Biggen
New member
Great. Thanks for that.
Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them
- Thread starter kc350twin
- Start date
Great. Thanks for that.
Rubicon Beast
New member
I read most of this looooong thread while deciding what would work best for me and my setup. Thank you to all who have shared their ideas and ingenuity.
I chose to go with a single 165 gallon Norwesco tank. I use it to perform a 1% daily AWC via a Dos attached to my Apex. It's large enough that I only have to mix Salt every 75-80 days. A RODI filter fills the NSW tank with the manual turn of a valve with a float valve as back up in case I forget to turn it off. It sits in my garage (in North Texas) where temperatures can be below freezing or well above 100. However, it is pumped over 120 feet through the insulated crawl space between the first and second stories of my house. If my algebra & geometry are right, that's over a gallon of NSW sitting in ~75 degrees, for hours before it's delivered to my sump (the Dos delivers the 2 gallons in small amounts spread out through the the day). This prevents any appreciable temperature fluctuations.
I decided not to drill the tank for fittings below the waterline to reduce the risk of flooding. The salt water is circulated with an inexpensive sump pump and some PVC pipe. It is set to run for 30 minutes every 4 hours with a simple lamp timer. When making NSW, I turn the AWC off and run the RODI overnight. I mix in the salt with a canoe paddle and run the pump for a few hours before resuming normal operations.
I have a BRS 150 RODI filter mounter under my laundry room sink. I get at least 200 gallons a day thanks to the ~75 psi from the utility (an advantage of living within a mile of a water tower).
I mounted the filters on drawer slides to aid in servicing the cartridges. I also installed a plastic mat and a leak detection probe that's wired to my Apex with a 100 ft telephone extension cord.
I keep 30 gallons of RODI water (stored in 5g jugs left over from my pre-RODI days) in case I need to mix up NSW for an emergent large water change. I can make up another 30 gallons in less than 4 hours.
The RODI also serves as my ATO. It is controlled with 3 float switches attached to a BOB and a solenoid valve plugged into my Apex. The low switch opens the solenoid, the middle switch turns it off, the high switch and float valve are for back up, alarms, etc. The ATO fills about 2 gallons every 18-20 hours. This is my compromise between running the RODI too frequently and allowing large fluctuations in salinity. For my set up, that's about a 1% volume fluctuation which has never registered a salinity change on the Apex's graphs. The NSW of my AWC is delivered into a stand pipe (1/2" pvc) that is taller than the NSW tank, preventing a siphon in the case of a Dos failure. The OSW is pumped to a nearby sewer vent in the attic.
I chose to go with a single 165 gallon Norwesco tank. I use it to perform a 1% daily AWC via a Dos attached to my Apex. It's large enough that I only have to mix Salt every 75-80 days. A RODI filter fills the NSW tank with the manual turn of a valve with a float valve as back up in case I forget to turn it off. It sits in my garage (in North Texas) where temperatures can be below freezing or well above 100. However, it is pumped over 120 feet through the insulated crawl space between the first and second stories of my house. If my algebra & geometry are right, that's over a gallon of NSW sitting in ~75 degrees, for hours before it's delivered to my sump (the Dos delivers the 2 gallons in small amounts spread out through the the day). This prevents any appreciable temperature fluctuations.
I decided not to drill the tank for fittings below the waterline to reduce the risk of flooding. The salt water is circulated with an inexpensive sump pump and some PVC pipe. It is set to run for 30 minutes every 4 hours with a simple lamp timer. When making NSW, I turn the AWC off and run the RODI overnight. I mix in the salt with a canoe paddle and run the pump for a few hours before resuming normal operations.
I have a BRS 150 RODI filter mounter under my laundry room sink. I get at least 200 gallons a day thanks to the ~75 psi from the utility (an advantage of living within a mile of a water tower).
I mounted the filters on drawer slides to aid in servicing the cartridges. I also installed a plastic mat and a leak detection probe that's wired to my Apex with a 100 ft telephone extension cord.
I keep 30 gallons of RODI water (stored in 5g jugs left over from my pre-RODI days) in case I need to mix up NSW for an emergent large water change. I can make up another 30 gallons in less than 4 hours.
The RODI also serves as my ATO. It is controlled with 3 float switches attached to a BOB and a solenoid valve plugged into my Apex. The low switch opens the solenoid, the middle switch turns it off, the high switch and float valve are for back up, alarms, etc. The ATO fills about 2 gallons every 18-20 hours. This is my compromise between running the RODI too frequently and allowing large fluctuations in salinity. For my set up, that's about a 1% volume fluctuation which has never registered a salinity change on the Apex's graphs. The NSW of my AWC is delivered into a stand pipe (1/2" pvc) that is taller than the NSW tank, preventing a siphon in the case of a Dos failure. The OSW is pumped to a nearby sewer vent in the attic.
Bluefish9
New member
BigDave
Premium Member
Finally got mine finished.
The tanks from left to right are Freshwater, Salt water, and 2 waste water. The waste water will be used to water the grass or top off the pool. I'll be plumbing in a hose so that when the waste water overflows, I can point it straight to the pool or to the pools drain.
I live in Texas, so I'll have to figure out some way of cooling the water in the summer when I do a water change. I'll probably just fill up a few 5 gallon buckets and leave them in the house for a day or two prior to doing the water change.
There's a mag 9.5 that I use to move water from the freshwater tank to the saltwater tank and to mix the salt water. I need to extend the pipe into the saltwater tank to blow the salt around the bottom more or it gets to where it just sits down there.
The auto-top off tank is inside the house in the stand.
The tanks from left to right are Freshwater, Salt water, and 2 waste water. The waste water will be used to water the grass or top off the pool. I'll be plumbing in a hose so that when the waste water overflows, I can point it straight to the pool or to the pools drain.
I live in Texas, so I'll have to figure out some way of cooling the water in the summer when I do a water change. I'll probably just fill up a few 5 gallon buckets and leave them in the house for a day or two prior to doing the water change.
There's a mag 9.5 that I use to move water from the freshwater tank to the saltwater tank and to mix the salt water. I need to extend the pipe into the saltwater tank to blow the salt around the bottom more or it gets to where it just sits down there.
The auto-top off tank is inside the house in the stand.
JimVision
New member
No more hauling buckets from the basement to the living room on the main floor (though it was good exercise). Many thanks to all the great ideas from this thread.
Here's my simple saltwater mixing station. It's working great. Pumps water up through the floor and into the tank.
Out of curiosity, my first water change with this new system caused my protein skimmer to go nuts for a day. Subsequent water changes did not impact the protein skimmer. And all the critters, fish and corals are fine. Was it just the new plumbing? All was throughly rinsed with RODI before use.
Cheers!
Jim
Here's my simple saltwater mixing station. It's working great. Pumps water up through the floor and into the tank.
Out of curiosity, my first water change with this new system caused my protein skimmer to go nuts for a day. Subsequent water changes did not impact the protein skimmer. And all the critters, fish and corals are fine. Was it just the new plumbing? All was throughly rinsed with RODI before use.
Cheers!
Jim
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
Finally got mine finished.
The tanks from left to right are Freshwater, Salt water, and 2 waste water. The waste water will be used to water the grass or top off the pool. I'll be plumbing in a hose so that when the waste water overflows, I can point it straight to the pool or to the pools drain.
I live in Texas, so I'll have to figure out some way of cooling the water in the summer when I do a water change. I'll probably just fill up a few 5 gallon buckets and leave them in the house for a day or two prior to doing the water change.
There's a mag 9.5 that I use to move water from the freshwater tank to the saltwater tank and to mix the salt water. I need to extend the pipe into the saltwater tank to blow the salt around the bottom more or it gets to where it just sits down there.
The auto-top off tank is inside the house in the stand.
I wouldn't use old sw to water the grass unless you wanna kill it.
ericarenee
New member
I have been pumping my old saltwater along the back fence line where we HAD IVY Vines taking over Its about totally gone now.. and i think i killed a tree as well ooops ..
When we used to live i would pump it out the front window next to evergreen shrubs and it killed them as well..
But We pump the freshwater tank waste in the flower beds in front and they grow like weeds
activecactus
New member
Inspired by a few designs on this thread.
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BigDave
Premium Member
I'm not. The last two tanks are waste water from the RODI. Not old SW.
On a side note. We had a huge wind storm blow through the other night. The two waste water containers were empty because I had just drained them into the pool. The wind blew them around and broke some of the PVC. I'll need to find a way of fixing them into place so it doesn't happen again. I'm thinking just a simple 2x4 frame around them should do.
GQsmooth
New member
Well thanks for the tip everyone. I went with the CEPEX valves and talk about a night and day difference. I think some of the PVC runs are slightly pulling or pushing on the plumbing. Any tips for getting it just perfect? It seems like vinyl tubing would make that easier. Anyways, here it is!
So with this setup, the pump is just for mixing only? How do you get the saltwater to your tank?
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Strapping/webbing or even Bungee Cord. All you really need to do is hold them against the wall. They are rounded so most wind will deflect around them.
FirstContact
Active member
Ha ha ha! I wish my fish room looked that organized...Incredible!
FirstContact
Active member
Again, wow!
biecacka
Active member
I read most of this looooong thread while deciding what would work best for me and my setup. Thank you to all who have shared their ideas and ingenuity.
I chose to go with a single 165 gallon Norwesco tank. I use it to perform a 1% daily AWC via a Dos attached to my Apex. It's large enough that I only have to mix Salt every 75-80 days. A RODI filter fills the NSW tank with the manual turn of a valve with a float valve as back up in case I forget to turn it off. It sits in my garage (in North Texas) where temperatures can be below freezing or well above 100. However, it is pumped over 120 feet through the insulated crawl space between the first and second stories of my house. If my algebra & geometry are right, that's over a gallon of NSW sitting in ~75 degrees, for hours before it's delivered to my sump (the Dos delivers the 2 gallons in small amounts spread out through the the day). This prevents any appreciable temperature fluctuations.
I decided not to drill the tank for fittings below the waterline to reduce the risk of flooding. The salt water is circulated with an inexpensive sump pump and some PVC pipe. It is set to run for 30 minutes every 4 hours with a simple lamp timer. When making NSW, I turn the AWC off and run the RODI overnight. I mix in the salt with a canoe paddle and run the pump for a few hours before resuming normal operations.
I have a BRS 150 RODI filter mounter under my laundry room sink. I get at least 200 gallons a day thanks to the ~75 psi from the utility (an advantage of living within a mile of a water tower).
I mounted the filters on drawer slides to aid in servicing the cartridges. I also installed a plastic mat and a leak detection probe that's wired to my Apex with a 100 ft telephone extension cord.
I keep 30 gallons of RODI water (stored in 5g jugs left over from my pre-RODI days) in case I need to mix up NSW for an emergent large water change. I can make up another 30 gallons in less than 4 hours.
The RODI also serves as my ATO. It is controlled with 3 float switches attached to a BOB and a solenoid valve plugged into my Apex. The low switch opens the solenoid, the middle switch turns it off, the high switch and float valve are for back up, alarms, etc. The ATO fills about 2 gallons every 18-20 hours. This is my compromise between running the RODI too frequently and allowing large fluctuations in salinity. For my set up, that's about a 1% volume fluctuation which has never registered a salinity change on the Apex's graphs. The NSW of my AWC is delivered into a stand pipe (1/2" pvc) that is taller than the NSW tank, preventing a siphon in the case of a Dos failure. The OSW is pumped to a nearby sewer vent in the attic.
Os you only use 1 reservoir? When that one gets low, where do you mix fresh salt water up?
I would love an auto water change but I live in an apartment and the only space I have is an extra closet a few feet away fro the tank. Anyone else live in a one floor apartment and use a closet for a mixing station?
Corey
muttley000
MTS Sufferer!
Now that is a hiatus! Welcome back, and post what you come up with!
Walter White
New member
Similar to Rudezuk, getting back in after several years out. Thanks for all of you who posted your systems. Great for reference and ideas!
Smokey Stover
New member
WC volume and saving Pods
WC volume and saving Pods
I've read the entire thread, Thanks for all the great ideas to base mine on. What I'm wondering about is getting old water out/new water in. My mix station is going in the hall closet right behind the DT in living room. If I use my sumps return pump to drain old water, I'll only be able to drain a very small percentage of tank water and suck up and flush out a lot of pods. Refilling new water is easy with the mixing station pump to the sump. So even if I plumb a line to the sump drain/skimmer chamber, Will it need to be primed somehow if the mix pump is above it? If I need/want to do, Say a 20% WC I would still have to run a hose to the DT and siphon down to the bathroom drain. Don't have a good option for hard plumbing a permanent drain line without going overhead in the attic to the laundry room with a bigger pump. And that would leave an unsightly pipe plumbed to the DT all the time. So the siphon hose to the bath drain is the best I can come up with. Unless I'm missing something, Any ideas? What about these constant change auto systems? Guess my research isn't complete lol.
Scored these 35g off Craigslist today.
WC volume and saving Pods
I've read the entire thread, Thanks for all the great ideas to base mine on. What I'm wondering about is getting old water out/new water in. My mix station is going in the hall closet right behind the DT in living room. If I use my sumps return pump to drain old water, I'll only be able to drain a very small percentage of tank water and suck up and flush out a lot of pods. Refilling new water is easy with the mixing station pump to the sump. So even if I plumb a line to the sump drain/skimmer chamber, Will it need to be primed somehow if the mix pump is above it? If I need/want to do, Say a 20% WC I would still have to run a hose to the DT and siphon down to the bathroom drain. Don't have a good option for hard plumbing a permanent drain line without going overhead in the attic to the laundry room with a bigger pump. And that would leave an unsightly pipe plumbed to the DT all the time. So the siphon hose to the bath drain is the best I can come up with. Unless I'm missing something, Any ideas? What about these constant change auto systems? Guess my research isn't complete lol.
Scored these 35g off Craigslist today.
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Walter White
New member
Consider an dual head peristaltic pump (or similar) and a $10 timer. New water from your 35g container, old water down the sink at a rate of about gallon a day or whatever amount you want. A peristaltic pump can push water up 10 feet without issue. It won't create a siphon issue either.
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