AutoAqua Smart ATO RO Auto Top FOR RO SYSTEM

• No pump to fail – a DC solenoid valve simply opens and lets your RO system's own pressure do the filling, so there is no impeller, no priming and no dry-run risk.
• Four optical detection points – two dual-sensor packs. The green pack sets the low level that starts a fill, the blue pack sets the high level that stops it, and each pack carries its own fail-safe point.
• Mechanical float valve included – a completely independent backstop that does not rely on the electronics, the sensors or the power supply.
• QST over-run protection – the controller learns your first fill time and alarms if a later fill runs six times longer, which is what an unnoticed leak or a stuck valve looks like.
• Audible and visual alarm – the LED colour sequence distinguishes standby, filling, paused, low-level fail-safe, high-level fail-safe and a valve connection failure.
• Stops the barrel sitting part-full – filling in full cycles between two set levels rather than trickling means DI resin is not being run at partial flow all day.

AutoAqua publishes no orifice size, no noise figure and no component dimensions for this model. Those rows are absent rather than estimated.

• Smart ATO RO controller with two dual optical sensors
• Universal power adapter
• DC solenoid valve for RO line
• Float valve kit, comprising an adjustable float, a universal holder and a quick-connect fitting
• 1/4 inch RO tubing, 300 cm

This is a controller, not a water maker, and not a complete system. Two things you must already have:

• An RO or RO/DI system. It is the pressure source and the water source. No booster pump is supplied, and AutoAqua publishes no minimum feed pressure beyond the valve's own 0.02 MPa floor. See the Reef Pure 4 Stage Essentials+ if you are starting from nothing.
• A storage reservoir. The barrel or drum being filled is not supplied, and AutoAqua specifies no size or material.

An auto shut-off valve on the RO system is not required. AutoAqua's manual covers installation both with and without one, and the two wiring paths differ, so check which your system has before you start.

The plumbing side is standard 1/4 inch RO tubing with push-connect fittings, which is what almost every domestic RO unit uses. Three metres of tubing is supplied.

The sensor magnets work through a reservoir wall up to 12.7 mm thick, and the universal holder clamps up to 19 mm. Most polyethylene drums and food-grade barrels are well inside both figures.

The two sensor packs must be mounted with the blue pack at least 6 mm above the green pack. Closer than that and the controller cannot distinguish the two levels.

Cable lengths set the geometry: 180 cm from sensors to controller, and 120 cm from controller to solenoid. If your RO unit is further than 120 cm from the controller position, AutoAqua sells 200 cm and 500 cm extension leads.

• Suitable for automating an RO or RO/DI storage barrel of any size, for freshwater or marine use.
• Suitable for RO systems both with and without an existing auto shut-off valve.
• Not suitable for topping up an aquarium or sump. It has no pump and mounts on a reservoir.
• Not suitable for installation upstream of your filtration. The solenoid needs filtered water or sediment will hold the valve open.
• Not suitable for a damp or splash-prone position. The G2 datasheet warns the valve body can rust.
• Not suitable for feed pressure outside 0.02–0.7 MPa.

Where the solenoid goes depends on your RO system. If it has an auto shut-off valve, connect the water line outlet to the solenoid inlet. If it does not, AutoAqua's manual instructs you to cut the tubing between the carbon block filter and the RO membrane and fit the solenoid there. Note that this is before the membrane, not after it.

Never fit the solenoid ahead of the sediment and carbon stages. Filtered water is a stated requirement, and grit is what stops a solenoid seating.

Watch the directional flow arrow on the valve body. Fitted backwards it will not seal.

Two behaviours that look like faults but are not. The unit performs one automatic fill on every power-up if the low-level sensor is dry. And because the valve has a minimum run of about two seconds and the tubing drains after it closes, the water level will usually settle slightly above the blue sensor.

Keep the sensor faces clean and out of direct light, and away from anywhere micro-bubbles gather. AutoAqua notes that bubbles at the sensor are a cause of overfilling on this model.

After any alarm, the QST memory is only cleared by power-cycling the controller. The touch button silences the beep but does not reset the protection, which is deliberate.

Check the float valve moves freely once or twice a year. It is the only part of this system that still works with the power off.

• AutoAqua Smart ASOV Auto Shut-Off Valve – the electronic shut-off for the RO system itself, a different job from this reservoir controller.
• AutoAqua Digital Inline TDS Titanium S1 – tells you when the water filling the barrel has stopped being pure.
• Reef Pure Reverse Osmosis Membrane – the consumable that determines what actually reaches the reservoir.
• Reef Pure Mixed Bed Colour Indicating DI Resin – changes colour as it exhausts, so you can see it rather than test for it.
• AutoAqua Smart ATO Duo – the second half of a fully automated top-up chain, moving water from the barrel into the tank.

AutoAqua's manual states a two-year limited warranty from the original purchase date, valid through an authorised reseller with proof of purchase. That warranty applies in addition to the consumer guarantees you have under Australian Consumer Law, not instead of them.

The adapter accepts 100–240 V AC at 50–60 Hz, so Australian 240 V / 50 Hz mains is within specification. Ships as a standard parcel.

Does the AutoAqua Smart ATO RO top up my aquarium?

No. The AutoAqua Smart ATO RO fills an RO or RO/DI storage reservoir from your RO line. It has no pump and cannot move water into a display tank. Pair it with a reservoir-fed unit such as the Smart ATO Duo if you want the tank topped up as well.

Where does the solenoid valve go in my RO system?

If your RO unit has an auto shut-off valve, connect the water line outlet to the solenoid inlet. If it does not, AutoAqua's manual has you cut the tubing between the carbon block and the RO membrane and fit the solenoid there. Either way it must sit after the sediment and carbon stages.

What feed pressure does the Smart ATO RO need?

The solenoid valve is rated for 0.02 to 0.7 MPa, which is 0.2 to 7 bar or roughly 3 to 100 psi. Typical Australian mains pressure sits comfortably inside that band.

What happens if a sensor fails?

Each of the two sensor packs carries a fail-safe detection point as well as its working point, giving four in total. Above that, the supplied mechanical float valve closes the line without needing power or electronics. And QST alarms if any fill runs six times longer than the first one it learned.

Do I still need an auto shut-off valve on my RO unit?

No. AutoAqua documents installation both with and without one, and the wiring differs between the two. The Smart ATO RO controls when water flows, which is the job an auto shut-off valve does mechanically.

Why does the water level end up slightly above the top sensor?

The solenoid has a minimum run time of about two seconds, and the tubing between the valve and the reservoir drains after the valve closes. Both add a small amount of water after the blue sensor is satisfied. AutoAqua describes this as normal.