Equipment Room Setup

[skyrne_isk]

Think this is probably the best place to start with some questions I am already having about finally setting up my equipment room. I am building a house that will be ready in February, so I am trying to keep ahead of the builders so my reef will be ready to go.

I have done a fair amount of reading about the TOTM and other threads around, but am generally not finding a lot of the "lessons learned" parts for guys who have already done it. I have run in-stand sumps since forever, but the remote sump on another floor is foreign territory for me.

So here is the basics:

60 x 30 x 24 display...currently using a 40B as a sump.

I believe I am set on running the sump in the basement below where tank will set (in the foyer/entry room).

I have generally seen folks using rubbermaid tanks plumbed together and am pretty sure I would like to plumb two 100G versions of these together for my sump. I have heard the included bulkhead drains on these are garbage and need replaced straightaway, is this accurate?

Should I use threaded or slip bulkheads to plumb them together? I like the idea of putting two bulkheads with a ball valve so a sump could be taken offline or used a temporary treatment tank, etc. I also have some concerns about how to install them so down-the-road servicing can occur if I want to get rid of or move one of them.....is this something to consider or a non-issue?

Is it important to elevate one a couple inches above the other? I think some 22.5 degree street elbows could work but only if the height is needed.

Some setups have used square holding tanks that looked clean, what are the other options if not the round rubbermaid types?

I know the return pump choice depends on head and run and number and degree of elbows, but any general pumps to steer me toward? I would like to keep the flow lower from the display and only turn enough over that the skimmer can process....and use in-display pumps like MP40s to carry the circulation.

About water changes, any sources on how to set up the manifold or suggestions on how many ang what size/kind large polypropelene tanks I should go for on a ~400G system? I am thinking two more tanks here of maybe 80G each, one kept full of fresh water, one with salt. Agree?

Lastly about humidity: I am planning on running a humidistat in the basement and probably a dehumidifier on the first floor. Given this is a new house, this is a huge concern for me. Any advice on what the best route is to handle the humidity? I have done OK with just a dehumidifier in the 2000 square foot house I am in now. I have no clue what I need for roughly twice the water volume and twice the square footage.

This is going to be a lot of fun.....assuming I can get it mostly right the first time (else I will probably end up divorced!!!). Thanks in advance, looking forward to the input from the guys in this forum. :wavehand:

 

[PurdueWaterGuy]

Good questions! Along for the ride....

 

[skyrne_isk]

One of the other big issues I have yet to resolve/address is how to do the plumbing through the floor. I am tempted to install a flange in the floor (like a toilet) for both the 1" and 1.5" drains and then just plumb down to that. The plumbing could just be secured to the floor and wall down below, but putting in the flanges would help nail down the location and let me work everything downline from there.

I caught a pretty good list of the things to keep in mind when building an equipment room, I will post them here for comment.

Also, can anyone recommend a dehumidifer model that has worked well for them?

 

[skyrne_isk]

As far as electrical, I believe the basement will include two dedicated 20A breakers but no outlets, only coiled wiring. Any advice on how/where to install the plugins? I am going to put up some sketches tomorrow with the floorplans for input.

And about AFCI, is there consensus this is important on the install?

"If you are going to run a dedicated line, spend the extra $40 and get a AFCI breaker. The most common cause of fire is saltwater spray/creep causing arcs which ignite a fire."
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1989951&page=3

 

[PurdueWaterGuy]

When the in-laws lived on the gulf coast in Florida I was shocked (snicker) to learn that the local marina did not use GFI's for 120 Volt power on the docks. They claimed that there was so much salt in the air that they couldn't be kept from tripping.

Having been nailed by 120, 240, and higher shocks, I'm sure going to put GFI's on my drops when they get installed.

As far as electrical, I believe the basement will include two dedicated 20A breakers but no outlets, only coiled wiring. Any advice on how/where to install the plugins? I am going to put up some sketches tomorrow with the floorplans for input.

And about AFCI, is there consensus this is important on the install?

"If you are going to run a dedicated line, spend the extra $40 and get a AFCI breaker. The most common cause of fire is saltwater spray/creep causing arcs which ignite a fire."
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1989951&page=3

 

[skyrne_isk]

That is beyond absurd. I had some electrical guys out today to inspect the current house I am living in (just sold it) and queried them about what it would take to put in what would effectively amount to a dryer duct for the to-be-built equipment room. I am almost envisioning some kind of fan that runs almost always to keep humidity out of the rest of the basement.

What I am not sure on is whether or not to try it myself - the basement has egress windows and is above grade for about the top two feet of the wall. Anyone but an air duct in through cinderblock or basement wall?

 

[trhaynes]

AFCI I would say not needed, I would Install GFCI's either as a breaker or an outlet. Outlet style will probably be best, if it trips you can reset it there instead of having to go to the panel to reset it.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Try a floor style heat duct opening, shape of a rectangle for the plumbing,
Lots of room and coverable with a grille if ever needed.
If you are using a 40 for a sump now use a 90 or 125 in the basement.
Barrels are dependant on water changes.

 

[jollyballs]

i also am in the process of doing the same for my new house. one thing i have done is that my furnace room is next to my saltwater tank room. therefore, i have put a cold air return high in the room to take out the humidity that will be generated in this room from the tank. all my plumbing was thought out before the concrete was poured in the basement. i placed a drain in the middle of floor just in case of the dredded flood too. and when i built my wall for the tank, it was built for the size tank that i have now but if i decide to go bigger later on, i have put 2X4's in position for a bigger tank. i have eleven outlets on a 20 amp breaker with 12-2 wire spaced throught the room. cant wait to get up an running. hope some of this may be of help to you in you new room build. just tryin to throw some ideas out there.

 

[skyrne_isk]

Any thoughts on the sump setup? I am picking up the second 100G rubbermaid tonight, they look like this:

I would like to know if anyone can speak to whether or not the included drain should be taken out and an aftermarket installed. I do not want to find out after I am up and running that the drains are junk.

Not sure how many bulkheads I should go with (2 or 3) and whether or not I will set one of the vessels on a riser. I would think that I would use ball valves in between them in any event and with three bulkheads would look something like the simple picture below. I am pretty confident that having them on even flooring would work, but I wonder if anyone has feedback for/against using different elevations like this:

Side

Top-Down

I imagine using some slip 22.5 degree street elbows would allow pretty easily to just have a couple inch difference in elevations. The higher sump would hold the skimmer and little else other equipment with the return pump sitting in the lower for obvious reasons. I am really not sure on what should go where if I would like to have a post-QT acclimation space, growout area for frags, and an algae grow out area. My thinking is that the skimmer and Ca Rx should go in the first/higher sump for consistency in water level and to allow the CO2 to burn off, but should it also house the chaeto?

 

[jpsika08]

Think this is probably the best place to start with some questions I am already having about finally setting up my equipment room. I am building a house that will be ready in February, so I am trying to keep ahead of the builders so my reef will be ready to go.

I have done a fair amount of reading about the TOTM and other threads around, but am generally not finding a lot of the "lessons learned" parts for guys who have already done it. I have run in-stand sumps since forever, but the remote sump on another floor is foreign territory for me.

So here is the basics:

60 x 30 x 24 display...currently using a 40B as a sump.

I believe I am set on running the sump in the basement below where tank will set (in the foyer/entry room).

I have generally seen folks using rubbermaid tanks plumbed together and am pretty sure I would like to plumb two 100G versions of these together for my sump. I have heard the included bulkhead drains on these are garbage and need replaced straightaway, is this accurate?

If Bulkheads here leak, you can try using UNISEALS to link both rubbermaids together, they get really tight and easy to install, try checking some YouTube videos, hope that helps.

Should I use threaded or slip bulkheads to plumb them together? I like the idea of putting two bulkheads with a ball valve so a sump could be taken offline or used a temporary treatment tank, etc. I also have some concerns about how to install them so down-the-road servicing can occur if I want to get rid of or move one of them.....is this something to consider or a non-issue?

I think the threaded or slip bulkheads can depend on re usability, if you intend on using these on the future for other application I would suggest threaded as it's easy to unscrew and re use again.


I know the return pump choice depends on head and run and number and degree of elbows, but any general pumps to steer me toward? I would like to keep the flow lower from the display and only turn enough over that the skimmer can process....and use in-display pumps like MP40s to carry the circulation.

I would suggest looking at all the Reeflo pumps, quiet, reliable and durable, most big tank users use this one, though, these are external only pumps, if you're looking for internal try reading about the Reef Octopus Water Blaster pumps, I have one and really a working horse.


About water changes, any sources on how to set up the manifold or suggestions on how many ang what size/kind large polypropelene tanks I should go for on a ~400G system? I am thinking two more tanks here of maybe 80G each, one kept full of fresh water, one with salt. Agree?

I have a 600+ System and having two 65gal containers is good enough for me, one holds RO/DI Water and the Other the Saltmix, both of them interconnected with a pump for transferring water between them, mix the newly added salt and transfer saltwater to the sump when doing WWC, of course, the bigger the better, two 80g containers are a great choice, try looking at US Plastic dot com, they have some nice polypropelene tanks that may suite your needs.

Lastly about humidity: I am planning on running a humidistat in the basement and probably a dehumidifier on the first floor. Given this is a new house, this is a huge concern for me. Any advice on what the best route is to handle the humidity? I have done OK with just a dehumidifier in the 2000 square foot house I am in now. I have no clue what I need for roughly twice the water volume and twice the square footage.

I am on this boat right now too, my fishroom has a level of 99% humidity when I close my door and window, so I'm considering installing a Panasonic WhisperCeiling exhaust fan, not an expert on this subject but maybe you can try looking into the ERV or HRV units for air exchange, again, I'm no expert on this matter.

This is going to be a lot of fun.....assuming I can get it mostly right the first time (else I will probably end up divorced!!!). Thanks in advance, looking forward to the input from the guys in this forum. :wavehand:

Good luck

 

[skyrne_isk]

Thanks, Juan. Reeflo is certainly on the list as far as pumps are concerned. I priced PVP water containers today and want to wait until I have the layout a little more firmed up before picking that piece out.

What I am stuck on for now is how to handle the plumbing through the floor:

I know the plumbing needs to be supported by either straps or another method. I am not sure on what the best way to get the plumbing through the floor. With an sump in the stand, it's a non-issue and as I have said, I have never done anything but in-stand sumps. So I am not sure about the area I circled in red.

Should I go with a union and line up the plumbing from the bottom of the aquarium to a coupling or flange in the floor? I have seen some just drop the drains through the floor and 90 degree elbow and strap the drains to the ceiling on the floor below. There are too many options here, any suggestions? Never used one before but I am going to look into cam lock disconnect fittings to join the tank drain pipes to the through-floor piece. Any details for those of you who liked what they did on their plumbing?

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

When working for a Maint. co. they used "click clamps" to hold either rigid or flex pipe to beams for neatness & support. Like I mentioned a rectangular hole has alot more area than a marginal hole and trying to force another pipe into it.
Cam lock fittings are nice near the sump for removal of pumps and skimmers.

 

[skyrne_isk]

reposting image: