Humidity and precipitation

[karimwassef]

The temperature can vary pretty significantly in Dallas. Some days run dry and 90. Recently we had continuous rain and cool 70F.

If air temp is 70 and I run the AC 24/7 to remove humidity, then the garage is in the 60s... Hence the heaters.

Target temp is 78-83

 

[Useful_Idiot]

Can you lessen some of your evaporation? Cover as much of the exposed surface water as you can. I've used plastic wrap in the past over my sump chambers. Also graingers sells small floating balls for lowering evap in open chemical containers. A rc user reefkeeper2 who had Dec 08 totm had a second lid on his skimmer collection cup with a tube going outside to get all the humid air out of his basement.

 

[karimwassef]

Interesting challenge... I don't want to reduce my lights on the corals, and lids are always dripping with condensation, splash and salt.

I may be able to cover up my sump, surge and ATO reservoirs better.

Small floating balls?? In the water or suspended over it? How do they work?

 

[Useful_Idiot]

I agree I wouldn't cover the display. But all the other surfaces are adding to your evaporation so if you could cover them you can reduce the humidity. The dec 08 totm says that capturing the exhaust air from his skimmer made a huge improvement in reducing humidity. I would feed your skimmer outside air though.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-12/totm/index.php

They just float. I would try glass tops or plastic wrap first. I tried plexiglass first and it just warped from the moisture and didn't seal.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-plastic-balls/=xlsmaz

 

[karimwassef]

My skimmer is airtight to the collection cup. The air inlet comes from outside and the outlet is through the liquid effluent hose that runs into my sink.

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http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/IMG_1529_zps967d09e3.mp4.html

So when the becketts engage, the hose starts to expel air into the sink where I have a measuring bucket.

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You can see the large bubbles here when the effluent level is above the hose output. I put clean water to demonstrate...

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[karimwassef]

So I'm not sure I have humid air exiting the top of my skimmer... Having said that- it is a massive skimmer 12' tall and injects gallons of air...

The precipitation is heavily in that section of the garage where the skimmer stands too. I attributed that to coincidence since the fan that blows across the tank surface water pushes all the resulting moist air at the far end, where the skimmer stands.

The skimmer is a very large plastic surface area right where this moist air is headed and so it's a larger precipitation point.

I put my dehumidifier close that side and all precipitation stopped.

 

[Useful_Idiot]

Sounds like you're all set then. That's good. The air coming out of the hose is really humid after mixing with all that saltwater so if you could have that effluent hose vent outside that would lessen the amount of humidity you have to remove.

 

[karimwassef]

Interesting. I need to measure the effluent export to make sure my skimmer isn't going nuts.

That means I need to move from an open measure to an airtight container with a liquid valve to release at the bottom and a gas export that runs outside at the top... Or just put the entire thing outside.