Adding Sole for AWC

[derek_SR]

My understanding is that the Sole (and other peri pumps) perform the “push” better than the “pull.”

I have my SW mixing station in the garage about 25ft away from the tank. I am running a collective inside under the tank - I was planning to install both Soles under the tank for AWC. They would replacing versa pumps.

But now I al considering putting the fresh SW sole in the garage so it’s “pushing” the 25ft distance. I figure both pumps might stay calibrated closer this way also.

However, I am not seeing any command bus cables long enough to reach the garage. Can I just power that pump standalone and leave it off the collective, programming it separately? Or must I connect it via command bus and run it under the tank with the other hydros stuff and live with the fact it will “pull” the 25ft distance?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Danny]

You have to use a data only command bus cable if it is over 14ft of cable. I have controllers in my garage and at my tank 35ft away. My ATO and both AWC pumps are in the garage and the tubing is run through the attic in insulated PVC conduit. The drain pump output goes back up through the attic and the dow to the drain under the kitchen sink. I use the two pumps from my Minnow for AWC but ai only have a 42 gallon tank and the daily water change is split into 4 changes. The ATO is also a dosing pump.

 

[derek_SR]

You have to use a data only command bus cable if it is over 14ft of cable. I have controllers in my garage and at my tank 35ft away. My ATO and both AWC pumps are in the garage and the tubing is run through the attic in insulated PVC conduit. The drain pump output goes back up through the attic and the dow to the drain under the kitchen sink. I use the two pumps from my Minnow for AWC but ai only have a 42 gallon tank and the daily water change is split into 4 changes. The ATO is also a dosing pump.

Thanks. No issues with the minnow “pulling” ? Do both AWC pumps stay calibrated?

 

[Danny]

Thanks. No issues with the minnow “pulling” ? Do both AWC pumps stay calibrated?

I have used dosing pumps the 8 years I have had the tank setup and they have always been in the garage 35ft from the tank. I have even used a dual head pump to do it at one time. I still check the calibration regularly which is just a matter of unhooking the output of the drain pump at the kitchen sink drain and running a calibration. and I do the same for the fill pump checking it at the output at the sump. I do have a maximum off time and maximum on time set on the ATO so if there is an issue with one of the pump it should catch it. It has in the past with other pumps. Since my tank is just 42 gallons and I have the water change split into 4 times a day the pumps are running about 15 minutes each time and has not been an issue. Not sure how they would react at longer working periods.

 

[derek_SR]

I have used dosing pumps the 8 years I have had the tank setup and they have always been in the garage 35ft from the tank. I have even used a dual head pump to do it at one time. I still check the calibration regularly which is just a matter of unhooking the output of the drain pump at the kitchen sink drain and running a calibration. and I do the same for the fill pump checking it at the output at the sump. I do have a maximum off time and maximum on time set on the ATO so if there is an issue with one of the pump it should catch it. It has in the past with other pumps. Since my tank is just 42 gallons and I have the water change split into 4 times a day the pumps are running about 15 minutes each time and has not been an issue. Not sure how they would react at longer working periods.

Thanks for the help - maybe I’ll just keep them both under the tank as originally planned and avoid running a long cable out to the garage.

I’ve just had nothing but issues with the Versas, perhaps the Soles are more robust and better suited to the task.

 

[EmilySlark]

My understanding is that the Sole (and other peri pumps) perform the “push” better than the “pull.”

I have my SW mixing station in the garage about 25ft away from the tank. I am running a collective inside under the tank - I was planning to install both Soles under the tank for AWC. They would replacing versa pumps.

But now I al considering putting the fresh SW sole in the garage so it’s “pushing” the 25ft distance. I figure both pumps might stay calibrated closer this way also.

However, I am not seeing any command bus cables long enough to reach the garage. Can I just power that pump standalone and leave it off the collective, programming it separately? Or must I connect it via command bus and run it under the tank with the other hydros stuff and live with the fact it will “pull” the 25ft distance?

Thanks for the help!

Hey there, I actually found your exact question on the HYDROS forum - you're definitely not alone in thinking about this!

So here's the deal with the 25ft run to your garage. You can absolutely put that fresh SW Sole out there so it's pushing instead of pulling. The key is the command bus cable situation.

For distances over 14-15 feet, you need a **data-only command bus cable** . Regular command bus cables carry both data and power, but that only works reliably up to about 15 feet. The data-only cable solves this by just handling communication while each pump runs on its own local power supply .

One guy on the forum has his setup exactly like this - controllers in the garage and at the tank 35 feet apart, both AWC pumps in the garage pushing water to the tank with zero issues . He runs calibration checks regularly and everything stays consistent.

The XP8 and Sole actually have isolated power supplies from the bus, so they play nice with this setup . You'd power the garage Sole locally, connect it via data-only cable back to your collective under the tank, and program everything normally through the collective interface.

So yeah, go ahead and put that fresh water pump in the garage. Better push than pull, and the collective will treat it like any other member once the wiring's sorted.

 

[EmilySlark]

Hey there, I actually found your exact question on the HYDROS forum - you're definitely not alone in thinking about this!

So here's the deal with the 25ft run to your garage. You can absolutely put that fresh SW Sole out there so it's pushing instead of pulling. The key is the command bus cable situation.

For distances over 14-15 feet, you need a **data-only command bus cable** . Regular command bus cables carry both data and power, but that only works reliably up to about 15 feet. The data-only cable solves this by just handling communication while each pump runs on its own local power supply .

One guy on the forum has his setup exactly like this - controllers in the garage and at the tank 35 feet apart, both AWC pumps in the garage pushing water to the tank with zero issues . He runs calibration checks regularly and everything stays consistent.

The XP8 and Sole actually have isolated power supplies from the bus, so they play nice with this setup . You'd power the garage Sole locally, connect it via data-only cable back to your collective under the tank, and program everything normally through the collective interface.

So yeah, go ahead and put that fresh water pump in the garage. Better push than pull, and the collective will treat it like any other member once the wiring's sorted.

You know what I forgot to mention? Cable length limits can be tricky even with data-only cables. If you're running 25 feet, make sure you're using good quality twisted pair or shielded cable, not just random wire. Interference in a garage with fluorescent lights or motor startup can corrupt the signal and give you random disconnects. Also, check if your specific Sole firmware version supports extended cable runs - some older versions had bugs with longer distances. One guy had to update his XP8 firmware first before the long cable would work reliably. And leave a little service loop at both ends in case you need to move things or re-terminate. Nothing worse than cutting a cable exactly to length and then realizing you need another inch. Hope that saves you some future headaches.