Large Tank IN a Basement-Ventilation Suggestoin Please oh brethern of the mamoth tank

law086,

I looked at your link again and actually read everything this time. There is a window/wall vent kit for it. Didn't really look too deeply at the info because of your comment about the vent last night. Couple that with the name "portable" and just couldn't see it being much.
 
Skippy,

Sounds like the cooler months will hopefully be a breeze for you and yes, the cooler temps will reduce your evaporation rate considerably.

Being that I am the jealous type and despise anyone who has a tank larger than I do :D ..... a word of caution for you.

When most folks set up a new tank in the basement, they usually say 'Humidity issues ...... what humidity issues?".

What they don't realize is that EVERYTHING in the basement that is capable of absorbing moisture is doing just that and that any potential problems could be weeks, months or even years in the making. Once everything has absorbed as much humidity as it can, from that point forward it has nowhere else to go and builds up in the air. That's when the real problems begin.

You've pretty much covered all bases with your setup and I don't foresee problems for you but keep on your toes. Stranger things have happened but I would suspect that you will be more proactive than reactive anyway. The setup is looking great!
 
Thanks Capn'

My Father in LAw and I used greenboard to stop the absorption as much as we could in terms of teh wood wicking the moisture. The cold air return will help and I added heat registers as well. When I heat is on the basment temp is pretty comfortable at 68 degrees. The vent fan really does a wonderful job and we may very well use it when we are sanding in the basement in a few weeks. I am so glad now that I bought something that is large and quiet. If it comes to it I will install a split A/C in the fishroom itself. I have a friend who is a licensed HVAC technician that can do it. First though I am putting in the window. I figure with a large window there will be little air leaks here and there and It will also afford me the ability to open the window in hte transitional seasons of spring and fall.

I also decided to use cheap air filters and change them regularly to keep the furnace breathing easier in the winter and this will hopefully keep things comfortable.

I have greatly appreciated where this thread had gone. I have actually learned alot about HVAC and how my house works from this thread. I understand the heat exchanger now and what my A/C coil is doing for me and why I have those return ducts in my house! I never knew what any of that was for before, just that I hated painting around the ducts in the wall :D

It has been important for me to plan for this well and to consider all the things that are not considered if one rushes into a project with eyes wide open but the peripheal vision blinded.

So thanks again

Mike
 
Ron,

In general, the specs look good. My only concerns would be reliability and serviceability.

I have to admit that I'm not familiar with the manufacturer so any comment about reliability would be foolish on my part.

One thing I can say something about is serviceability.

Most self-contained A/C units these days are more or less throw away units. When they break, you throw them away and buy another. After all, most people don't want to spend $100.00, $200.00 or $300.00 to fix a unit for which they only paid $400.00 brand new.

That being the case, it's getting harder and harder to find someone who is willing to work on those types of units. Many technicians ( including myself ) have wasted a bunch of time going to customers homes, diagnosing problems and then giving estimates on the repair cost only to have the customer say that it isn't worth the cost to repair and that they will just buy a new one.

Needless to say, it doesn't take too many of those money losing service calls before you decide that they aren't worth dealing with.

I guess the bottom line would be that if you know or can find someone who would be willing to service the unit, it could be worth a try if something else is not wiithin your budget and you are willing to take the risk ( maybe very low or very high ) on reliability.

I'm not trying to sound negative at all but am just tryng to give you all of the facts that come to mind.

Hope this helps!
 
capncapo

I wanted to see if you could give me some recommendations for humidity control with my new tank setup/fish room.

I have a 3 car garage that is two wide and on the left side it is two deep. I closed off the deep side and made it into my fish room. My tank will be inwall which is my family room. I have a window AC unit in my fish room that blows into the garage. This is where my HVAC unit for my house is. I was also planing on running a dehumidifier in my fish room. I am also going to put plastic up on the walls and ceiling before the drywall is put up. Will this be good enough? Or, should I add a vent to the outside and then a fan to suck air out of the fish room and into the garage that would be controlled by a humidity meter. This way I can pull air from the outside into my fish room and then pull air back out into my garage. Thanks for your comments!
 
This is the utility room ceiling behind my tank. WE decided we would drywall teh ceiling first and tape before we built teh final soffit around the tank and the last two walls to frame in the door leading into the utility room. This way the ceiling would be sealed up much better.

you can see teh register vent in the ceiling and the fan. I am going to use moisture proof shower covers over the lights.


Maderiabeach2005150.jpg


Maderiabeach2005149.jpg
 
1/2" is rated for 12" spans, 5/8" is rated for 16" spans. If you have anything wider you would need to use standard 5/8" drywall or celing board. It will tend to sag slowly otherwise.
 
bstone,

A little more info please .......

Your fish room is the deep area of the garage.

How about an approxmate size. Hopefully it is insluated .... both the walls and ceiling?

Your furnace and A-coil are in the other area of your garage.

Is that area insulated also?

What will your total water volume be? Include tank and any sumps, refugiums, etc.

What is your ductwork made of and is it insulated?

Why do you think you want to bring outside air into the fish room and then vent your fish room air into your garage?

Any other info that you may think important?

Got any pictures?

Thanks
 
Last edited:
"HRVs are great but have a limited season as they are for use in cool/cold weather."

HRV's will reduce humidity in an area with a large reef tank in most weather.

The one case where they don't work is when you are using AC in an area with high outside humidity (gulf coast for instance). In that case, the AC reduces the indoor humidity and an HRV just sucks humidity back into the house. But if you aren't running the AC, running an HRV in your fish room almost always helps.

As far as the question about sub-zero, yeah they work fine. Canada requires HRVs in all new construction.
 
bstone,

A little more info please .......

Your fish room is the deep area of the garage.

Yes, the garage on the left side is 2 deep. I converted that area to a fish room. It is completely closed off from the garage now.

How about an approxmate size. Hopefully it is insluated .... both the walls and ceiling?

18'-6"x11' ceilings are 9'. Yes, everything is insulated, ceiling and walls.

Your furnace and A-coil are in the other area of your garage.

Yes

Is that area insulated also?

Garage is insolated except for one side, and garage doors.

What will your total water volume be? Include tank and any sumps, refugiums, etc.

1000 gallons

What is your ductwork made of and is it insulated?

Not metal, its the plastic insolated type.

Why do you think you want to bring outside air into the fish room and then vent your fish room air into your garage?

No idea, that is why I need you assistance!:rollface:

Any other info that you may think important?

I have a window AC unit in my fish room the vents out into the garage. I do have a dehumidifier, if needed.

I will have pictures soon!!

Thanks for your help! Also, sorry for hijacking this thread!!
 
Do you mean during the winter time? I am thinking the 2910 watts of lighting will keep the room warm. I have about 900 watts during the night time over my refugium and coral prop tank.
 
First, I want to say this is a great thread.

I came to the same conclusion as skippyreef at least in theory . Summer time i would run a fan into the cold air return kind of like a 1st stage forced induction. Then in the fall and spring when the ventilation is not running to vent outside.

Perhaps there's a way to run both fans on the house thermostat. When the vent is running the fan on cold return will run. When the vent is off have the outside fan to run. that way humidity is constantly removed. In both cases i would run a low volume fan not to draw in too much outside air.

As well, I was thinking about protection for the exposed wood in the basement. Perhaps apply some type of wood sealer such as Thomson's water seal or polyurethane. I could use one of those airpumped sprayer for weedkiller / insecticide instead of painting it on.
 
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