Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them

[davehead86]

couple of questions for this topic. i currently use 2 20 gallon brutes in my basement and carry water upstairs as needed for my 29g biocube. i am planning a 120g build and I want to automate things more so i can do daily small water changes. I was looking at those clear(ish) roto mold tanks but everywhere i see online is over $100 shipping. any ideas of where to get such tanks without shipping costs? i live in maryland so I am not sure if anyone knows of any stores where they can be purchased. I don't mind spending $200 on two tanks but I have a general rule of thumb never to buy something that costs even half as much as the item to ship it, let alone more than the item itself. so that was my first question.

second question. as i said, i live in maryland where we have hot summers and sometimes cold winters. i was hoping to store both RODI and NSW containers in my garage which is right on the other side of the wall from our mud room where my RODI system will be and also right next to where the new tank will be. i was hoping to be able to store the water in the garage and then pump NSW to the tank daily after draining from the sump to the laundry tub below my RODI system. would having heaters in both stoarge tanks be enough to keep things working when the garage gets below freezing? has anyone done this?

Storing water in a garage that is not heated is a BAD idea. Maryland doesnt just get a little cold. Your spending most of the winter at or below freezing.

Heat your garage, or keep it in the basement.

 

[DarthReefer27]

Storing water in a garage that is not heated is a BAD idea. Maryland doesnt just get a little cold. Your spending most of the winter at or below freezing.

Heat your garage, or keep it in the basement.

thanks for the info. that is what i was afraid of. i guess i need to figure out a way to get the water from my basement up to my first floor without having to lug buckets...

 

[jerseypete]

Storing water in a garage that is not heated is a BAD idea. Maryland doesnt just get a little cold. Your spending most of the winter at or below freezing.

Heat your garage, or keep it in the basement.

I plan on placing a mixing station in my garage. It's not heated. Last year when we hit zero outside the coldest it got in my garage was 42 that i seen. Even left a few gallons of water in there to see if it froze. It was cold as hell though. Plan on having a pump and heater in the drum and turning the pump on a few times a day just for a few minutes. By apex or cheap timer. I think it should be alright. Just have to run heater a few hours before waterchange. This is my only space to do this. No basement. I worry about the hot summer months where the water will become hotter then the tank water. Should there be any other issues I should worry about besides temp. Doing it this way.

 

[DarthReefer27]

I plan on placing a mixing station in my garage. It's not heated. Last year when we hit zero outside the coldest it got in my garage was 42 that i seen. Even left a few gallons of water in there to see if it froze. It was cold as hell though. Plan on having a pump and heater in the drum and turning the pump on a few times a day just for a few minutes. By apex or cheap timer. I think it should be alright. Just have to run heater a few hours before waterchange. This is my only space to do this. No basement. I worry about the hot summer months where the water will become hotter then the tank water. Should there be any other issues I should worry about besides temp. Doing it this way.

rarely will our temps get into the single digits and our garage is probably nowhere near that so we probably would be OK. i did find a possible way to run pvc from basement whre current water making station is to location of the new tank, but the pipes would need to be exposed in the garage. that may be the best solution.

 

[davehead86]

rarely will our temps get into the single digits and our garage is probably nowhere near that so we probably would be OK. i did find a possible way to run pvc from basement whre current water making station is to location of the new tank, but the pipes would need to be exposed in the garage. that may be the best solution.

Exposed pipes can be wrapped in insulation and they have moving water not standing water. Big difference. Its your call obviously but I wouldn't risk it.

If you have a sump downstairs in the basement there is a constant exchange of water into and out of the tank so gravity pulls the water down and you have a pump that pushes it back up. This is what I plan on doing in my house once I save up and get all the pieces working before I get my big tank.

A common way to run these pipes is to cut a hole in the floor the size of an air vent and then when you sell the house you just drop an air vent cover over the hole and some plywood to separate the spaces.

 

[40gal]

rarely will our temps get into the single digits and our garage is probably nowhere near that so we probably would be OK. i did find a possible way to run pvc from basement whre current water making station is to location of the new tank, but the pipes would need to be exposed in the garage. that may be the best solution.

I'm not far from you in location, so I'm familiar with your weather. My setup also sounds very similar to yours - my garage is directly behind the wall my tank is on, and just on the other side of that wall is my RODI unit and my two water storage containers. I've gone two winters now with RODI stored in the garage in Brute containers without any signs of freezing.

I just started doing continuous water changes, which may be another option you want to explore. It makes the plumbing to/from the tank much easier, and makes it completely unnecessary to move water back and forth from your tank manually. My thread is here if you're interested:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2531424

 

[Mrs. Music]

thanks for the info. that is what i was afraid of. i guess i need to figure out a way to get the water from my basement up to my first floor without having to lug buckets...

With a basement sump, or a pump.

 

[Redman88]

Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them

I plan on placing a mixing station in my garage. It's not heated. Last year when we hit zero outside the coldest it got in my garage was 42 that i seen. Even left a few gallons of water in there to see if it froze. It was cold as hell though. Plan on having a pump and heater in the drum and turning the pump on a few times a day just for a few minutes. By apex or cheap timer. I think it should be alright. Just have to run heater a few hours before waterchange. This is my only space to do this. No basement. I worry about the hot summer months where the water will become hotter then the tank water. Should there be any other issues I should worry about besides temp. Doing it this way.

Cover your water change station like this

leave enough room for a small electric room heater set to its lowest setting. One with a thermostat.

Before

 

[jerseypete]

Cover your water change station like this

leave enough room for a small electric room heater set to its lowest setting. One with a thermostat.

Before

Thanks. Just never considered closing it in.thats a better idea. Also thought of using one of the hot water heater wraps and placing a heater in the water set at 40-45. I have a lot to consider my garage is about 50 ft to my tank. Need to run water lines up to attic and across the house and down to the tank. Attic has all hvac duct work. Not worried about cold up there. Just got my 3 55g drums I ordered. Thinking of using that flexible line up through the attic.

 

[DarthReefer27]

Thanks. Just never considered closing it in.thats a better idea. Also thought of using one of the hot water heater wraps and placing a heater in the water set at 40-45. I have a lot to consider my garage is about 50 ft to my tank. Need to run water lines up to attic and across the house and down to the tank. Attic has all hvac duct work. Not worried about cold up there. Just got my 3 55g drums I ordered. Thinking of using that flexible line up through the attic.

where did you order your 55 gallon drums from?

 

[jerseypete]

I got them on amazon. The we're like 80 a piece. That included delivery.

 

[DarthReefer27]

I got them on amazon. The we're like 80 a piece. That included delivery.

looking on amazon. what brand are they?

 

[davehead86]

I got them on amazon. The we're like 80 a piece. That included delivery.

You still want to go through the garage with 50ft of plumbing through the attic and then to the tank? You are going to need a massive pump to get water up that high and around everything. What is in the basment that is preventing you from wanting to keep it there? A sump right below the tank location gives you everything you need for a tank that size and HALF the plumbing and costs associated with that.

 

[davehead86]

looking on amazon. what brand are they?

Get a brute container, cheaper and easier. Can get them at any big box store. They have 55 gallons for $70 bucks. Even cheaper for standard size trash can.

 

[DarthReefer27]

Get a brute container, cheaper and easier. Can get them at any big box store. They have 55 gallons for $70 bucks. Even cheaper for standard size trash can.

my only concern with the brutes is in my current brute (20 gallon), i get a layer of hardened salt on the bottom of the can. i think it is becuase the bottom is not flat and so with my drain being in the center of the bottom, the salt settles and the water around the edges doesn't get sent thorught he pump as often. perhaps i need to drain through the side at the bottom of the can rather than underneath in the center. i do have a korallia in my 20 to move the water around but it hasn't helped.

 

[jerseypete]

You still want to go through the garage with 50ft of plumbing through the attic and then to the tank? You are going to need a massive pump to get water up that high and around everything. What is in the basment that is preventing you from wanting to keep it there? A sump right below the tank location gives you everything you need for a tank that size and HALF the plumbing and costs associated with that.

I don't want to. I have to. I don't have a basement. This is the only spot available. I have a rancher. Barrels will be on a stand. So I'd say water will have to go up 8-10 foot travel 40ft then down 10 ft. To be at my sump. My house is one floor. Slab. No crawl space. What I do now is 50 gallon brute. Fill with ro. Add salt. Mix overnight in my kitchen. Wheel to my tank and do water change. I just made my ATO 37g so I have to fill that less often.

 

[jerseypete]

I don't want to. I have to. I don't have a basement. This is the only spot available. I have a rancher. Barrels will be on a stand. So I'd say water will have to go up 8-10 foot travel 40ft then down 10 ft. To be at my sump. My house is one floor. Slab. No crawl space. What I do now is 50 gallon brute. Fill with ro. Add salt. Mix overnight in my kitchen. Wheel to my tank and do water change. I just made my ATO 37g so I have to fill that less often.

this is the tank. Bad pic. But I'm very limited on space.

 

[jerseypete]

looking on amazon. what brand are they?

 

[jerseypete]

This way isn't set in stone. That's why I'm here getting ideas. But it seems like this is my only option. Other option is my bedroom closet. But then according to the wife I'd be sleeping in the garage.

 

[davehead86]

this is the tank. Bad pic. But I'm very limited on space.

Beautiful Tank.
I must have missed that you didnt have a basement. Guess you have to do what ever it takes.

my only concern with the brutes is in my current brute (20 gallon), i get a layer of hardened salt on the bottom of the can. i think it is becuase the bottom is not flat and so with my drain being in the center of the bottom, the salt settles and the water around the edges doesn't get sent thorught he pump as often. perhaps i need to drain through the side at the bottom of the can rather than underneath in the center. i do have a korallia in my 20 to move the water around but it hasn't helped.

I hear that. I'm draining my brutes the same way and haven't gotten any water in them yet so I haven't noticed any of those problems. Id assume you have the power-head at the bottom trying to swirl the water from there? Maybe you need a more powerful power-head? I figured that the water getting pumped from the RODI tank to the NSW tank would be powerful enough to mix the salt initially and then the power-head is just there to keep things moving / water moving over the heater.