Using toilet fill valve as ATO

[IE Reefer]

Hey everyone,
I had an idea of using a toilet fill valve (this) as an ATO instead of having to pay a ridiculous price for basically the same thing but with sensors and electric components. While constructing this idea I ran into an issue, finding a way to attach either PVC piping or vinyl tubing to the input of the fill valve. Has anyone come across this problem and know how to resolve it? Thanks!

 

[Murica]

I personally like the float valves. It’s never happened to me, but I’m nervous that the style you have will eventually Jam up from salt creep. My ato is exactly that, a simple float valve

 

[blaxsun]

Would the fill rate from a toilet float valve possibly be too much?

 

[IE Reefer]

I personally like the float valves. It’s never happened to me, but I’m nervous that the style you have will eventually Jam up from salt creep. My ato is exactly that, a simple float valve

The fill valve that I linked is basically the same thing as a float valve, it utilizes a plastic ball filled with air to measure the water level and dispenses water until the desired water level is met, I don't see a problem with that.

 

[IE Reefer]

Would the fill rate from a toilet float valve possibly be too much?

It'll be in the pump section of my sump, so the rapid amount of water won't disturb anything and I can also adjust the output flow via the pump (giving water to the fill valve) or tie a knot in the tubing attached to the output.

 

[blaxsun]

It'll be in the pump section of my sump, so the rapid amount of water won't disturb anything and I can also adjust the output flow via the pump (giving water to the fill valve) or tie a knot in the tubing attached to the output.

You totally have to rig a toilet flusher for manual top up.

 

[Tired]

Check that the materials used are food-safe/aquarium-safe. I'm not sure if they bother making toilet parts out of the best materials, since nobody's gonna be drinking that water any time soon.

 

[Murica]

The fill valve that I linked is basically the same thing as a float valve, it utilizes a plastic ball filled with air to measure the water level and dispenses water until the desired water level is met, I don't see a problem with that.

Me personally I am just worried about the shaft getting salt creep which would restrict the float from going up and down. Good luck DIY is definitely the way to go

 

[Rmckoy]

It would work but the theory is backwards .
you want something to turn on or open when the water is low.

they have used them for surge tanks ( ideally the tank above fills slow and when fully he float releases a surge of water into the display tank making a wave , surge , or strong current .

Id be interested to see this idea work . Following along

 

[EricR]

Are you thinking of drilling the bottom of your sump for the RODI passing into the toilet bowl valve input? Seems like more risk there than it's worth to me.

...or were you looking for some kind of angle fitting to feed the bottom of the toilet valve thingy to bring RODI over the top of the sump and down into the bottom of the valve mechanism?

*I feel like this is a nice idea but too many implementation issues to actually make it work

 

[redfishbluefish]

Connecting to the valve is easy....just use the old school plastic tubing connector made for toilets. If need be, you could heat it up with a heat gun to bend in the direction you need. I believe these are 1/4 ID, 3/8 OD.

I see the issue of pressure. These valves are made for house pressure (ca 35-90 psi). I'm assuming your system will be gravity fed. Not sure if gravity fed water will run through this valve.

 

[Sean Clark]

Any modern Fluidmaster valve would technically be fine but I would steer clear of anything that contained copper.

 

[theMeat]

Hey everyone,
I had an idea of using a toilet fill valve (this) as an ATO instead of having to pay a ridiculous price for basically the same thing but with sensors and electric components. While constructing this idea I ran into an issue, finding a way to attach either PVC piping or vinyl tubing to the input of the fill valve. Has anyone come across this problem and know how to resolve it? Thanks!

Are you talking about using it to top off your ato, or for your tank?

 

[IE Reefer]

Update: I was able to find a way to attach the tubing to the fill valve! Basically, I loosely screwed on a dia elbow pvc fitting and used the shank washer and locknut to fasten it to the bottom, then I attached a pvc spigot and ran the tubing through the pvc elbows. Tomorrow I'm planning on adding a cap to the top of the spigot and drilling a hole for the tubing to run through. Now I need to figure out how to regulate the pressure setting on the fill valve so that I don't have to buy a new pump, but it seems likely.

Video:

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

uhm... you do know they sell ATO float valves on Amazon for like 15 bucks... Just saying...

 

[Jedi1199]

My biggest concern is the metal parts they build those with. There is a reason why we avoid metal parts in our tanks. A simple nylon float valve would do the same job, require less rigging, and cost less to boot.

 

[IE Reefer]

uhm... you do know they sell ATO float valves on Amazon for like 15 bucks... Just saying...

Yeah, I would have considered them but the input line is too small for the pump I’m planning on using, I think it’s meant for like an RODI unit or other applications like it.

 

[IE Reefer]

My biggest concern is the metal parts they build those with. There is a reason why we avoid metal parts in our tanks. A simple nylon float valve would do the same job, require less rigging, and cost less to boot.

I tore it apart to make sure there weren’t any metal in it, and it’s completely free of it!

 

[OfficeReefer]

At first, I thought this thread was about using toilet as ATO. I guess the tank in the back is totally a doable thing.

 

[KrisReef]

At first, I thought this thread was about using toilet as ATO. I guess the tank in the back is totally a doable thing.

This thread is inspiring me to work on a toilet paper roller mat filter.