Water Leveler Devices - Water Level Controllers

Toilet tank-type float

    Whether you sell pond or pool equipment or are in the market for a water leveler for maintaining the level of water in your pool, pond, fountain, hot tub or water garden, here are some important facts that could eventually save you both time and money.

There are well over 130 mechanical water levelers on the market today and most all of them have a propensity to rust, corrode, break, stick, jam, or simply malfunction.

Many of them resemble the toilet tank type floats that range from a simple mechanical float arm and brass or plastic valve, to as many as 16 various plastic, metal or brass parts, all of which could become a source of a malfunctioning valve.

Electronic water leveler

You can even log onto a website site and take a course called Toilet Tank Valve Repair 101. Toilet tank Water Leveler Valve-College - now there is a goal for the "Lion Heartedless"!

Okay, ready for a snap quiz? (Just checking if you are paying attention)

Question 1: Are mechanical water leveling devices a good thing to entrust your pond, pool, fountain or hot tub to?

Question 2: Do you want to sell a product to a customer that has the potential to cause hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in flood damage by sticking or jamming in the open position? Ofcourse not.

Garden hose-type auto fill float device

Some of these cheap leveling valves are not so cheap, ranging from $8 to $150, and a few are $60 to $80 plastic controllers that attach to a garden hose and hang over the side of a pool or pond.

The most reliable water level controllers are the electronic type sold by Levelor, Pentair, Savio, Jandy or AquaFill. These auto fill devices range in price from $60 to over $400 with warranties ranging from 1 to 5 years; and not too many offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.

When shopping, look for one that is hermetically sealed so that it won't be susceptible to condensation with drastic changes in temperature or exposure to corrosive ocean salt air. The least reliable electronic water levelers are the type that read the water level by measuring the resistance of the water by two electrodes because the probes can become corroded by acidic, alkaline, or chlorinated water.

Electronic float- 100% satisfaction guaranteed

Choose a water leveler that can be easily hidden in a skimmer or in the rocks along the edge of a pond or mounted in a remote holding basin outside a fountain, fountain pot or container garden. A reliable automatic water leveler can be a convenient, time saving, water saving, and money saving addition to any water feature.

A poorly designed or engineered device can end up being the source of an expensive insurance claim or lawsuit from a nasty overflow and consequential flood. Be wise, be dry, be leveler.

Water Leveler: Do You Fill Your Pool, and Ponds Manually?

Do you own any of the following: swimming pool, pond, fountain, hot tub, or spa? If you own one or more of these water features, and if you are using a garden hose to fill it, you need to consider investing in a fail-safe automatic water leveler.

   How many times have you begun adding water, have become distracted and forgot the running water was on, flooding your yard, wasting who knows how many gallons until you receive your next water bill? This scenario of overflowed pools, ponds or hot tubs, is the number one reason for insurance claims among homeowners. In some of these cases, it wasn't a matter of a neglected water hose, but rather a malfunctioning mechanical floats that stuck or jammed.

There are over 130 mechanical water levelers on the market and all of them are susceptible to sticking or jamming resulting in an overflow. A water leveler may work fine for two or three years, but it only takes one malfunction to create a potential disaster, such as a flooded patio and master bedroom, basement, or neighbor's basement, resulting in an insurance claim or costly lawsuit.

Please keep in mind that there are reliable water levelers on the market today, so you need to do your homework before choosing one. Some of the things that you need to look for are the length of its warranty, since this is a sure indicator of the confidence the manufacturer holds for the quality and dependability of their product. Also, does the water leveler carry a 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back and if not, that to, is a good indication that the product is not everything that the ad may claim.

The most dependable water levelers available are the electronic, non-mechanical design, as opposed to the type of float you find in your toilet tank. Surely you have experienced the continual running of water due to a stuck float? Only in the case of a toilet tank, there is a drain pipe to prevent overflows, only higher water bills. Mechanical floats fail for several reasons, such as warping or wearing out of plastic parts and rusting or corroding of metal parts.

Most toilet tank type floats can have as many as 15 individual moving parts that can eventually malfunction. In contrast to these devices, electronic floats have no moving parts and depending on how complicated the system is, can have a lot to do with potential problems, such as warming and freezing, condensed moisture and in coastal areas, corrosive salt air.

It is good to do some investigation on each product, checking on the Internet with Google to find out what customers experiences have been with various water levelers.

A well designed water leveler can save a lot of time, money, worry and possible heartache if it is a good product, or if not, your worst nightmare. So check out the possibility of investing in a water leveler, but be sure and do your homework. If you are thinking to design a pond or pool, include a dependable automatic water leveling system.

3 Reasons Why You Should Not Use a Water Leveler On Your Koi Pond

Over-flowing pond- stuck auto fill

1. There are well over 130 mechanical water levelers available today, and none of them can be guaranteed not to stick in the closed position. The most common of these are the cheap plastic ball valve usually found in toilet tanks, which are notorious for warping and jamming. There is a more modern version that can have as many as 15 various moving parts that can malfunction, resulting in a continuous flow. Even the more costly brass valves cannot stand up to acidic or corrosive water and over time will corrode and stick.

Stuck auto fill- chlorine poisoning

2. As a rule, most koi farms, koi breeders and koi pond owners boasting of expensive, prized koi fish will not trust their treasures to mechanical auto fills. When a mechanical water leveling float sticks, jams, warps, rusts, corrodes, it malfunctions, in the open position, resulting in continuous water flow. In most cases, with the exception of filtered or well water, a stuck float can result in the chlorine poisoning of the pond's inhabitants.

Leaky liner from tree root puncture

3. A mechanical float should be installed for the convenience of the pond owner, not the pond builder. In their quest for higher profits, pond builders are using cheap, easy to install, pond liners, which are more susceptible to leaks than concrete.

According to statistics from the pond liner industry, "1 out of 3 rubber liner ponds & waterfalls are leaking within 9 months of completion. Dishonest and lazy Liner pond builders will install the cheap Aquascape water leveler to hide the leak issues from their customers, only to be discovered later as a result of high water bills or serious water damage.

Conclusion: If you must have a leveler on your pond, I would suggest using an electronic float, not a mechanical one. There are only two manufacturers of electronic floats. The AquaFill and the Levelor controllers.

The AquaFill is the only water leveler float that carries the "fail-safe" rating. The main issue with not using them is, you still need to add water to your pond and as a consequence, many people use a garden hose to fill their pond and forget or become distracted, forgetting to turn off the water, the result being the same as a stuck or jammed float.

Automatic Pool Water Leveler

     If you are looking for a reliable automatic pool water leveler, I will save you some time and money by sharing a few facts about water levelers.

Right out of the gate: Stay away from any auto fill device that hooks up to a garden hose!

They are constructed mostly of plastic parts that can and will warp or become brittle from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Consequently, they are susceptible to sticking and jamming, resulting in a pool overflow with possible flood damage. Secondly, the hose itself is a liability due to the likelihood of it weakening by swelling and bursting. Imagine this happening while you are on vacation... water damage, water bill and maybe a lawsuit from a flooded neighbor.

Most swimming pools that were constructed within the past 15 to 20 years are equipped with a built-in toilet tank-like water leveler which can have 10 to 15 various moving parts, any of which can be a cause for a malfunction due to parts warping, breaking, cracking, jamming, sticking or working loose. Many of these mechanical water level floats are currently being replaced by electronic type floats such as the Levelor, Pentair, Jandy, Savio, Ventura, Sentra or AquaFill.

Swimming pools built prior to 1980 are either filled with a garden hose or a fill line from a remote faucet. Both of these methods are very time-consuming and potentially dangerous, since the person needs to stay there while the pool is filled or take a chance on forgetting and walk away while it fills. According to the National Association of Insurance Companies, overflowed pools, ponds, hot tubs, fountains and Jacuzzis are the second highest cost and cause for water damage with homeowners.

Most swimming pool owners do not realize that there is a solution to this costly, time-consuming situation. There are existing electronic automatic water levelers that can easily be retrofitted to older swimming pools without cutting into the bond beam or surrounding pool deck; no remodeling or construction required.

However, be aware that there are water levelers that utilize two electrical probes to sense the water level through electrical resistance and these probes will tarnish and corrode in acidic, alkaline and chlorinated water. This, in turn, causes the reading to vary or become non-existent. In addition, the circuit board required to read the resistance is susceptible to condensation during periods of rapid temperature changes, including being vulnerable to corrosive ocean salt air along the coasts. The disadvantage to the remote control water levelers is that a battery needs to be changed, adding to the pond maintenance schedule.

The Ventura, Sentra and AquaFill are the easiest levelers to install and are maintenance-free, with the electronics being hermetically sealed eliminating the possibility of water intrusion. A dependable automatic electronic water leveler controller is worth the investment for the savings in time, money, zero aggravation and true peace of mind. Expect to pay as little as $70 or as much as $450. A water leveler is not an expenditure, but rather an investment in freedom. Happy hunting.

Water Leveler Deceptions

Whether you sell pond or pool equipment or are in the market for a water leveler for maintaining the level of water in your pool, pond, fountain, hot tub or water garden, here are some important facts that could eventually save you both time and money.

There are well over 130 mechanical water levelers on the market today and most all of them have a propensity to rust, corrode, break, stick, jam, or simply malfunction. Many of them resemble the toilet tank type floats that range from a simple mechanical float arm and brass or plastic valve, to as many as 16 various plastic, metal or brass parts, all of which could become a source of a malfunctioning valve. You can even log onto a website site and take a course called Toilet Tank Valve Repair 101. Toilet tank Water Leveler Valve-College - now there is a goal for the "Lion Heartedless"!

Okay, ready for a snap quiz? (Just checking if you are paying attention) Question: Are mechanical water leveling devices a good thing to entrust your pond, pool, fountain or hot tub to? Question: Do you want to sell a product to a customer that has the potential to cause hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in flood damage by sticking or jamming in the open position? Some of these cheap leveling valves are not so cheap, ranging from $8 to $150, and a few are $60 to $80 plastic controllers that attach to a garden hose and hang over the side of a pool or pond.

The most reliable water level controllers are the electronic type sold by Levelor, Pentair, Savio, Jandy or AquaFill. These auto fill devices range in price from $60 to over $400 with warranties ranging from 1 to 5 years; and not too many offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. When shopping, look for one that is hermetically sealed so that it won't be susceptible to condensation with drastic changes in temperature or exposure to corrosive ocean salt air. The least reliable electronic water levelers are the type that read the water level by measuring the resistance of the water by two electrodes because the probes can become corroded by acidic, alkaline, or chlorinated water.

Choose a water leveler that can be easily hidden in a skimmer or in the rocks along the edge of a pond or mounted in a remote holding basin outside a fountain, fountain pot or container garden. A reliable automatic water leveler can be a convenient, time saving, water saving, and money saving addition to any water feature. A poorly designed or engineered device can end up being the source of an expensive insurance claim or lawsuit from a nasty overflow and consequential flood. Be wise, be dry, be leveler.

Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, freelance writer, author, designer & builder of well over 2000 waterfall and ponds in CA (29 years). Author of "Professional Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual" and developer of the "Ultimate Training Course" for designing a pond and waterfall using the "Digital Design Library" and Microsoft's Digital Image Suite Software.  Douglas C. Hoover