Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them

slief - I don't want to go off topic here (this is a mixing station thread, not an AWC thread), so I'll be brief...

I looked at your Neptune forum post. IMO it has some good ideas that are well worth discussing. Please consider starting an RC thread - possibly in the DIY section as the solution does not require an APEX, other forms of control could be substituted. And if you do, please post a link here. I would enjoy contributing to that discussion. :)
 
johnd651 said:
i love all the pictures...if only i had the room, time, and money

well, this is all I have for a poor college student, renting an apartment

its a bucket, with a heater, and 160gph submersible pump.

ahh....dreaming about a shed or garage like that
Click to expand...

I'm right there with ya bud!!
 
slief said:
lol.. Funny you mentioned that. A couple weeks ago I designed a couple wall mounted 1 gallon acrylic metering bins and had it it my mind to have my acrylic shop build them with the plan of using them with my Apex. It's really a two pump/two bin solution as you need to take in/out exactly the same amounts.

I also laid out a 2 gallon bin for larger water changes. They both incorperated a PVC stand pipe that could be shortened which is essentially a loopback/oveflow line sending the water back to its source once it reached a specified level of 1 gallon or 2 gallons.. This insures that the bins are perfectly full with 1 gallon of water. In the case of the 1 gallon version, it could be setup for half gallon exchanges by using a shorter standpipe. The cost was such that it would be a marketable solution which is not off the table.

That said, while I've become pretty good at my Apex programming, the automatic water change code is a bit daunting and complex as there were things that needed to be timed such as the solenoid that opens when the bin is full. There are float switches also included in the design to shut the pumps off when the bins were full but also need the pumps to run on a timer so that if the float fails, the pump will still shut off at a preset duration and not run continuously. Then my ATO coding would need to be changed which could simply be a defer statement to delay it long enough for the exchange to complete and allowing my ATO float to go back to closed position. Last there was the frequency of the water changes which could have been handled by OSC commands telling it to turn on 1, 2, 3 times a day for 1-3 gallons. Then there are the failsafes such as sump levels, salinity etc. All of which together entail some pretty lengthy lines of code.

I actually posted a thread on it at the Neptune Systems hosted forum explaining what I was looking to do and seeking help but suprisingly did not get a response on that. While I still will likely presue a Apex driven solution, using the Genesis as a stand alone device and using my Apex for the failsafe seemed like a more prudent and easy to impement solution. I will plug the Genesis into an Apex controlled outlet that will have failsafe programming for sump levels and salinity so that if my water levels are too high or too low, the Genesis shuts off. Same goes with Salinity, too high or too low and Genesis shuts off. These would be the same lines of code I use for my Litermeter water exchange outlet which would make implementing the Genesis the path of least resistance and very simple.

My metering bins would have saved me money but I do have the Litermeter along with 3 or 4 spare pumps to essentially make it close to an even trade. The added benifit is having an all in one device that is not dependant on my Apex along with having the failsafes that the Apex will provide.

As I said, I still may have those acrylic bins made and may switch down the line but sometimes simplicity wins over cost and in this case, the Renew keeps things simple and saves me hours of programming while making it very easy to changes the amount of water I change and the frequency at which they are done, be it daily, weekly or even a large concurrent water change.
Click to expand...

I did it with one reactor using a very similar method, Only I have one drain from the sump and then fill with new salt mix. Built prototype and all :) Don't get me wrong, I like the genesis systems. The controls are pretty and works as designed but it it looks like a rats nest with all the wires and tubing. You could make something more professional in my opinion. Should you wish to discuss this further, open a new thread and send me the link or PM me. As scolly mentioned, This thread is for people to POST PICTURES of their water change stations. :)

Cheers
 
e2upazab.jpg
a4usebu2.jpg

Could remember if I had posted before but here is my mixing station. The pump is the same on my 220, serves as a back up. Simple design and removable for cleaning. I've realized over time we get left over soot from the salt mixes so I can take the tanks outside and scrub and wash them out.
 
slief said:
I guess I posted earlier in the thread when I had two 50 Gallon barrels in a Rubbermaid shed.


Here is my current setup. I upgraded to a much larger shed with two 100 gallon tanks about 2 years ago. One is for RODI and one is for Salt water. The pump you see turns on every 3 hours and runs for 15 minutes to keep the salt water from stagnating. Automatic water changes are performed by a litermeter 3 but I am switching to a Genesis Renew and will use my Apex as the failsafe.

The shed backs up to the house and is plumbed through the exterior wall into the sump below the tank. ATO is utilizes a dosing pump drawing directly from the 100 gallon RODI tank and controlled via my Apex. The shed has an EB8 in connecting to the Apex as well.
RODI tank is on the left and salt tank on the right.
DSC01266.jpg


DSC01268.jpg


The garage door button you see is connected to the Apex. When I mix salt or transfer RODI to the salt tank, I push the button which triggers my Apex to turn the pump on for an hour.
Mix-pump-switch.jpg


RODI filling is also automatic and handled by my SpectraPure UHE 100GPD unit.
Mix-pump-switch1.jpg


More on this can be found in my build thread here.
Click to expand...

this is a sweet setup, but im curious, does either of your tanks get funky? if so how do you clean them? Im asking because every few weeks i have to clean out my salty water mixing tank, but im using brute 32g garbage can, not the fully enclosed tanks. My can gets some brown film on it, and occasinaly calcium deposits. so every few weeks i take the pumps out, and clean the can up...wonderng how you do it with these big tanks..or IF you do it..or if yuo NEED to do it.. lol
 
jscarlata said:
this is a sweet setup, but im curious, does either of your tanks get funky? if so how do you clean them? Im asking because every few weeks i have to clean out my salty water mixing tank, but im using brute 32g garbage can, not the fully enclosed tanks. My can gets some brown film on it, and occasinaly calcium deposits. so every few weeks i take the pumps out, and clean the can up...wonderng how you do it with these big tanks..or IF you do it..or if yuo NEED to do it.. lol
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment! They don't get funky and stay pretty clean. I've only cleaned my salt water tank once in the last couple years and that was becuase I had a marine land heater that failed. Then again, I'm of the mindset that any funk in the water isn't a bad thing unless it smells and my water doesn't smell at all so I don't worry about it and in 3 years it's never become an issue.
 
hmm...thanks for the feedback. maybe its the brute can itself. i use ESV salt which i think is pretty clean, i weigh it on a small scale. wish i could find that kind of storage tank locally, too expensive to ship.
 
jscarlata said:
hmm...thanks for the feedback. maybe its the brute can itself. i use ESV salt which i think is pretty clean, i weigh it on a small scale. wish i could find that kind of storage tank locally, too expensive to ship.
Click to expand...

Keep an eye on craigslist out there. Search for "water tank", "100 Gallon", 50 Gallon" 55 Gallon", "Water Storage" etc. Make sure you check to search titles only. I used to use 55G plastic drums that were used for sugar transport. Those food grade containers are a dime a dozen around here and usually have lids.
 
I recently bought two 165 gallon rodi storage tanks and have some questions.

1) How are people cleaning the inside of thier large 150+ gallon containers? toss in a few gallons of vinegar and pump and about 30 gallons of rodi and roll it around? I cant think of a way to really clean the inside of it.

2) How are you guys heating these things? inline heaters plumbed into the 1" tubing?

3) how do you have your entry into the salt water mixing tank setup? Do you have more tubing inside the tank that goes to the bottom with fittings to spray water in random directions or just a single 1" piece of pipe?
 
I have been looking into using the uni seal just because it may work better for a curved surface. I have had problems with the bulkheads leaking in the past
 
Here is my setup, I completed it 2 weeks ago and is working flawlessly. I uses uniseals and unions for easy cleanup.

y3amaqu5.jpg
 
HiImSean said:
are you guys using regular bulk heads or uni-seals for your stations?
Click to expand...

If it has a flat surface to mate with, use a bulkhead as they are more reliable...Especially when using SCH 80 ones. If it's curved where you want to place it, Uniseal is really the way to go IMO.
 
Mix Station

Mix Station

Hi this is my setup, 2 tank 15 G each, this is because I have a reduce space. The Pluming is not weld yet; if you guys have any advice please let me know. If you notice that I have something wrong, please let me know. Thankss



 
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