are these materials safe to use for water changes ?

stevediaz1 · Dec 17, 2015

hello I'm trying to create a system with a dual outlet y valve for my water changes to make it easier and i want to know if the materials I'm using are safe for my aquarium I'm not sure wether the materials I'm using are metal,brass & also the store had a zinc y valve but i didn't purchase it still i would like to know wether its safe to use so will some one tell me if its safe to use or not i tried to find plastic because its the safest i think but i wasn't available at home depot here are some pics

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vic5hands · Dec 17, 2015

Brass and copper are fine .Stainless steel is no good .

Synodontis · Dec 17, 2015

Personally I wouldn't use any type of metal valve on a reef tank.
I'd be looking in the garden irrigation section of most hardware stores or online.

vic5hands · Dec 17, 2015

The water lines coming into your house are copper. Do not let the copper line come in contact with the saltwater.

reefwiser · Dec 17, 2015

http://www.lowes.com/pd_36964-30775-8806_1z0wg6w__?productId=50328323&pl=1

You can find this in plastic.

Windy · Dec 17, 2015

This is the same answer you got on RC. No don't use metal, especially copper containing metal like brass. It will kill most inverts.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 17, 2015

If this is upstream of an RO/DI, you can use anything.

If it is after the RO/DI or connected to the tank in any way, no metals except special grades of stainless steel are OK.

Nothing from Home Depot made of metal is acceptable for tank water contact.

constantflow · Dec 17, 2015

Out of curiosity...what kinds of stainless?

DanConnor · Dec 17, 2015

Yeah, those aren't good. Are you choosing those because you are trying to do water changes with a garden hose? Probably a whole different approach would be better.

redfishbluefish · Dec 17, 2015

You can get them in plastic at HD HERE (with the exception of the little screw holding the valve handle). The issue is that it might be seasonal....unless you order it into the store.

mfinn · Dec 17, 2015

As it has been said, use no metal in your plumbing.
If you can't find it local, then look online.
If you can't find it there, then make another plan.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 17, 2015

I do not know all of the grades and which are good or bad in a reef tank, but 316 stainless is fairly commonly available and is seemingly OK. The arms of two float switches in my tank are 316 stainless steel and they'd been in the water for more than 20 years.

constantflow · Dec 17, 2015

Interesting... although it is probably best to minimize the stainless in contact with the water. Certainly no pipes should be used.

I didn't know they sold stainless parts for SW aquariums. Never really looked that hard though.

stevediaz1 · Dec 17, 2015

Well maybe I didn't explain that the device I made was not permanently plumbed into the aquarium having a all in one tank won't allow me to do any plumbing and I don't have any intentions if doing so but I did want to make my water changes easier as do we all and I made this' device I only use it when I do water changes its independent from my tank I

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Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 17, 2015

I can't tell how you intend to use that, but if it is all water leaving the tank, that brass is OK. If any water enters the tank through it, it is not OK.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 17, 2015

constantflow said:
Interesting... although it is probably best to minimize the stainless in contact with the water. Certainly no pipes should be used.

I didn't know they sold stainless parts for SW aquariums. Never really looked that hard though.

The part I used is not for an aquarium, but for industrial uses where corrosion is a concern.

It is this LV-1201 float switch from Omega Engineering:

http://www.omega.com/pptst/LV1100_1200.html

It allows me to run the full Iwaki 40 RLXT pump current through it. 2 of them at the same time actually.

redfishbluefish · Dec 17, 2015

I just clicked into this because I had participated in this post....but now I couldn't find my post. Like great minds, my post was similar to @reefwiser .....but from HD.

I then realized that the OP had started the same query in two different locations. I hate when this happens. HERE is the one I posted in. Maybe a [HASHTAG]#mod[/HASHTAG] should blend these two together......just a suggestion.

constantflow · Dec 17, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The part I used is not for an aquarium, but for industrial uses where corrosion is a concern.

It is this LV-1201 float switch from Omega Engineering:

http://www.omega.com/pptst/LV1100_1200.html

It allows me to run the full Iwaki 40 RLXT pump current through it. 2 of them at the same time actually.

I don't mean to hijack the thread anymore but thanks for posting that. Maybe I have found a float switch I can trust a little now.

SeahorseKeeper · Dec 17, 2015

redfishbluefish said:
I just clicked into this because I had participated in this post....but now I couldn't find my post. Like great minds, my post was similar to @reefwiser .....but from HD.

I then realized that the OP had started the same query in two different locations. I hate when this happens. HERE is the one I posted in. Maybe a [HASHTAG]#mod[/HASHTAG] should blend these two together......just a suggestion.

I only see one thread.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 17, 2015

constantflow said:
I don't mean to hijack the thread anymore but thanks for posting that. Maybe I have found a float switch I can trust a little now.

They've worked almost flawlessly for 20 years, Only time I can think of a problem was when a bit of tubing from a pump for a GFO reactor pushed against it and held it in one position.