Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them
- Thread starter kc350twin
- Start date
ericarenee
New member
Here is mine. Remember this is in the basement So nothing special about the area.
3 Tanks Each one has a Drain Valve and a Fill valve. There is also a Valve to dispense water from either 3 tanks as well as a Valve connected to hard plumbing to my Sump.
There is a Auto shut off on the ro/do Connected to the 1st tank To keep it full.The second tank is Just because i have room for 3 the 3rd tank is where i mix salt water. CAN HAVE any combination of the 3 run thru the 2400 GPH Danner mag drive pump. The pump is on a timmer to mix the saltwater tank 3 times a day for 10 minutes each. I Have air stones on a Huge air pump in the other two tanks.
There is also a t in the rodi line running to a smaller Top off tank that runs to the sump on float switch. I put this smaller tank in case a float gets stuck open .it could only put about 8 gallons of water into my system this would barely touch the salinity of 250 plus gallons of system water.
On my sump i also have a valve connected to a plumbing line that runs to the House Drain (washing machine drain actually) So to do water changed pour in salt mix it for a day. Turn train valve on PUMP to pump water out of the sump down to the line on sump depending water change amount im doing. Then close that valve and open the saltwater tank drain valve Then the second valve next to the sump as a safety precaution . and fill sump back to top off float level line. I DO NOT Turn off anything to do so . The display tank is way upstairs
Sorry for the LONG LONG TEXT . next is to start automating some of the valves with a Controller in the near future.
Thanks for Reading
3 Tanks Each one has a Drain Valve and a Fill valve. There is also a Valve to dispense water from either 3 tanks as well as a Valve connected to hard plumbing to my Sump.
There is a Auto shut off on the ro/do Connected to the 1st tank To keep it full.The second tank is Just because i have room for 3 the 3rd tank is where i mix salt water. CAN HAVE any combination of the 3 run thru the 2400 GPH Danner mag drive pump. The pump is on a timmer to mix the saltwater tank 3 times a day for 10 minutes each. I Have air stones on a Huge air pump in the other two tanks.
There is also a t in the rodi line running to a smaller Top off tank that runs to the sump on float switch. I put this smaller tank in case a float gets stuck open .it could only put about 8 gallons of water into my system this would barely touch the salinity of 250 plus gallons of system water.
On my sump i also have a valve connected to a plumbing line that runs to the House Drain (washing machine drain actually) So to do water changed pour in salt mix it for a day. Turn train valve on PUMP to pump water out of the sump down to the line on sump depending water change amount im doing. Then close that valve and open the saltwater tank drain valve Then the second valve next to the sump as a safety precaution . and fill sump back to top off float level line. I DO NOT Turn off anything to do so . The display tank is way upstairs
Sorry for the LONG LONG TEXT . next is to start automating some of the valves with a Controller in the near future.
Thanks for Reading
Attachments
Do they have slip ends? Only ones on the site are threaded
mrkalel
New member
...about 1/2 way done... (There's been more progress since these crappy cell phone pic)
Installing in the laundry room in basement about 12' away from my "Sump Room" (the room under my basement stairs)...Main tank on first; sump & show 72gal fuge in basement.
Just tired lugging 5gal buckets around my basement for changes and been wanting to do this for a loong time.
System should be able to pump either fresh or salt over to the sump room. Also can dump contents to drain in case of contamination. It will have a spout to fill a 5gal bucket if needed. Water level on RODI Tank and both containers will have emergency overflows to drain built in.
Will have a split in my RODI unit to 1 float switch in the Top container and another float switch in a smaller Top Off container in the the Sump room.
There is a waste line coming from Sump room to dump old water (using main return pump to push it over).
Quick stats:
2 * 44gal Brutes
Pan World 50PX-X
Tons of unions and Ball valve unions.
FYI: My basement ceilings are only 7' high, and even then I'm pretty sure I could've fit 2 55Gal Brute's stacked...so for those worried about height requirements for stacking Brute's...don't.
Saltwater Mixing Station by MrKal_El, on Flickr
Saltwater mixing station by MrKal_El, on Flickr
Just a followup on my setup...
I have to say... I really hate using Uniseals..especially on the Brutes... they seem to leak, they are almost unremovable if needed (Brute usually will tear) and just plain annoying.
I have actually converted most of of the Uniseals over to standard Lifegard Aquatics Bulkheads after another Uniseal started leaking...
No issues at all...and much easier to remove.
i did that for 13 years, with 7 gallon buckets.
Building a water mixing station last year was the single best thing I ever did for my aquarium.
Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them
Here is an updated picture of mine that shows the DIY BoB (run via cat5) and RO lines. Both run outside between the mixing station and the DT on the other side of the house using underground conduit with various pull boxes along the way. Have spare network lines pulled so I can eventually install a EB8 out in the garage. And automate the RO production as well.
Side note, the Grey Beard pumps are awesome! Pulling water over 100 ft, through the RO lines (mostly horizontal runs) at a constant rate of 500 ml/min!
Inside each Brute, I have a bulkhead hooked up to a cheap Rio pump for misc filling, but typically just set to recirc water and keep it moving. I also have an emergency drain so no overflowing, an RO-in line from my RODI above, an RO-out line for my AWC and ATO systems mentioned above (Blue and Red RO lines coming out of the wall by the power outlet) and floats to tell me when I need to make more RODI or NSW
My next project is to build a controller type thing with switches and relays that will activate solenoid valves to automate the flush, production to drain, and production to brute. Essentially activate a switch to turn on the function you want to do. Will be tricky-ish but for sure doable.
Here is an updated picture of mine that shows the DIY BoB (run via cat5) and RO lines. Both run outside between the mixing station and the DT on the other side of the house using underground conduit with various pull boxes along the way. Have spare network lines pulled so I can eventually install a EB8 out in the garage. And automate the RO production as well.
Side note, the Grey Beard pumps are awesome! Pulling water over 100 ft, through the RO lines (mostly horizontal runs) at a constant rate of 500 ml/min!
Inside each Brute, I have a bulkhead hooked up to a cheap Rio pump for misc filling, but typically just set to recirc water and keep it moving. I also have an emergency drain so no overflowing, an RO-in line from my RODI above, an RO-out line for my AWC and ATO systems mentioned above (Blue and Red RO lines coming out of the wall by the power outlet) and floats to tell me when I need to make more RODI or NSW
My next project is to build a controller type thing with switches and relays that will activate solenoid valves to automate the flush, production to drain, and production to brute. Essentially activate a switch to turn on the function you want to do. Will be tricky-ish but for sure doable.
Last edited:
mrkalel
New member
Looking sweet. Nice and clean
Broadfield
New member
Mixing station and water changing for the DT on the main floor.
IMG_4021 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_4019 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_4022 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_4021 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_4019 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_4022 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickrbboersma79
New member
Will the water mixing / top off station in the utility room in the basement rust out my HVAC system & hot water heater? I don't want to create a problem where there is none, I was going to have two 32G brutes, one for SW one for ATO, and using LiterMeter3 to do ATO and automatic water change. The two brutes will be covered to try to lessen evaporation, do I need a more enclosed system??
The brutes work great, that's what I'm using. Also you don't really want the containers air tight as they need aeration during storage so the water doesn't go stale. If humidity in the room goes up you could install a small vent fan to exhaust air into the rest of the basement, or just get a small dehumidifier for the utility room (generally a good investment for the basement anyhow for the same concers of rusting equipment and mold in sealed off areas...... Just my two cents.
shaggss
Active member
Hi
Just wondering why the water would go stale? If RODI water then it should be ok? What about water you buy in a bottle? That's airtight.
Just curious?
gregrocks79
Less talk, more rock!
Sure wish I had a basement here in SoCal!! Hahaha
Setting up my mixing station with a BRS 150GPD 4 stage (soon to be 6) and am doing it with 2 32G brute trash bins.
Couple questions?
1) What is the best overall external pump you guys are using? I dont wanna spend too much, and I only have about 15 feet from the mixing station to my display. I plan on pumping the new saltwater into the sump and / or display.
2) How long can you keep the salt water, and RO stored? And do I need to have any circulation during storage? I am aware not to mix the saltwater for more than 2 hours tops, just curious about after its all mixed, and the RO...?
Thanks
Greg
Setting up my mixing station with a BRS 150GPD 4 stage (soon to be 6) and am doing it with 2 32G brute trash bins.
Couple questions?
1) What is the best overall external pump you guys are using? I dont wanna spend too much, and I only have about 15 feet from the mixing station to my display. I plan on pumping the new saltwater into the sump and / or display.
2) How long can you keep the salt water, and RO stored? And do I need to have any circulation during storage? I am aware not to mix the saltwater for more than 2 hours tops, just curious about after its all mixed, and the RO...?
Thanks
Greg
ClownsRCoo
New member
I'm with you. Unless someone can back this up with actual test data I can't see how water can go stale by being in an airtight container. Fresh or salt.
I've seen Randy say that salt water can be stored forever pretty much with no need for any water movement too and still be perfectly fine. I tend to believe the people like him who consistently post test and research data and work in a field that is relevant to what he talks about.
jason2459
Well-known member
If the saltmix you use includes any organics in it which a lot of "Reef" specific salts do then they can degrade over time or have issues with bacteria growth consuming them. Only other issue I can think of is CO2 build up which if doing small daily or more water changes isn't a big deal. But if doing larger weekly or less water changes it may be a good idea to aerate before hand to boost up the pH.
For whatever reason it starts to smell funky if just left to sit there, and even when I think the container is sterilized it still manages to form a bacterial slime over time unless you clean the containers after every use, which is a PITA IMO......I suspect (I have no test data but it seems logical) that dust and fine organics get in with the air that will fill the space left as you use up the water, unless the air is filtered on it's way in. Just how it seems to work with the setups I have had experience with.
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