32G Rubbermaid Brute Trash can, how to estimate gallons at specific levels???

[gig]

So I was trying to get more "specific" on my water changes and trying to come up with a formula to get the same SG everytime. Which means exact water and salt measurements. Jsut to ease up time spent on water changes.

So anyone of have clue how many gallons the standard 32G brute holds to the first "lip" in the can?

You can see it inside the can on this pic

 

[Jeff]

Do you have a 5 gallon bucket? Can you fill the bucket and then dump the contents into the Brute one at a time?

 

[Jeff]

Double post

 

[gig]

good question, yes

so at what point on the 5G bucket is the actual 5G??? the rim?

 

[gig]

also, was hoping someone has already figured this out, since I put some brand new RO water in my mixer this weekend

 

[wolf pup]

Last time I was at the grocery store - they had 1 gallon pitchers on sale for $1.99 - seems to me that that if you are into specific measurements you might want to start there. Also, you will probably need a scale if your salt mixes by weight rather than volume.

Either way - who cares - fill your bucket to wherever, mark it, measure salt used to get the sg you want (ie. if I use 2 & 1/2 "scoops" then that is the measure) write down measure used - then next time use the mark and your measurement and you will be consistent.

 

[gig]

I know, I know!!!

I figured that some anal reefer here may use that "mark" as a filling point and knows that they use 24 cups of salt, etc etc

 

[SlowCobra]

About 1/2" above the lip where the handles are located is about 25gals. Is this dead on accurate? No, but according to my storage container which is marked in 5gal increments this puts it at about 25 gals.

 

[gig]

seeeeee!??11???

I knew someone had done this

Yeah, I know it's not dead accurate, but I just wanted to be able to fill my container to a spot, throw in the same measured amounts of salt and be close without having to guess alot after I do the initial mix.

Thanks SC

 

[klviper]

If you really want to be anal about it you could weigh it with a bathroom scale empty. Zero out the can and add water. Fresh water without salt is 8.345404 lbs per gallon so 30 gals is 250.35 lbs.

 

[DodgeDude99]

you have a 5 gallon jug and a 3 gallon jug, you need to fill the 5 gallon jug with exactly 4 gallons of water.

 

[gig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13494538#post13494538 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by klviper
If you really want to be anal about it you could weigh it with a bathroom scale empty. Zero out the can and add water. Fresh water without salt is 8.345404 lbs per gallon so 30 gals is 250.35 lbs.

ahh, good idea, but I think Cobra has the best bet.

 

[wolf pup]

nm

 

[gig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13494940#post13494940 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wolf pup

Back to your issue gig, do you have a refractometer or can you borrow one for one round of sw mixing?

what kind of noob do you think I am??? I guess I should remove that from my profile since I've had a reef for well over a year now

Yeah, i agree, if I know what the Brute holds at that level, I was just hoping that I can then figure out (at 78-80 degrees) that I can dump 12-13 cups of salt in and end up close to 1.024-25 as possible.

Thanks!

 

[Otto2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13494544#post13494544 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DodgeDude99
you have a 5 gallon jug and a 3 gallon jug, you need to fill the 5 gallon jug with exactly 4 gallons of water.

How did John McClain end up figuring that one out. I am drawing a blank

 

[JNye]

he killed everyone and then smoked a cigarette, DUH!

 

[Otto2]

Thanks for figuring it out for me Wolf Pup.

 

[Otto2]

Good Call!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13495304#post13495304 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by poo-tang
he killed everyone and then smoked a cigarette, DUH!

 

[ppurcell]

Since your container isn't a perfect cylindar you cannot easily calculate volume at particular increments.

So, if it were me, I would put a sight tube on the outside of the rubbermaid and then fill the drum using a container with a known volume (1 gal) and then mark the sight tube at specific increments (5 gal).

This idea is totally ripped off from a recommendation I got from Beefy when I had a similar question about seeing when my 55 gallon drum is getting empty.

I can't get into photobucket right now, but when I can I'll post a pic of the sight glass on my drum to illustrate what I described above.

 

[ppurcell]