Hi, everybody Joey here again, and welcome back so in today's video
I'm going to show you how to build a float switch automated system now. These are most commonly used for auto top off however
We're [going] to build this for just a few dollars now the most basic
Explanation as to how one of these works is actually quite simple a float switch automated system
Is simply a device that will turn on or off another piece of equipment depending on the water level within your main aquarium?
They essentially rely on a float switch to control the equipment meaning that depending on the position of the float switch
If the water level rises or lowers it will turn on or off the piece of equipment [connected] to it for example if the water
Level within your aquarium drops due to evaporation
the float switch will signal a pump to turn on and refill the aquarium back to the point you have it set to
first and Foremost though I want to address a
common mistake
A lot of [people] [think] that they can simply cut into your pumps wire and then why are the float [switch] to it which?
Technically can work, but it's really dangerous. I want you to understand that under no circumstances
Do I recommend you doing that a?
float switch by itself is simply not going to be able to handle the current the pump putting to it plus obviously you ruin the
Pump and or whatever equipment you decide to hook it to when you cut the wire in this project
I'm going to show you how to build a float switch
Automated system safely which will not require you to cut the pump or whatever equipment you decide to hook this up to for supplies
You're obviously going to need a float switch
You can actually find these on ebay for around $1 with free shipping a relay is also needed a 12 volt DC
Relay is all you're going to need and they'll cost you about $5 on eBay
You'll also need a matching relay socket
These are generally around three dollars the power of the relay you'll also need a [Twelve] volt wall transformer
This is just the basic Ac adapter chances
Are you already have one perhaps you have an unused charger around the house or simply a power source that you're no longer using
Just cut off the end that goes into your piece of equipment and the rest is good if you don't have one you can simply
Find one on ebay as well for around [2] bucks
You'll also need an extension cord, but you only need a cheap one now
This is what saves you from having to cut your quittance wire
I grabbed one from the dollar store for a dollar
[you'll] also need some crimp caps to cap off the exposed wires and/or some electrical tape
In total I invested 12 dollars now cost will actually vary slightly based on where you are and where you order from
But $12 seems to be about the average price so before we move forward with putting everything together
I want to explain what a few of these things actually are
For starters, what is a float switch?
well [a] float switch is actually a small device [that] senses water levels in the middle is a
Buoyant Little cylinder
They're used to basically complete a circuit depending on which position the cylinder is in for example
If it rises it can complete the circuit and if it lowers it breaks that circuit now what this means is that if we somehow?
Connect this to a pump for example that pump will turn on or off depending
On the position the cylinder is in an interesting thing about these cylinders though. Is that you can actually turn the cylinders around and
Reverse what they do
so for [example] as is if the cylinder drops
It's going to turn something off however if I take the cylinder off turn it around next time it drops
It will actually turn something on for example to get any of that to happen we would have to splice into the main pump wire
And connect this to the live wire
Meaning that we'd cut the live wire in half and this would complete the connection
But the problem with that is that these float switches can't handle the current that the pumps are going to put through them
So we need to run the float switch through something that can handle all of that extra power
And that is why we use a relay relays our switches that open and [close] circuits
Electromagnetically a relay can actually prevent damage [to] your equipment by detecting electrical problems including over current under current over
Overloads and reverse currents so basically a relay ensures that the float switch simply doesn't fail
while a float switch actually doesn't need power to work a
Relay does so that's why we need this 12 volt transformer to power the relay now
Just using a float switch with the relay is enough to turn on not most equipment based on water levels in your aquarium
so if the float switch signals to the relay to turn on or off the
relay open or close a connection and be powered by the
Transformer to be able to do so the connection that it opens or closes is the connection for other
Equipment that is plugged into the relay that connection will power or shut off
Equipment now that we have a basic idea on how these things work
We'll move on to the build and then come back and find out how it all works together
Start off by plugging your relay into the socket then prepare [the] extension Cord
We need to find the live wire [here] in an extension Cord like the one
I'm using there's going to be two sides
One of the sides will [be] ripped the other side will be smooth [now] the smooth side is the live wire
This is the one that carries [the] power once you get to the live wire
Cut it in half and expose the inside wire
Next connect the extension cord to the relay socket connect one wire to one side and the other wire to the exact
opposite side on the bottom of the socket as you can see one wire is connected to the bottom left while the
Opposite wire is connected on the opposite side why are together the Ac adapter [to] the float switch
One wire of each to each other in which order you do
It doesn't actually matter simply twist the wires together and cap the connection off
connect the two remaining wires from the float switch and the
Adapter to the socket these get installed on the top of the sock at this time which side and order will not matter now
you're pretty much done however you're going to want to test it first plug the extension cord into your power source plug the Ac
adapter in as well now move the plastic cylinder on the float [switch] up and down if
Everything is done. [correctly] you'll hear a clicking noise coming from the relay
That noise is the relay opening and closing which means it's turning on and off the power
If you don't hear that clicking you probably wired it
incorrectly
so check your wiring if you still don't hear the clicking then you cut into the wrong wire on the
Extension cord go and get another cheap extension cord and cut the opposite wire this time your float switch
Automated system is now complete the only thing left here is how you're going to mount the float switch to your aquarium
Sump or container and given that there's so many uses in places that you can mount this the option
Pretty much endless some popular mounts are made from strips of acrylic or Even PVC pipe though
So research a little further and find the ones that works best for your application
[to] make this a little bit safer
I decided I place it inside of a container which will protect the exposed
components now the way this works is simple when we plug the extension cord an AC adapter in the
Relay is powered and ready to be [activated] by the float switch
Power is cut off by the extension Cord until the float switch activates the relay
every time the float switch
Rises or falls it will tell the relay to allow power to the extension cord and whatever is plugged into that extension Cord
So this means that we can plug in whatever we want into that extension Cord
And it will be powered on or off by that float switch now
That was a very basic layout though
and you can add in
Multiple float switches if you like a lot [of] people like to add in more than one float switches to act like a safety net
Now most people will simply call this an auto top off however
I don't think that's the only use for it these can be used to perform multiple
Tasks obviously the most popular is an auto top off personally
I like to flip the cylinder on the float switch around so that it shuts things off when the water level drops
Like when you're doing a big water change in you forgot to unplug everything
This is a great safety net because it will do it for you anyways guys hope that you enjoyed today's video
I also want to thank you for watching and I'll see you guys next Sunday for a new dual yourself project