Large size tanks in the basement questions

[vietcu]

Doing a little research on setting up a large tank in the basement. Anywhere from 220-300g tank with probably a 75g sump. My main question is how are you guys dealing with humidity in summer and winter? Second question is it wise to put the tank in the same room as the hot water tank and heater unit? The tank would probably be about 6-8 feet from the units, maybe even a little less.

 

[serpentman]

This is something I battle, with my sump and auxiliary tanks. I think it partially has to do with ambient humidity to begin with as well as your air flow situation. At this point I am researching a whole house dehumidifier and/or air exchanger.

As far as putting near the utilities, I was going to do a similar set up and thought against it. Just watching what happens to my tools, etc when left near my tanks, I figured I didn't want to risk the corrosion.

 

[Kreeger1]

In the summer I crack open a basement window, in the winter I get condensation on my upstairs windows. If I run the dehumidifier that goes away. Keeping the fish room door closed also helps.
Putting it by your heater and hot water tank is asking for down the road trouble IMO

 

[DaveOSU]

Check out the Sept. 2008 tank of the month. He uses a portable AC/Dehumdifier vented out the window to control humidity and heat. The advantage being a straight dehumidifier dumps additional heat into your basement which may make it difficult to control your tank temp. during summers. A lot of these portable AC units now recirculate the condensate accross the hot side of the AC cycle so it can be evaporated off and vented out the window with the hot air. This way they don't need to be drained as often or at all depending on humdity.

 

[MeVsTheWorld]

Re: Large size tanks in the basement questions

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13999095#post13999095 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vietcu
Doing a little research on setting up a large tank in the basement. Anywhere from 220-300g tank with probably a 75g sump. My main question is how are you guys dealing with humidity in summer and winter? Second question is it wise to put the tank in the same room as the hot water tank and heater unit? The tank would probably be about 6-8 feet from the units, maybe even a little less.

Ask CoveBeach, his is set up in the basement.

 

[Radicaljbr]

Mine is only a 105 with a sump and you can see it by clicking my little red house.

Becuase mine is smaller I guess I do not get humidity issues. I thought I would so I put a vent fan in my basement windows with a humidity gauge switch which turns the fan on and blows outside if it gets above a certain level like 60%. It never turns on. My house is very dry and I would actually welcome the humidity.

My tank has been set up for over 1 1/2 years and the house water tank, hot water and furnice are all right in the same closed room as my tank room. I though it would all start rusting and was wondering what I would have to do like partisian off the room even further, but no rusting has taken place so far.

Knock on wood

 

[serpentman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14003625#post14003625 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Radicaljbr

My tank has been set up for over 1 1/2 years and the house water tank, hot water and furnice are all right in the same closed room as my tank room. I though it would all start rusting and was wondering what I would have to do like partisian off the room even further, but no rusting has taken place so far.

Knock on wood

Just curious if you have looked inside your furnace for signs of corrosion? I am not really familiar with their inner workings so I am not sure what/if internal components could be effected, especially in the non-working months such as summer.

 

[Kreeger1]

I saw Mike660r's old fish room. His landlord must of loved him after that move

 

[vietcu]

Dammit, the more I research the more it looks like I have to buy a whole new house if I want to go with a bigger tank. Something tells me this isn't meant for me to have a big tank. Thanks for all the replies guys, might have to scrub this large tank idea for a while. We are talking about a new house anyways, but with the market the way it is hard to say.

 

[Cove Beach]

Ok, so i got this 400 gallon puddle in my basement......First off my house is on the older side so it is not as tight as Mike660r's house. If you have a newer house that you have to work to close the door when you leave, humidity is going to build fast. As far as my house goes in the spring when things start to bloom my whole house air conditioning gets turned on because of asthma and allergies. My system is open top for the most part, and i run two fans blowing into the canopy on the display while the lights are on during the hotter days of summer. Since i have forced hot air for a furnace, the air in the house tended to be dry before i had fish tanks. With the new system it stays very comfortable. Part of this is that i have one of my cold air returns pulling air from the basement about 12ft from my system. I have yet to see any effects of salt on the duct work or anything else other than the needle nose pliers i use to loosen the nut on my algae clip. I do know that my condensate pump runs frequently with the air on during the summer. I do get some condensate on windows but they were doing that before the tank came into play.

 

[CeasarIM]

I have a 220gal and 100gal fuge .In winter its wonderfull ,the whole house is comfortable.Summer time sucks .I try to run a fan non-stop to circulate the air.Also have the portable dehumidifier,which like someone above stated works in a smaller area, but in a larger open area like mine all it does is it blows out warmer air .The humid,milduey smell gets worse on real humid days even though my ac works well.If I would know then what I know now I would reinforce the floor and have my tank upstairs.It took 5 guys to bring it downstairs and I had to take apart two walls to get it there.

 

[Radicaljbr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14004603#post14004603 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by serpentman
Just curious if you have looked inside your furnace for signs of corrosion? I am not really familiar with their inner workings so I am not sure what/if internal components could be effected, especially in the non-working months such as summer.

Ya, I check it once in a while and look at the copper piping in the room as well. So far I see nothing, but with the luck I have, I am sure something will go wrong sometime. It always does. I think the furnice actually helps circulate the humidity through the house.

 

[Shark Keeper]

A lot of the guys here in CORA run fans on humidistats and swear by them!

I tried the dehumidifier and A/C thing this summer to get a HUGE electric bill so I am going to switch over to the squirrel cage fan controlled by a humidistat and turn the A/C on just for comfort sake but from what I have been told I should not need it.

As for placing the tank in the same room as the furnace I'm not sure I would do that. With all of the moisture you may run into problems in the long run unless you keep your humidity at a very low rate but in turn you run the risk of lowering the "comfort humidity" that we all enjoy in the winter.

Hope that helps.