DIY Stand with a dry and "wet" side

[puckbs]

Have any of you built a stand with a dry and "wet" side? Meaning, separate sides for electronics and sump? How did you run the wiring/electrical? Trying to decide how to run all my cords, through the divider?? Out the back and then back in? Are there cool plates i could use to go through the divider but not allow humidity to pass through? ..... The back of the sand is solid, I have no problem making cuts in it but want to be sure i've thought every possibility through so I don't cut the wrong size hole for what I ultimately want......I am DEFINITELY overthinking this...

 

[Sleepydoc]

having a dry side for your electronics is smart - I wish I would have done that with my stand. There are threads on R2R showing people's ideas. Here's one: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lets-see-your-controller-boards-cabinets.680376/

Whatever you decide, make sure it's serviceable. You don't need to do it often, but when you do it makes your life a lot easier! I'm in the process of moving my controller from inside my sump to an separate cabinet outside the sump both to isolate it from the salt spray and to make it easier to manage.

As far as your question goes:

You can get brush plates:

Commercial Electric 1-Gang Brush Plastic Wall Plate, White 5038-WH - The Home Depot

Commercial Electric's patented Single Brush Wall Plate is used to install low voltage cables behind your HDTV, amplifier or other audio video devices. The Single Brush Plate is designed to be installed

www.homedepot.com

or plates with flexible openings:

Commercial Electric 1-Gang Flexible Opening Cable Wall Plate, White 5028-WH - The Home Depot

Commercial Electric's patented Flexible Opening Cable Wall Plate is used to install low voltage cables behind your flat panel TV, your amplifier, or other audio video devices. The flexible opening of the cable plate allows you to pass low voltage cables through the wall, while keeping the...

www.homedepot.com

as well as grommets/hole covers:

Commercial Electric 1-1/2 in. Furniture Hole Cover, Black COVER (BK) 1.5 - The Home Depot

Keep your electrical cords organized around your entertainment center, TV stand, or desk by using this hole cover by Commercial Electric. Simply snap this grommet into desktop with recessed hole for cord

www.homedepot.com

I think any of those would be adequate to minimize humidity/salt spray, but if you're concerned you could also mount a fan to blow air from the dry side into the wet side.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

having a dry side for your electronics is smart - I wish I would have done that with my stand. There are threads on R2R showing people's ideas. Here's one: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lets-see-your-controller-boards-cabinets.680376/

Whatever you decide, make sure it's serviceable. You don't need to do it often, but when you do it makes your life a lot easier! I'm in the process of moving my controller from inside my sump to an separate cabinet outside the sump both to isolate it from the salt spray and to make it easier to manage.

As far as your question goes:

You can get brush plates:

Commercial Electric 1-Gang Brush Plastic Wall Plate, White 5038-WH - The Home Depot

Commercial Electric's patented Single Brush Wall Plate is used to install low voltage cables behind your HDTV, amplifier or other audio video devices. The Single Brush Plate is designed to be installed

www.homedepot.com

or plates with flexible openings:

Commercial Electric 1-Gang Flexible Opening Cable Wall Plate, White 5028-WH - The Home Depot

Commercial Electric's patented Flexible Opening Cable Wall Plate is used to install low voltage cables behind your flat panel TV, your amplifier, or other audio video devices. The flexible opening of the cable plate allows you to pass low voltage cables through the wall, while keeping the...

www.homedepot.com

as well as grommets/hole covers:

Commercial Electric 1-1/2 in. Furniture Hole Cover, Black COVER (BK) 1.5 - The Home Depot

Keep your electrical cords organized around your entertainment center, TV stand, or desk by using this hole cover by Commercial Electric. Simply snap this grommet into desktop with recessed hole for cord

www.homedepot.com

I think any of those would be adequate to minimize humidity/salt spray, but if you're concerned you could also mount a fan to blow air from the dry side into the wet side.

I’m in robotics and we have tons of situations like this. You don’t want to blow into the wet side. Always draw air out of the wet side and exhaust to atmosphere.

 

[Sleepydoc]

I’m in robotics and we have tons of situations like this. You don’t want to blow into the wet side. Always draw air out of the wet side and exhaust to atmosphere.

The problem with exhausting out of the wet side is your fan will corrode very quickly and wear out d/t the humidity and salt spray. Configuring it to blow in minimizes this.

 

[BillyKVT]

Blowing air in vs out - really up to you. You'll increase the longevity of the fan if you have it pulling fresh air in. Also, you only need one fan - you'll be surprised how much air exchange you'll have (a little pc fan should do). Here is a picture of my build that I just finished with a "wet" and "dry side". I have 3 holes (3 inch diameter) on the upper rear of the "wet" side spaced out evenly. Then I cut a 3 inch hole into the "dry" side from the "wet" side. When I attached the door/cover of my stand, I added some wadding to the hole where my transition happens and let it sit for a few days. The wadding was still dry so I didn't find the need to seal it with anything - it's fine just the way it is. All my cables/wiring were ran through that cross like conduit I put together and spray painted. If you want a link for that let me know and I'll try to find it. Good luck!

 

[X-37B]

I use stand alone cabinets for my electrical, co2 regulator, and tank.
This way my sump and ato are under the stand and seperate alowing more room.
Most sumps are pretty tight after all equipment is in place.
It is a good option for smaller systems too.

 

[If_Only]

I would have a vent hole in the back of both compartments, bigger the better, and a small hole going between your electronics and sump divider to run your cords. Ive never used a fan and never noticed any humidity damage. Thats how I've always done it. It greatly depends on how your stand is constructed, if it has a Frame and the, say, plywood "shell" is just to cover the interior of the stand, id just lop a huge beveled square in the back of the stand.

 

[n2585722]

I built my own stand with the concept of a dry area for the electronics and a wet area for the sump and anywhere there is open water. It has been up and running for over 5 years now. The fans for the dry areas draw the air into the area. The fans for the wet are pull the air out. The fans for the wet area will not last as long as the ones for the dry area. It is best to use IP67 rated fans for the wet area. The first photo is one of the dry areas. All the dry areas are painted black. The second photo is the stand with the doors open to the wet area of the stand. All the wet areas are painted white. There are more photos in my build thread. You can click on the banner to get to the thread.