Kangaroo Dosing pump

[Casino]

Does anyone know if these pumps can be turnd on and off? Like using it with a float switch. Will it burn up or can it handle beeing turned on and off?

 

[littlep93056]

I don't think you will have a problem

 

[Casino]

Cool. This is the way you should Hook yours up. If you have any questions I can explain a day I see you at johns.

 

[shawn]

I don't think you can turn them off and on. They have internal batteries so they keep running when they are unplugged, and when the battery dies and the power comes back on the are in "off" mode and don't pump anything. At least that is how mine works - maybe they can be modified to run off a float switch.

 

[Casino]

how do you have yours set up?

 

[shawn]

First, I don't need to keep my sump at a constant level as it can function with a variation of up to 20 gallons or so. I keep an eye on the salinity, and adjust the top-off rate of the kangaroo up if the salinity is tending up, and adjust it down if it the salinity is tending down. Once you figure out your average rate, it is pretty easy to keep the salinity very close without using any kind of float switch, with just semi-weekly rate adjustments. I like that as I've read too many posts about stuck floats and excessive top-off water killing the tank. Since the skimmer pulls salt water, it is important to also add salt water on occasion to keep the sump level in the right ballpark. I have the kangaroo pump out of a 15g container filled with kalkwasser, which lasts me 10-15 days depending on the weather (more in winter, less in summer). The kangaroo reads the rate in mL/hour, and can go from around 5 to 300 (4 oz/day to 1.9g/day). To start with just set it for how much you are currently adding per day, and then adjust from there based on observed salinity changes.

 

[Casino]

Man...did this get complicated.....This pump is useless to me then. I cant use it with a float switch since its got the batery back up and even if I was to bypass that, it still needs to be powered back on. Im not even gonna try to do what you do. My tank evaporates diffrently everyday. Any way to mod this so that I can use it? I guess in the closet it goes...again.

 

[shawn]

How much water is in your system - it seems strange that your evaporation would vary in a manner that is significant from day to day (from a salinity point of view)? I could have made it seem more complicated then it is - any other opinions out there? There may be some mod so that you can use a float valve, but I don't know of one (never looked, since I don't trust a float).

There is a pretty good demand for those things on ebay so you should be able to sell it without problem, instead of putting it back in the closet. Search for "kangaroo pump" and watch for a while to see what they are going for and see if it is worth it to you. You might get some takers from the BRS, too.

Good luck!

-Shawn

 

[Casino]

I think I can disconect the battery...but theres still the little problem of having to press the on switch to turn it on. I will see if I can sell it and just get a kalk reactor. It will solve all my problems.