SW Storage in Garage

[seahorse_man]

Okay guys, I have a probably very stupid and or paranoid question....but humor me and don't judge too much. ;Shy

Is there any risk in storing 1 or 2 55g drums of saltwater in the garage next to a car? Risk to the car's paint, metal, etc. and not the water just to be clear! The drums will be mostly sealed (lid on but not airtight) and I don't plan on splashing SW all over my car.

I used to have SW storage and tanks in my old garage, but never kept the car in there; it always remained in the driveway. This time around I will have a car in there, and it got me thinking about what I read about storing cars near the ocean, salt, humidity, etc and then I got paranoid. I'm also OCD when it comes to my car for sure. Lol

I'm crazy and it's okay, right?

Edit: Not sure if this was the right spot for this, sorry if it's not.

 

[Peace River]

Okay guys, I have a probably very stupid and or paranoid question....but humor me and don't judge too much. ;Shy

Is there any risk in storing 1 or 2 55g drums of saltwater in the garage next to a car? Risk to the car's paint, metal, etc. and not the water just to be clear! The drums will be mostly sealed (lid on but not airtight) and I don't plan on splashing SW all over my car.

I used to have SW storage and tanks in my old garage, but never kept the car in there; it always remained in the driveway. This time around I will have a car in there, and it got me thinking about what I read about storing cars near the ocean, salt, humidity, etc and then I got paranoid. I'm also OCD when it comes to my car for sure. Lol

I'm crazy and it's okay, right?

Good question! Vehicles in beach communities have to deal with salt spray, etc. which you shouldn't have in your garage. It is a good idea for the lid to stay on so nothing get into the tank, but not too tight so you can release any off-gassing. Also if you are going to pre-mix the SW (and not just keep RO in the drums), then you may also want to have a small pump for circulation. My bigger concern (and certainly not something that you can't work around) is the potential temperature difference between your garage and your tank. It is important to bring the water to the proper temperature when doing water changes of any significance. Good luck!

 

[seahorse_man]

Good question! Vehicles in beach communities have to deal with salt spray, etc. which you shouldn't have in your garage. It is a good idea for the lid to stay on so nothing get into the tank, but not too tight so you can release any off-gassing. Also if you are going to pre-mix the SW (and not just keep RO in the drums), then you may also want to have a small pump for circulation. My bigger concern (and certainly not something that you can't work around) is the potential temperature difference between your garage and your tank. It is important to bring the water to the proper temperature when doing water changes of any significance. Good luck!

Thanks! And yes I will have one drum for RO/DI and at least one more for SW (that I will premix). I do plan on having a heater in the SW drum (if needed to match tank temp), and a pump to keep it circulating. The lid on the drum is the one that has the 4 clamps around it to keep the lid down, no rubber seal or anything so it's not airtight.

I got a new car recently, and treat it like my first born (which I don't have yet) so just wanted to make sure I didn't have to worry about any "salty air" damaging it. Sounds like it will be fine though, there will definitely not be any SW spray on it! ;Joyful

 

[Aquavaj]

You'll likely use it all before significant evaporation. Even then salt doesnt evaporate. There's salt spray at the beach cause of the waves and the wind carrys it.

 

[roberthu526]

I noticed significant rust on my saw blades and the stainless steel rails of a miter saw. I have a 125 gallon sump with no cover in the garage and I have never had this happening in the past before I started running the sump there. So I am guessing it does do some damage to metal in the long run.

 

[seahorse_man]

I noticed significant rust on my saw blades and the stainless steel rails of a miter saw. I have a 125 gallon sump with no cover in the garage and I have never had this happening in the past before I started running the sump there. So I am guessing it does do some damage to metal in the long run.

I think these are very different situations though. A 125g sump has a lot more surface area and agitation that is constant (running 24/7) than the 55g drum will have. I will also have the drum covered when not in use.