Water Top Off Line Going Through Attic. Any Body Done It??

Kaiser Tang · #1 04/27/2006, 11:02 AM

I was thinking about adding a auto top off system to my tank. Th only problem is that my RO/DI system is located under my kitchen sink and my tank is about 30 feet away in the living room. The only way I can get the water line to the tank without being ghetto is to run the line up through the wall, into the attic, back down through the other wall and to the tank. It's easily done, however, what I don't know is how the attic heat in Texas will affect the temp of the water. Obviously it will heat the water, but will that amount of heated water affect my tank temp. I guess I'm looking to see if anybody has done it and knows if it works out. Thoughts?

Spuds725 · #2 04/27/2006, 11:07 AM

kind of common sense but would depend on the amount it makes up at a time... so probably neglible unless you add alot in a short period...

ste6168 · #3 04/27/2006, 11:14 AM

i think it would work fine, the other way you could do it though is maybe run it under your baseboards, I have done this with ethernet cable before and it works out great. im sure you could also di it with your topoff line... HTH, Mike

Kaiser Tang · #4 04/27/2006, 11:26 AM

The baseboards thing is a good idea, but the sink is kind of on and island. Basebords don't connect to where the tank is. I wouldn't think that a small amount of heated water would make a difference, but my tank is already on the edge of needing a chiller, I don't want to push it over.

adnup · #5 04/27/2006, 11:38 AM

I had similar thoughts but I was affraid that the RO couldn't be pumped that far. Mines in the garage and tank in living room.

mille239 · #6 04/27/2006, 11:52 AM

The RO will have no problem pushing watrer that far.. mine travels about 50 ft. from the filter to the sump. (prob. closer to 75 with all the turns and slack)

jeffbrig · #7 04/27/2006, 12:12 PM

Kaiser Tang, I have the exact same scenario as you (sink at the kitchen island), and ran my RO/DI output over 60', up and through the attic, to my tank's topoff reservoir. This includes going over a room with a 12' ceiling. The RO/DI has no problem pushing the water this distance. My 75gpd unit produces just over 100gpd, which is pretty close to the charts for the filtec membrane for my water temperature (75+) and pressure (75-80psi).

It was recommended to me (by Walter at airwaterice) to step the output line from 1/4" to 3/8" to reduce the pipe friction on the long run.

MCary · #8 04/27/2006, 12:13 PM

I've always heard that an auto-topoff directly from the RO is risky. That should your float or switch fail the RO will continue to pump. Flooding your house and diluting your tank killing the inhabitants.

aquaman222 · #9 04/27/2006, 12:21 PM

Hooking directly to an RO is ok if you use safe guards. I have an auto top off sensor that work like a charm. It has never misread the tank level.

As another safety precaution, there is a solenoid attached to a timer, that will only allow water to fill for a limited time window each day.

Kaiser Tang · #10 04/27/2006, 12:22 PM

jeffbrig, thanks for the info. I always feel more confident when someone else has done it with success. MCary, yes there is a risk of flooding, however if done right, I think the risk is very minimal. You have to have a back-up and then a back-up for that back-up.

mille239 · #11 04/27/2006, 12:24 PM

I have a top-off reservoir under my tank, which is fed from the R/O unit 75 feet away. I only fill the reservoir (which has a float valve in it) by opening a valve in the laundry room once a week for a few hours. That way in the event of a float switch failure, I only have 20 gallons of water max which can spill out into the stand (which is designed to hold 40 gallons in the event of such a spill)

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jeffbrig · #12 04/27/2006, 12:43 PM

My setup is pretty much identical to what mille239 describes....