Dosing Pumps and Top Off

[wildeone]

I got my dosing pump in the mail today, used from a fellow reefer. I seems to work well, and I was wondering, has anyone ever used a dosing pump as an auto top off device.

I would like to set up an actual auto top off using a float and pump, but I will be going out of town for the weekend in two weeks. I thought I may use the doing pump to dose a measure amount of water into the system.

I have about 2 weeks to figure out the right rate, anyone done this?

[Reefbaby]

Hmmm...we had our dosing pump sitting in the top-off water canister. In the sump was the float, which has a minimum and maximum sensor. If the water level went too low, the pump turned out and pumped in more water. If the water level got too high (due to return pump failure, etc), then an alarm would go off. It was a great system and very easy to use. But, the electronics broke on us (after two years) and we haven't gotten it replaced yet.

This is the system we had - Tunze (http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idProduct=TZ4111)

Is this kind of what you're looking at?

[Scott]

Before I bought my JBJ auto top-off unit, I was actually using an aqua-lifter pump (similar to an air pump, but can also pump water). I had it setup to pump water up into the tank, with the head loss it was slow drips into the tank. Since I was afraid of it all adding up if I left it run all the time, I just hooked the pump up to a timer and only let it turn on twice a day for 15min each. The air hose was above water level in the tank, so it couldn't start a siphon when the pump was off. Just had to figure out how long to leave the timer on for my drips.

anyways, that's what I did initially.

[V]

a probe & controller is hooked up to the dosing pump,drop your probe in the sump!
the dosing pump feed by a premix vessel of SW. the contoller is hooked up to the floats in your sump.as RB said, min level and killstop level so it doesn't pump in too
much, and you have a temp semi auto system while u go away!

the only thing is i dont know how cheap u can pick up a probe and controller set for over there, but the floats are very cheap, if u dont have time to install the floats , u could install the floats on a ridget marine safe plastic panel at the levels u need and g-clamp it to the inside side of the sump untill u get back.

anyone knows of a cheaper way thats kinda reliable, in addition to posting it, i would like to know myself..lol