enough to where the water level in your sump will fluctuate and trigger the ATO.
The other day, my 3 year old turned down the flow rate on my return pump (it’s a shiney dial with lights - who can blame him). This led water to drain from the overflow at a rate higher than it was being filled. The water level in the sump was way high. Now imagine this now correcting over time due to evaporation, and then you correct the flow on the return pump. The overflow area would fill, and the water level would drop. This would drain the ATO.
this takes me back to my first point. If the overflow drain is not dialed in correctly, the water level can fluctuate and drain your ATO.
The other day, my 3 year old turned down the flow rate on my return pump (it’s a shiney dial with lights - who can blame him). This led water to drain from the overflow at a rate higher than it was being filled. The water level in the sump was way high. Now imagine this now correcting over time due to evaporation, and then you correct the flow on the return pump. The overflow area would fill, and the water level would drop. This would drain the ATO.
this takes me back to my first point. If the overflow drain is not dialed in correctly, the water level can fluctuate and drain your ATO.
arafas
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yes confirmed took it out. everything works, I tried over the sink with no issues. I honestly thing is the foam between the skimmer chamber and return chamber. when that gets clogged the water in the return pump stays low which causes to keep filling up. So I am going to clean that and try it again.
Tastee
Valuable Member
I have not had this issue however I have had the reverse problem when the valve gums up and stops adding water completely. I run my tanks on Apex heads so use optical sensors for high and low sump level alerts in case this happens.
The tolerances in these valves are quite small and it only takes a small amount of grit of some sort to affect them. It’s far more likely they’ll fail off than fail on however it’s possible for them to fail on.
In my 1 year old RSR 525xl this happened every few weeks in the first 6 months. After that it seems to have settled down and has not happened again. In my 4 year old RSR 250 I only had this issue every few months and as the tank matured it happened even less frequently. I only need to clean the float every 6-12 months now. I did buy a couple of spare float valves on eBay however so I have ready spares in case I have any issues that cleaning doesn’t fix - very cheap.
The tolerances in these valves are quite small and it only takes a small amount of grit of some sort to affect them. It’s far more likely they’ll fail off than fail on however it’s possible for them to fail on.
In my 1 year old RSR 525xl this happened every few weeks in the first 6 months. After that it seems to have settled down and has not happened again. In my 4 year old RSR 250 I only had this issue every few months and as the tank matured it happened even less frequently. I only need to clean the float every 6-12 months now. I did buy a couple of spare float valves on eBay however so I have ready spares in case I have any issues that cleaning doesn’t fix - very cheap.
arafas
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I figured the issue out, in the reefer 750 xxl you have a black foam between skimmer Chamber and then pump if that foam gets clogged then in pump section water never gets to the hight that it needs to stop the float, therefore causing the float to keep adding water. So now I just clean it every few days to prevent salt flactuation. In the future will be adding an optical sensor and a pump in the ro chamber to control more precisely and will eliminate the float valve.
orreefkeeper
Community Member
Very interesting observation! I have a RSR250 sump on a 170. I would have never thought that the block would clog up enough to slow the return and cause an issue.
Tastee
Valuable Member
I have a 4 year old RSR 250 and a 1 year old RSR 525XL, both of which use the same setup. I initially cleaned the foam block in the RSR 250 monthly but then when the tank stabilised after a year I left it alone. I haven’t had to clean it since.
When I setup the RSR525XL I didn’t bother cleaning it regularly as I figured it wasn’t really necessary. I did find it clogged up needing a clean two or three times in the first 8 months but since then it’s been fine. I feel that once you get a well established bacterial micro-environment going in the tank it ceases to be an issue. Now I just keep an eye on them during my regular weekly cleaning in case they do start to limit the flow into the return chamber - easy to clean if they do.
When I setup the RSR525XL I didn’t bother cleaning it regularly as I figured it wasn’t really necessary. I did find it clogged up needing a clean two or three times in the first 8 months but since then it’s been fine. I feel that once you get a well established bacterial micro-environment going in the tank it ceases to be an issue. Now I just keep an eye on them during my regular weekly cleaning in case they do start to limit the flow into the return chamber - easy to clean if they do.
CheshireReef
New Member
I encountered this pose while searching for issues related to my leaking ATO screw valve, which only stopped leaking when slightly tightened, cutting off the water flow to the float valve.
After tinkering with the valve over a few days I found the Oring placement is key to ensuring proper function.
1. First, fully unscrew the valve and inspect the O-ring's position. If the O-ring is located at the bottom of the shaft (see picture 1), it suggests a poor seal.
Picture 1 (Incorrect placement)
2. Dry the shaft and place the Oring at the tip of the shaft as in picture 2
Picture 2 (correct placement)
3. Insert the shaft and the Oring will seat in the correct position. See picture 3 where the black Oring is visible through the translucent plastic. Tightened the crew slightly.
Picture 3
4. Connect up the ATO reservoir and loosen the screw valve until you see a stream of water.
Picture 4
5. Push the ATO feed hose into the valve whilst the water is trickling. This ensures the right flow is feeding the float valve. Check there is not leake.
Picture 5
And Whala.... all done.
I hope this can help anyone with the same issue as me.
After tinkering with the valve over a few days I found the Oring placement is key to ensuring proper function.
1. First, fully unscrew the valve and inspect the O-ring's position. If the O-ring is located at the bottom of the shaft (see picture 1), it suggests a poor seal.
Picture 1 (Incorrect placement)
2. Dry the shaft and place the Oring at the tip of the shaft as in picture 2
Picture 2 (correct placement)
3. Insert the shaft and the Oring will seat in the correct position. See picture 3 where the black Oring is visible through the translucent plastic. Tightened the crew slightly.
Picture 3
4. Connect up the ATO reservoir and loosen the screw valve until you see a stream of water.
Picture 4
5. Push the ATO feed hose into the valve whilst the water is trickling. This ensures the right flow is feeding the float valve. Check there is not leake.
Picture 5
And Whala.... all done.
I hope this can help anyone with the same issue as me.
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