Water Change station remodel

ok got the RODI system, and dual air pump mounted. I still have to mount the Booster pump, and second RO membrane, but they are not here yet. I'm not sure how the booster pump mounts. I may have to move some stuff around.

I have an extra DC8 that I could connect to the apex. I am debating on if it would be nice to have that added to the RO system. if I did. I would have the air pump turn on and off regularly to keep the water aerated. I would also have control with the I pad from inside the house to turn on the pump to feed water into the house if needed. I would have already had to set the valves in the proper setting but that could be nice. I could also set it up so that when I make new salt water. I could have the apex turn off the mixing after a set time. the more I type this out the more I think I will setup the DC8. any other ideas I could use this for, or any reasons its not a good Idea?

 
Reefpilot11 said:
Looking good! I'm gonna start building my water change station next week. I really like the barrels you are using. Know where I could get ones similar just smaller? Looking to keep the footprint as small as possible.
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Glenn industries in Clearwater. he has a lot in stock and if he doesn't he can get them made for you. I also liked on my salt water mixing barrel he installed a larger lid to make it easier to add the salt. that is a add on but nice to have.
 
just hook it under your blue line. I cut off some more wiring to make it cleaner and less flow time plus add a sediment filter before it enters the pump.

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and if you haven't ordered already, i believe BRS deluxe system has the autoshut off valve, but the pump requires you to buy AQUATEC 8800 PSW PRESSURE SWITCH 1⁄4" PUSH CONNECT and once the pressure builds up, it'll knock the pump off automatically. It's 20 bucks on bulk reef and easy to snap on.
 
ok went to FAOIS picked up 150 ft of RO tubing. got 80% of the tubing done. I fell short a couple feet on the last run :( I wish I could have gotten a 4th color so I think I will see if I can find another color local. I got black,blue,yellow. does anyone know a store local that sells another color of RO tubing? red would be good.

I ran most of the tubing in a 1/2" pvc pipe to protect it. I have some spaces in the pipe as I couldn't use elbows cause the tubing would have gotten crimped. I could have used 90" connections for the tubing but my goal was to have no fitting in the middle less chance or leaks.

looks like the booster pump and 150gpd membrane upgrade will be here on Tuesday. I will try and get the auto water changer connected before then. I also need to find a mixing pump for the whole system too.
 
GatorAlum05 said:
and if you haven't ordered already, i believe BRS deluxe system has the autoshut off valve, but the pump requires you to buy AQUATEC 8800 PSW PRESSURE SWITCH 1⁄4" PUSH CONNECT and once the pressure builds up, it'll knock the pump off automatically. It's 20 bucks on bulk reef and easy to snap on.
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I ordered the one that comes with the auto shut off already. thanks for advice. I like what you did. it looks good!!!

Roger
 
rogergolf66 said:
I ran most of the tubing in a 1/2" pvc pipe to protect it. I have some spaces in the pipe as I couldn't use elbows cause the tubing would have gotten crimped. I could have used 90" connections for the tubing but my goal was to have no fitting in the middle less chance or leaks.
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Looking good Roger. You probably already know this but you can get long sweep 90s in the electrical section at HD. They are the same diameter as plumbing PVC and tubing will not kink.
 
is it too late to offer a suggestion for this?

Setting graduations on the container for various water amounts has always troubled me. a 5 gallon container (bucket, carboy, etc) is not very accurate. Add to that: the error (or uncertainty) of the graduation you set is amplified because your repeatedly repeating that inaccurate measurement.

At the end of the day - if you're using a 5 gallon bucket to mark a container for 50 gallons - and your off by 1/4 gallon (thats only 4 cups) in your measurements - then your final 50 gallon graduation mark your setting could be +/- 2.5 gallons. Add in potential operator error and you could be off as much as +/- 5 gallons.

You need a way to consistently and accurately measure how much water your putting into your saltwater mixing container so when you add your salt - your 100% sure its going to end up at 1.026 or 35 PPT or whatever measurement you use.

The only way I can think to do this accurately and consistently is with scales. This one looks nice @ 2000 pounds (remember - 1 gallon of water weights 8.34 pounds)
http://www.scale-it.com/17-425.htm

If the face of the scale is too small for your container - just build a platform for it to sit on.
 
Water Change station remodel

I use a 1 gal measuring jug (food prep jug) and fill up a bucket with a certain amount of measured water and fill that certain amount in the drum and make a mark on the drum...simple enough...if you put in exactly 5 gallons then the mark you make on the drum is 5 gallons...the food prep (liquid) measuring jug is accurate and takes quite a bit of hassle out of it
 
I picked up a used older dart pump for my mixing station. I had planed on a smaller pump so now I need to drill a new hole for the bulkhead since the dart has a 2" inlet. I will try and calibrate the litter meter 3 for the auto water changer today and get that mounted and inline. I may have to use Pedro's idea on the RO tubing for a 4th color. I haven't seen any other unless I want to have something shipped in.

Roger
 
rogergolf66 said:
Ted r u talking about the ESV salt wanting to know how much water is in the mix via weight?
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Sorry for taking so long to reply Roger - work is just too busy at the moment. It's possible for ESV (although - the scale leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to accuracy at such high weights and the amounts of measuring for ESV). I realize you don't use ESV - so I was more concerned with the accuracy of creating your own graduation marks on those containers and being consistent in mixing up your salt.

Look at it this way - Yes - you could add water and add salt and test salinity and add more salt or more water (fairly easily too with your set-up). Why not save yourself some more time and have graduations that are extremely accurate (by weight instead of by volume) so that you know exactly how many gallons of water you have and can add a known amount of salt?

I use a 1 gal measuring jug (food prep jug) and fill up a bucket with a certain amount of measured water and fill that certain amount in the drum and make a mark on the drum...simple enough...if you put in exactly 5 gallons then the mark you make on the drum is 5 gallons...the food prep (liquid) measuring jug is accurate and takes quite a bit of hassle out of it
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I'm speaking against. Anyone who's taken high school physics/chemistry should have learned that the accuracy and precision of this is highly questionable. You don't know if you have "exactly five gallons" based on that measurement methodology.

(1) your accuracy of measurement is only accurate to +/- the lowest graduation you have. Take a 100 ml beaker that has lines at 25 ml (and only lines at every 25 ml). Your accuracy of filling that up to 100 ml is 100 ml +/- 25 ml. Now take a 100 ml graduated cylinder that has lines every ml. You are accurate to 100 ml +/- 1 ml.

(2) Now repeatedly pour that 100 ml beaker 5 times to fill up a 500 ml container. Your accuracy at 500 ml is 500 ml +/- 125 ml. Using that graduated cylinder - you would be at 500 ml +/- 5 ml (the errors in measurements add up as you repeat the measurement).

(3) If you use a scale - lets say it reads every gram - then your accuracy in ml (assuming 1 ml of water weighs one gram) would be 500g +/- 1 gram. or 500 ml +/- 1 ml

I'm using pure scientific principles to try to describe this and I hope you understand. I also realize that real life applications (because you only mix water to a certain specific gravity) are nothing like the scientific principles I've explained.

What I'm really trying to say is: Just try to see from the scientific principles I've presented how errors add up that can affect your accuracy and precision. If you can weigh your water - your going to be much more precise and accurate since it's only a single measurement.
 
Oh wow, I don't even worry about the numbers anymore, I just puor in the salt to a rough estimate then measure and adjust to get something close, I do 15% weekly water changes.
 
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