R/o di system setup

[Kieth71]

I am just wondering if anyone has a link to or a good idea for setting up a system to hold my r/o water.keep in mind i dont have a ton of room for this.I would also like to know the bast way for filling the tank the first time since i will be filling about 100g+ to fill and i would not have room to store that much for a mix.Did other just mix what they had dump it in then wait for more to be made..did they mix it in the tank itself?..ty in advance for the help

 

[cdness]

I know I will get in trouble for this but I filled the tank with water then added the salt to the sump. Let the sump mix it with a powerhead for a bit then let it flow to the tank... It mixed fine and since I didn't have any critters in there yet I was not risking anything living.

The only other way would be to fill a brute and mix the salt.. pump it to the tank... then repeat. I had no room either so I opted for the above option.

I use 5 Gallon buckets for my RO/DI for water changes and water storage so it is easy to find storage room for those...

 

[HumanIMDB]

Yes, if nothing is alive in the tank you can mix the salt right in it to get started. After that you can use 5 gallon buckets for top off.

We have limited space as well so when it comes time to do a water change we have two Rubbermaid Brutes sitting in our kitchen mixing saltwater for a day or two. We then use a pump and hose to move the water around.

 

[RocketEngineer]

When I filled my tank, I started by filling the tank with RO/DI and running all the filters and pumps for a week or so before I added salt. Once the salt was dissolved, I let it run for another week before I went to the LFS to pick out my LR and sand. This way, I made sure everything was working properly before I put anything live into the tank.

For RO/DI storage I use a Brute garbage can. If you read the label, you want one thats food safe. Since my RO/DI system is in the laundry room, the garbage can sits between the sink and the washing machine. I then pump it into those two gallon water jugs from Walmart to move to the tanks.

 

[Kieth71]

Ok ty very much for the responses..one other question...is it a good idea to mix salt in the same container that the ro/di water goes into or better to get a seperate container for that?

 

[XSiVE]

You can also get some 1/4 poly water line from HD/lowes as well as some quick connect fittings, and just run the output from the RO/DI directly into the tank.

 

[Everyones Hero]

I'd use a separate container for mixing than your holding water.

That way you're not adding more salt to the tank when you do your water top offs.

I didn't use RO/DI, but when I first setup my tank I added the water, made sure everything was running right, then added the salt. Then I took out some of the water & put it into containers so I had room to add my LR & sand w/out the tank overflowing. Then I used that water for my first couple of water changes.

 

[Kieth71]

I just went to lowes to look at the brute trash can 32g which was the only one they had...its 22 inches wide and i have about 18 to work with..guess ill have to look around a bit to find something that will fit..thanks again for the replies.

 

[pillpusher]

I have a air water ice filter that I run into a 18gal plastic storage bin from lowes (make sure to buy the thick one). I just put a float switch on it to make sure it stays full. When I need water I have a Mag 5 in the container that has a hose that comes through the hole in the cover. It is wired to a switch at the front of the cabinet. I fill three 5 gallon jugs with it, or you can turn the valve off to the container and let it run into a tough liner trash can. You can also mix in the trash container as well. I would suggest buying the wheeled bottom for it if you fill it with water. I used to just use a mag 12 and hose to pump it into the den. The beautiful thing is that the whole system is under the kitchen sink and hidden from sight.