skiingfast
New member
It's looking great.
I once got cut from duct just like that. Ouch.
I once got cut from duct just like that. Ouch.
My First Tank and Build Process
- Thread starter benbarfield
- Start date
abrooks12376
New member
Nice build! you're doing it right for sure!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
benbarfield
New member
And it's back to tackling duct installation. I finally conceded. The 5 foot sections I could not get connected and into the ceiling. I found some 6" diameter 3 foot sections of metal ducting and put those in place. I connected the tubes and labeled them to ensure correct fitting. I predrilled holes into the ducts so I could easily screw in the self-tapping screws once my space was limited in the utility room and in the ceiling. Next was to seal the long seal with duct sealant paint as seen in the picture below.
While the sealant paint was drying we made a Home Depot run for thread sealing tape. Why you ask, well"¦ I came down this morning and there was standing pee water below the tank. The small plug on the new overflow piping was not threaded right when screwed on and apparently had been slowly leaking for 2 days since I last worked on the tank. After a shop vac, roll of paper towels, Lysol wipes, and feeling very happy about the pond liner I placed below the stand, the leak was cleaned up. I put a cup below the plug while we went to Home Depot.
Just to make sure the sealant had enough time to dry while we were gone we made a pupperchino stop. The dogs love Starbucks"¦
Once home, the thread tape was installed and I tested the piping for leaks. Nothing leaked, so I will check it again throughout the day and tomorrow.
Once the first duct was in place I connected the second duct to it and sealed the seams with duct tape and then covered the tape and sealed edges with duct sealant paint as seen in the picture below.
I went from the utility room to the access point cut in the ceiling above the tank to ensure the ducting was sliding past the recessed ceiling lights. My wife was documenting while I worked.
Ducting is almost done. I need to add the corner piece and extend it through the rest of the utility room and out the side of the house. Probably next weekend I will drill the exit hole in the side of the house. Next will be running water lines and electrical and drilling holes in the stand top for plumbing the tank. I am placing the parts order this weekend so hopefully nothing is backordered and I am get this tank up and running in the next few weeks.
now it's time for a beer, cheers"¦
While the sealant paint was drying we made a Home Depot run for thread sealing tape. Why you ask, well"¦ I came down this morning and there was standing pee water below the tank. The small plug on the new overflow piping was not threaded right when screwed on and apparently had been slowly leaking for 2 days since I last worked on the tank. After a shop vac, roll of paper towels, Lysol wipes, and feeling very happy about the pond liner I placed below the stand, the leak was cleaned up. I put a cup below the plug while we went to Home Depot.
Just to make sure the sealant had enough time to dry while we were gone we made a pupperchino stop. The dogs love Starbucks"¦
Once home, the thread tape was installed and I tested the piping for leaks. Nothing leaked, so I will check it again throughout the day and tomorrow.
Once the first duct was in place I connected the second duct to it and sealed the seams with duct tape and then covered the tape and sealed edges with duct sealant paint as seen in the picture below.
I went from the utility room to the access point cut in the ceiling above the tank to ensure the ducting was sliding past the recessed ceiling lights. My wife was documenting while I worked.
Ducting is almost done. I need to add the corner piece and extend it through the rest of the utility room and out the side of the house. Probably next weekend I will drill the exit hole in the side of the house. Next will be running water lines and electrical and drilling holes in the stand top for plumbing the tank. I am placing the parts order this weekend so hopefully nothing is backordered and I am get this tank up and running in the next few weeks.
now it's time for a beer, cheers"¦
fishresponse
New member
This is going to be good!
benbarfield
New member
parts list
parts list
Busy week at work so nothing new to update other than my parts list. Maybe this weekend I will be able to install the whisper fan above the tank and run the electrical and water lines. I am planning on doing upgrades to my system, as I get more comfortable with running the tank. Mainly when I start adding more sensitive corals.
(1) Sepctrapure 5 stage R/ODI 180
(1) Auto shut Off -LLCM
(3) Aqua medic DC runner 5.1
(1) Regal internal 250
(1) UV Sterilizer Aqua medic Helix max 55 watt
(3) Aquatop 500 watt w/ controller
(1) Neptune Apex System Gold
(1) Energy Bar 8
And the parts are starting to arrive"¦
parts list
Busy week at work so nothing new to update other than my parts list. Maybe this weekend I will be able to install the whisper fan above the tank and run the electrical and water lines. I am planning on doing upgrades to my system, as I get more comfortable with running the tank. Mainly when I start adding more sensitive corals.
(1) Sepctrapure 5 stage R/ODI 180
(1) Auto shut Off -LLCM
(3) Aqua medic DC runner 5.1
(1) Regal internal 250
(1) UV Sterilizer Aqua medic Helix max 55 watt
(3) Aquatop 500 watt w/ controller
(1) Neptune Apex System Gold
(1) Energy Bar 8
And the parts are starting to arrive"¦
benbarfield
New member
Busy day today and making much more progress. Today I tapped into the water line to run water supply to where the RODI unit will be house in the utility room. I shut off the main water line and I took a garden hose and connected it to the hot water heater. I ran the garden hose to the p-trap drain below the tank stand to drain the water from all lines in the house. Once the water was drained, I cut into the cold water line and added a t-piece (Sharkbite PEX Barb Tee). From the t-piece a new section of PEX tubing was run behind gas lines and up and around the ceiling. The first picture shows the Tee piece. The second picture is the PEX line running along the ceiling. The third picture is the new end of the water line and where the RODI unit will be mounted to the wall.
Once the water line was in I moved on to running electrical. I cut a hole to allow for the PVC conduit to exit the utility room to the side of the house. Next the piece was cut down and run along the side of the house to the electrical box. A junction box was added to allow for easier wire passing through the PVC conduit.
The next picture shows the PVC conduit secured to the side of the house and running toward the electrical panel. I took the picture later in my progress of the day so you can see the electrical wires exiting the junction box.
Once the water line was in I moved on to running electrical. I cut a hole to allow for the PVC conduit to exit the utility room to the side of the house. Next the piece was cut down and run along the side of the house to the electrical box. A junction box was added to allow for easier wire passing through the PVC conduit.
The next picture shows the PVC conduit secured to the side of the house and running toward the electrical panel. I took the picture later in my progress of the day so you can see the electrical wires exiting the junction box.
benbarfield
New member
I am adding two circuit breakers and 4 lines to supply the tank and all the equipment. I measured out the length I would need and it was around 60 feet of wiring. I measured 3 wire sections per new electrical line. Total length of new wiring was around 700 feet (hot, neutral, and ground). I used green for ground, black for hot, and white/blue for neutral since I ran out of white wiring and Home Depot only had blue. My wonderful wife helped me collect all the electrical wiring and secure it into a single tight line. Pictured below are the 4 new electrical lines.
We secured the wires with electrical tape every foot. The picture below shows the electrical box on the side of the house. It was accessed from one of the pre-marked access points. A 1" drill was used to cut a hole in the panel. (After the house was cut off).
The new electrical wire was secured into one piece and was thread through the PVC conduit above the tank. It went across the ceiling into the utility room and out the side of the house to the electrical panel.
This picture above shows the exit hole being cut for the exhaust ventilation. I stopped before completely accessing the utility room from the outside. The wiring was all run into the electrical panel I coiled it up and closed the box. I am going to finish wiring the electrical to the new breakers next weekend. UNC game is starting and I am off to cheer. Go Heels"¦
We secured the wires with electrical tape every foot. The picture below shows the electrical box on the side of the house. It was accessed from one of the pre-marked access points. A 1" drill was used to cut a hole in the panel. (After the house was cut off).
The new electrical wire was secured into one piece and was thread through the PVC conduit above the tank. It went across the ceiling into the utility room and out the side of the house to the electrical panel.
This picture above shows the exit hole being cut for the exhaust ventilation. I stopped before completely accessing the utility room from the outside. The wiring was all run into the electrical panel I coiled it up and closed the box. I am going to finish wiring the electrical to the new breakers next weekend. UNC game is starting and I am off to cheer. Go Heels"¦
benbarfield
New member
Water Lines
Water Lines
Nothing major done today. Just ran the water line tubing (blue and white) through the PVC conduit in the drop down ceiling to the utility room. Going to caulk around the wood attached to the ceiling and wall before painting everything with RedGard.
Water Lines
Nothing major done today. Just ran the water line tubing (blue and white) through the PVC conduit in the drop down ceiling to the utility room. Going to caulk around the wood attached to the ceiling and wall before painting everything with RedGard.
benbarfield
New member
Aquatop Titanium Heaters Arrived
Aquatop Titanium Heaters Arrived
Tank and sump heaters arrived. (Aquatop Titanium Heaters) Tomorrow's goal is to finish all the wiring, install the last of the exhaust ducting and exhaust fan, and caulking and painting RedGard on everything"¦
Aquatop Titanium Heaters Arrived
Tank and sump heaters arrived. (Aquatop Titanium Heaters) Tomorrow's goal is to finish all the wiring, install the last of the exhaust ducting and exhaust fan, and caulking and painting RedGard on everything"¦
benbarfield
New member
I hate wiring electrical
I hate wiring electrical
Didn't get nearly as much accomplished, as I wanted to today. Electrical really got the better of me today. But progress was made. First was opening the hole for the exhaust fan ducting to exit the house. The vent was put in place and duct taped shut so I can finish connecting the ducting.
Once again, my wonderful wife got her hands dirty with this project. She was connecting wiring to the new receptacles. Pretty good assembly line going"¦
The rest of the wiring was pulled through and out each unit. And receptacles attached.
Power was turned on and tested once all the electrical was connected. One of the receptacles kept tripping so it was taken apart and rewired. Works great, but I can't fit all the wiring back in the box. I trimmed it down but still couldn't get it in the box. Got really frustrated and decided to quit for the day. Going to get some extenders and see if that helps. Also installed the new exhaust fan switch on the ceiling. Hopefully will finish electrical and venting Thursday. Thanks for all the comments and following along so far"¦
I hate wiring electrical
Didn't get nearly as much accomplished, as I wanted to today. Electrical really got the better of me today. But progress was made. First was opening the hole for the exhaust fan ducting to exit the house. The vent was put in place and duct taped shut so I can finish connecting the ducting.
Once again, my wonderful wife got her hands dirty with this project. She was connecting wiring to the new receptacles. Pretty good assembly line going"¦
The rest of the wiring was pulled through and out each unit. And receptacles attached.
Power was turned on and tested once all the electrical was connected. One of the receptacles kept tripping so it was taken apart and rewired. Works great, but I can't fit all the wiring back in the box. I trimmed it down but still couldn't get it in the box. Got really frustrated and decided to quit for the day. Going to get some extenders and see if that helps. Also installed the new exhaust fan switch on the ceiling. Hopefully will finish electrical and venting Thursday. Thanks for all the comments and following along so far"¦
benbarfield
New member
I am so over ventilation ducting...
I am so over ventilation ducting...
Have I mentioned I hate ventilation recently? Today after work, I pieced together the final pieces for the exhaust ventilation. I put together a few 90 Degree Round Adjustable Elbows connecting the ventilation coming into the utility room and up to the exit vent in the side of the house. The only snag was the electrical ground wire to the house was directly in the way. I had to cut the power to the house and move the ground wire further up the copper piping to allow enough room to get around it with the ventilation. I then marked each piece to show the correct arrangement with a black sharpie marker. Next step was pre-drilling holes for the self-tapping metal screws to secure the ducting. Once the screws were in place, I taped and painted on duct sealant and allowed the pieces to dry. I will hang and finally finish ducting on my day off on Thursday. The first photo shows the pre-drilled screw holes. The second is the marking to show correct aligning of the vents, and the final picture is after taping and sealing the ducts.
I figured I would post a picture of the floor plan and what I have been talking about with this build to help get a better idea. Below is my basement floor plan. The second picture shows the tank location and venting across the ceiling into the utility room and out the side of the house. Hope this helps set a picture"¦
I am so over ventilation ducting...
Have I mentioned I hate ventilation recently? Today after work, I pieced together the final pieces for the exhaust ventilation. I put together a few 90 Degree Round Adjustable Elbows connecting the ventilation coming into the utility room and up to the exit vent in the side of the house. The only snag was the electrical ground wire to the house was directly in the way. I had to cut the power to the house and move the ground wire further up the copper piping to allow enough room to get around it with the ventilation. I then marked each piece to show the correct arrangement with a black sharpie marker. Next step was pre-drilling holes for the self-tapping metal screws to secure the ducting. Once the screws were in place, I taped and painted on duct sealant and allowed the pieces to dry. I will hang and finally finish ducting on my day off on Thursday. The first photo shows the pre-drilled screw holes. The second is the marking to show correct aligning of the vents, and the final picture is after taping and sealing the ducts.
I figured I would post a picture of the floor plan and what I have been talking about with this build to help get a better idea. Below is my basement floor plan. The second picture shows the tank location and venting across the ceiling into the utility room and out the side of the house. Hope this helps set a picture"¦
benbarfield
New member
Yay, No more ventilation... except the fan
Yay, No more ventilation... except the fan
The outlet boxes were not deep enough for me to put all the wiring back in and secure the outlets in place. I decided to take them down and add an extension to the boxes. I used epoxy to secure the additional extensions. I then used silicon to ensure the seam is waterproof. Below is the picture of the receptacles before adding the extensions.
While the outlets were drying (and they are currently still drying as I type), I moved back to ventilation.
After the vents were screwed together and the sealant dried, I went outside and sealed the exhaust vent with the silicon sealant. Back inside the utility room I sprayed more insulation around the venting to seal off any other cracks I may have missed. I also took the remaining foam sealant and sprayed between the drywall and floating floor space. Also sealed around the new p-trap under the tank.
Below is a picture of the rubber removed from the tank stand and how it is now pulled away from the wall. The next move is to RedGard the stand, walls, ceiling, and all around the electrical boxes. The last picture shows another shipment of goods that arrived. Neptune system, bulkheads, RODI unit, filters, top off, and protein skimmer. Still waiting on the rest of the Neptune system, 3 Kessil Tuna Blue lights, aquamedic pumps, and 3 holding tanks that will be my sump under the tank. Later I will add another small tank to create a refugium. Hopefully they arrive in the next week or so and we will finally start building the tank.
Off to Phoenix tomorrow to cheer on my TARHEELS"¦.
Yay, No more ventilation... except the fan
The outlet boxes were not deep enough for me to put all the wiring back in and secure the outlets in place. I decided to take them down and add an extension to the boxes. I used epoxy to secure the additional extensions. I then used silicon to ensure the seam is waterproof. Below is the picture of the receptacles before adding the extensions.
While the outlets were drying (and they are currently still drying as I type), I moved back to ventilation.
After the vents were screwed together and the sealant dried, I went outside and sealed the exhaust vent with the silicon sealant. Back inside the utility room I sprayed more insulation around the venting to seal off any other cracks I may have missed. I also took the remaining foam sealant and sprayed between the drywall and floating floor space. Also sealed around the new p-trap under the tank.
Below is a picture of the rubber removed from the tank stand and how it is now pulled away from the wall. The next move is to RedGard the stand, walls, ceiling, and all around the electrical boxes. The last picture shows another shipment of goods that arrived. Neptune system, bulkheads, RODI unit, filters, top off, and protein skimmer. Still waiting on the rest of the Neptune system, 3 Kessil Tuna Blue lights, aquamedic pumps, and 3 holding tanks that will be my sump under the tank. Later I will add another small tank to create a refugium. Hopefully they arrive in the next week or so and we will finally start building the tank.
Off to Phoenix tomorrow to cheer on my TARHEELS"¦.
hammerhead24
New member
Any updates?
