Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them
- Thread starter kc350twin
- Start date
sierra_bravo
New member
First time doing something like this. The design, while looking as my 12 year old described as "a place where Super Mario would get lost", allows the single pump to mix within the salt water tank, remove water from the sump and send it to the drain, and then add water from the mixing tank to the sump. It all worked as planned.
The fresh water tank is plumbed to the ro/di with a float valve and has two valves for controlling flow. I plumbed in a safety overflow drain just in case it decides to fail. I can send the water via gravity to either the mixing tank or to the top off tank. I really pondered whether I wanted to automate the filling of the top off tank or even eliminate it and just bring fresh water directly from the ro/di into the sump. In the end I decided that I'd rather just fill the top off tank manually for a couple of reasons: First, I just wasn't comfortable doing ro/di direct to sump, even if I used multiple fail safes. I also didn't want to have my ATO force the ro/di unit work inefficiently filtering water intermittently as the ATO pulled it to the sump and the top off tank had to be refilled. I wanted to remove water from the fresh water tank in one large volume and let it replace it all at once. Lastly this forces me to actually view the system and make sure everything is operating correctly.
On the mixing tank I drilled 3/16" holes along the width of a piece of 1/2" pvc and mounted it vertically within the tank. This provided very good circulation throughout the entire water column of the tank.
If you do not want to have the purple primer showing on everything, they do make a clear pvc primer that you can find at a real plumbing supply warehouse or online.
Now if I only had a tank to go with it...
The fresh water tank is plumbed to the ro/di with a float valve and has two valves for controlling flow. I plumbed in a safety overflow drain just in case it decides to fail. I can send the water via gravity to either the mixing tank or to the top off tank. I really pondered whether I wanted to automate the filling of the top off tank or even eliminate it and just bring fresh water directly from the ro/di into the sump. In the end I decided that I'd rather just fill the top off tank manually for a couple of reasons: First, I just wasn't comfortable doing ro/di direct to sump, even if I used multiple fail safes. I also didn't want to have my ATO force the ro/di unit work inefficiently filtering water intermittently as the ATO pulled it to the sump and the top off tank had to be refilled. I wanted to remove water from the fresh water tank in one large volume and let it replace it all at once. Lastly this forces me to actually view the system and make sure everything is operating correctly.
On the mixing tank I drilled 3/16" holes along the width of a piece of 1/2" pvc and mounted it vertically within the tank. This provided very good circulation throughout the entire water column of the tank.
If you do not want to have the purple primer showing on everything, they do make a clear pvc primer that you can find at a real plumbing supply warehouse or online.
Now if I only had a tank to go with it...
thirsty saltine
New member
Wow looking at all of these I feel like I am slacking, I have a trash can that I mix saltwater in and a recycled 55 gallon drum that I store rodi water in.
.
Where did you get this tank? That's almost exactly what I'm looking for. I went to 5 different local stores today and no one came close.
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thirsty saltine
New member
That looks a lot like the tanks they sell at tractor supply.
sierra_bravo
New member
http://www.ruralking.com/ace-roto-mold-7gallon-rectangle-flat-bottom-tank-sp0007-rt.html
Expect a three week delivery time. That tank had the correct dimensions for the space I had available with the largest capacity @ 7 gallons.
thirsty saltine
New member
I stand corrected.
thirsty saltine
New member
But they do look remarkably similar to the ones that they sell at tractor supply.
Hi Guys
Ive been through pretty much the whole thread over the past 4 weeks, but still have a question.
For the guys running the circulation pump to a valved outlet to run NSW to the tank, how do you keep from the pump dry when you empty the SW container? I guess i could time the flow rate from the pump to give me most of my 15 ga for the change, leaving enough to keep it wet, then shut it off at the right time. Then transfer the rest with a bucket.
I could make extra and do the same, but i dont want to waste freshly made RO and saltwater.
Anyone have a solution for shutting off the pump with a float switch? You guys with 12V DC pumps have it easy- but im using a 110v plug in, and those float switches dont do too well with the voltage. 110v relay set up so the coil is on a 12v float switch, cut power to the pump?
any ideas? What do you guys do?
Ive been through pretty much the whole thread over the past 4 weeks, but still have a question.
For the guys running the circulation pump to a valved outlet to run NSW to the tank, how do you keep from the pump dry when you empty the SW container? I guess i could time the flow rate from the pump to give me most of my 15 ga for the change, leaving enough to keep it wet, then shut it off at the right time. Then transfer the rest with a bucket.
I could make extra and do the same, but i dont want to waste freshly made RO and saltwater.
Anyone have a solution for shutting off the pump with a float switch? You guys with 12V DC pumps have it easy- but im using a 110v plug in, and those float switches dont do too well with the voltage. 110v relay set up so the coil is on a 12v float switch, cut power to the pump?
any ideas? What do you guys do?
Spyderturbo007
New member
I have a float switch higher than the bulkhead that turns on a virtual outlet on my Apex. When the virtual outlet is turned on, my continuous water change stops, the circulation pump that runs for 10 minutes every 4 hours stops and I get a text message.
Then I can mix up new water and switch off the virtual outlet and everything turns back on again.
Without the Apex, you could just turn off the pump before you hit the bulkhead level and then leave the remaining saltwater in the tank and just mix up more. Unless you have to empty the tank for some reason?
Then I can mix up new water and switch off the virtual outlet and everything turns back on again.
Without the Apex, you could just turn off the pump before you hit the bulkhead level and then leave the remaining saltwater in the tank and just mix up more. Unless you have to empty the tank for some reason?
Thanks for the info. APEX/ controller is a little rich for me just now.
Yeah, its the switching part i need to control better- the SW tank is in the garage, and im pumping into the living room, 30 feet away. Ill have the pump on an rf outlet switch, so i can turn on/off remotely, but my problem is when.
Actually, I can fill the DT until i hit the 'max volume' mark on the glass to get me back to optimal volume, and just roll over the extra 3-5 gallons through to next weeks mix. no need to drain completely.
Cheers
Yeah, its the switching part i need to control better- the SW tank is in the garage, and im pumping into the living room, 30 feet away. Ill have the pump on an rf outlet switch, so i can turn on/off remotely, but my problem is when.
Actually, I can fill the DT until i hit the 'max volume' mark on the glass to get me back to optimal volume, and just roll over the extra 3-5 gallons through to next weeks mix. no need to drain completely.
Cheers
Spyderturbo007
New member
The Apex is expensive, but if you can come up with some extra cash, it's worth every penny. The Jr model is only $239.
I looked into that when i was piecing my system together. But that price only gets you temp monitoring and the 4 way power outlet. I *could* use it with a virtual outlet (i think thats applicable to the Jr, although i may be wrong) to do what you describe, but that ends up being pretty expensive for a remote controlled relay.
I dont actually get why the Jr is a thing. You cant even add probes without addition hardware boxes to connect, then you are already running up to the price of the Lite, which can do those things just by adding the relevant probe. but then, the lite is discontinued.
Thanks for all the info. i just spent the past hour looking at 12v coil 125V 20Amp switching relays. that, a 12v wallwart and a float switch will make it work, as a failsafe, for about $20.
cheers
I dont actually get why the Jr is a thing. You cant even add probes without addition hardware boxes to connect, then you are already running up to the price of the Lite, which can do those things just by adding the relevant probe. but then, the lite is discontinued.
Thanks for all the info. i just spent the past hour looking at 12v coil 125V 20Amp switching relays. that, a 12v wallwart and a float switch will make it work, as a failsafe, for about $20.
cheers
A little note for new viewers, I went through the process of getting a plastic vertical tank to me in Kansas. Nobody I called, even rural king will ship for free anymore. I ended up looking up dealers for norwesco tanks and had one a half hour away. Or you can drive to any of there like 6-7 offices and pick up. Shipping anything bigger then a 50 was $150 each from all the big online tank distributors. What a pain. Tractor supply would only let me get one if its on the website, even though they deal with ace roto. Called corporate on that. I got mine from ag spray equipment and at less then the online plastic tank guys. It was ordered in on next truck.
Hatfield59
New member
Might have to try ag spray on my next build
McPuff
New member
It took me a while but I finally found a Norwesco dealer that happened to be on my way from Michigan to Wisconsin. Picked up a 65 gallon vertical and a 30 gallon PCO tank. This place had everything. Now I can finally get to building something that will work the way I've wanted for years.
postaldave
New member
brilliant idea Smokey Stover. been racking my brain trying to put mine together and this worked out great. i like the idea of the pump being covered from all the water and salt.
took some rather poorly made RV water tanks off ebay. slapped a boat hatch on it and making some tanks out of it. let me tell you, off all these posts no one has said anything about getting that bulkhead in. #the struggle is real.
took some rather poorly made RV water tanks off ebay. slapped a boat hatch on it and making some tanks out of it. let me tell you, off all these posts no one has said anything about getting that bulkhead in. #the struggle is real.
I ended up doing a little plumbing for the mix station after all. The wife thought stacking them looked dangerous lol. Ok honey, I just need a few more things now.
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WLachnit
Active member
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