Apex ATO Programming

[DEIGNAN14]

I travel a lot and sometimes leave my tank for a month or more. Last year I started running my ATO res with a direct full time connection to the RODI system and its worked flawlessly. I am considering eliminating my ATO res and adding a few failsafe measures too. Did some reading on this and discovered that filling my ATO res on tank demand can lead to TDS creep and or low resin efficiency so I want to setup my ATO res to replenish itself only on certain days of the week.

Does anyone have feedback on this programming? I need to tweak the on time limit and min wait but wanted to get some feedback on this as is.

As far as tank side safety I run two optical sensors and a manual float valve in my sump and I have yet to have a problem. My goal is to eliminate TDS creep and automate the RO res refill so it only happens twice a week and in a highly controlled manner. Eventually I may eliminate the res and use this kind of programming on the tank side but may have to live with low resin efficiency for that.

Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If RODI CLOSED Then ON
If RODI OPEN Then OFF
When On > 0015:00 Then OFF
Min Time 060:00 Then OFF
If DoW SM-WTF- Then OFF

 

[Cooper2]

I wouldn't run my system this way ever again. Did it for a little while before I understood how a RODI filter functions. Not only will your resins and membrane live a short life, you'll have a TDS issue with the water on the output side. I run my RODI to fill a 55 gallon barrel that feeds all my ATO's. Be sure to use a TDS meter!

 

[DEIGNAN14]

Do you think changing this so my 10 gallon res only fills 2x per week would solve that?

 

[Cooper2]

No. I might get some blowback on this, but I think an RO system can create a "TDS back up" in your supply line and flushing is required (or highly recommended) when you go to use it the second time. If you have a mega-high level RO system with automatic back flushing then maybe you could get a direct line from your RO filter to the tank. I can't speak from experience with that type of system. I do use an "RO buddy" booster pump with an automated flush mode after a power cycle. It sort of works but once you use TDS meters and understand what I need to filter out differs from what you need to filter out, and the varying efficiency of resins you begin to realize how critical the meters are. Basically, your membrane will flood your resins with water that has a higher concentration of TDS from the previous cycle. I flush my source water at the membrane inlet (where "TDS back up" occurs), then at the membrane outlet (where "TDS creep" occurs). Once I see the membrane at 4-5 TDS output I direct that through my resins. In case you can't visualize how to do this I have a Tee in the 1/4" lines between all cylinders, membranes, etc, with valves on the 2 outputs. This allows you to flush out nasties without contaminating whatever is downstream. My resins and membranes last forever now. Doing it the way you described with the system cycling on and off will likely kill your resins within 2 weeks.

Another very important thing is knowing if your source water contains Chlorine or Chloramine. The wrong carbon filter can actually produce ammonia in your filtered output.....best to spend your money here and not on wasting resins.

Let the trolling begin, but be nice....it's Christmas time!...

 

[DEIGNAN14]

Interesting. I also have my RO system tied into my sink for drinking water. All of it runs on a 3 gallon pressure tank. Am I also damaging my membrane when I fill glasses of water on demand throughout the day?

 

[Cooper2]

If your RO is cycling on and off without flushing between cycles, then yes....I think so.

 

[DEIGNAN14]

Wow. I've been reefing for 20 years and have not realized this. So anyone who installs the drinking water spout with their RO system is destroying their membrane by using it then? Is this a new thing? They certainly didn't mention this in the install instructions

 

[rock-n-reef]

You can install an auto flush like the one below. If you are already using a booster pump, you just need to get the auto flush flow restrictor. No need for the transformer or the pressure switch combo

75 GPD Auto Flush Flow Kit

Never worry about flushing your RODI systems membrane ever again! Membrane flushing is a maintenance task that commonly gets overlooked and forgotten about, but consistent flushing of your reverse osmosis membrane can dramatically improve its life and production rate. The Aquatec Auto Flush Flow...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Reefried]

I believe that most reefers realize that having your RO unit turn on and off frequently is not a good idea. It definitely shortens the life span of all membranes and filters. Also I think most realize that ideally we would let the unit run for a few gallons (assuming it’s been a week or two since last use) and toss those few gallons as they are definitely not as clean as they can be. To say that tds creep can build up in the line itself makes sense to me. However why would tds creep not then build up in the ats storage container?

To the OP. I don’t have an Apex, and don’t know anything about programming. I also would not run my RO directly to the tank for top off. However I do use a relay system to fill my ATO reservoir. It is a simple set up that I bought from auto top off.com. It has been reliable for 8 months now. It fills my reservoir whenever it’s empty and stops when it is full. Like I said ideally I would like to burn off the first few gallons it makes when it turns on, as I do when making water change water. However it’s not really possible. I actually never knew about the auto back flush until reading the above. I have a few questions regarding that and will look into it.

If you have any questions about my relay/float switch set up you can check my build thread or I can answer anything. It is solid, has backups for redundancy, and is strictly mechanical. (And electric obviously). But it does not rely on controllers/ programming and is completely safe for a power outage.