DIY Fresh Food Auto-Feeder
- Thread starter Squist
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Scott Sweet
Supporting Member
Nice option Art. Looking forward to meeting you in a couple of weeks. We can talk about your scenarios...
thesassyindian
Supporting Member
Do you have to flush out the system periodically to clean any food stuck in the tubing?
Squist
Guest
For my fresh food feeding system, smaller in diameter than Scott’s, the manifold (1/4” press fittings) needed to be cleaned for the first time a few months ago. Also, two lines of peristaltic heads on my Jaebro pump (just last weekend) needed to be “pinch flushed”; where I gently squeeze and pull the line to force a wad of fresh food stuck at the in-line junction.
Eventually I suspect I’ll replace the line. So far, when observing at feed times, the food is still being injected into the tank as programmed.
Squist
Guest
So I’m noticing this week water collecting in the fridge. I believe it is the ice block inside the refrigerator melting. For me, using a ‘dorm fridge’ in the past only for what it was intended, I never would have noticed this. Fridge was to hold cold beer
Now, I get concerned about other things. Like leaks. So I took a sample and it’s not tank water.
Do I need to shut this down and periodically melt the ice that’s forming? Seems to me to be the case. Normal?
You deal with this @Scott Sweet ?
Squist
Guest
Thanks @L/B Block! I need to do an update on this. The 1/4” return line is too narrow. Over time, it clogs. Revising and will update. Otherwise, it works great.
Qwiv
Supporting Member
WOW, pretty awesome set-up and great write up. Didn't know you could format your posts all beautify like that either. Double top notch for the DIY and the Write-up/Formatting.
Have you addressed the possible failure point of a dosing pump wearing the tubing through and pressurized water spraying back out? At work this is resolved with a check valve/back flow, but that is dosing clear liquid chemicals, not chunky food. Assuming that isn't going to work well here on 1/4" tubing. Do you have a leak or float sensor in the fridge to actuate a valve or de-energize a feed pump? Leak sensors seam to hold up in Walk-in coolers as it is pretty dry with the moisture build-up typically in remote areas. Harder to separate zones in a small fridge, but they would fail safe (see water) creating an alarm (hassle) vs a failure.
Have you addressed the possible failure point of a dosing pump wearing the tubing through and pressurized water spraying back out? At work this is resolved with a check valve/back flow, but that is dosing clear liquid chemicals, not chunky food. Assuming that isn't going to work well here on 1/4" tubing. Do you have a leak or float sensor in the fridge to actuate a valve or de-energize a feed pump? Leak sensors seam to hold up in Walk-in coolers as it is pretty dry with the moisture build-up typically in remote areas. Harder to separate zones in a small fridge, but they would fail safe (see water) creating an alarm (hassle) vs a failure.
Squist
Guest
Good points. What you're suggesting could be along the lines of a catastrophic failure for sure. If a dosing line ruptured the closed loop would open and water could siphon out into the fridge. Installing an audible or water sensor on the bottom of the fridge and table would be a good safety measure. Neptune water sensors could send an email alert and maybe even close the line with some automation.
This system certainly requires regular observation. Though it doesn't require any tuning once set--which is the end goal for stability and allowing me to disappear from the tank while on vacation or what-have-you.
The maintenance I've realized is that the primary return feed line and manifold need regular inspection/replacement (return line) and cleaning (manifold) for reliability. A larger continuous flow return line (like Scott Sweet's; link at top of post) resolves this.
Qwiv
Supporting Member
Yah, I think a leak sensor to kill the PMUP has you covered. You should catch issues when you swap out the food, so a bulletproof solution probably isn't needed. You can connect a leak sensor to the open/closed switch circuits if you have spares on your Apex without buying an FFM module (unless you have one for the PMUP open). You planning on upping the PMUP when you upsize the circulation lines?
Good to know. My question is, and maybe I need to re-read or look closer at the pics is how you are clearing the line and then running the food through? With the peristaltic pump-is priming not necessary? And how do you make it so that the water doesn’t flow back into the various containers?
Squist
Guest
re water back-flow: testing has demonstrated that water does not back-flow into containers. There is very low water pressure in the loop. If there is any small amount, there hasn’t been any issue.
Clearing the line: the Neptune PMUP runs every hour for 2 minutes to flush the line, regardless of dosing occurring or not. When dosing occurs, the dosing pumps run 5 minutes before the hour, loading the manifold with whatever they’re adding. You’ll read more about this above in the description.
Priming the peristaltic pumps before each dosing cycle is not necessary.
Clearing the line: the Neptune PMUP runs every hour for 2 minutes to flush the line, regardless of dosing occurring or not. When dosing occurs, the dosing pumps run 5 minutes before the hour, loading the manifold with whatever they’re adding. You’ll read more about this above in the description.
Priming the peristaltic pumps before each dosing cycle is not necessary.