water storage

GeoHawk · Nov 17, 2014

I am fishing for ideas. I would like to build a large water storage container with auto top off from my Rodi that I could set up with a pvc valve at the bottom to let water out and fill my containers for filling my auto top off for my tank as well as fill jugs to drink from. Any ideas on where to find such a container or how to do the auto top off would be appreciated.
Paul

talwen · Nov 18, 2014

I would look for any emergency supply companies near you. They sell all different types of containers for water storage. The nice thing is some of them already have a spigot on the bottom of them to fill up buckets with a hose.

Reefing Madness · Nov 18, 2014

55g food grade barrels

Rob Top1 · Nov 18, 2014

Farm and Fleet
Tractor Supply Co
I think you have one of those your way. If not any farm supply company will have it. Look for a polypropylene container. They are save for portable water storage. I have had mine for years.

racin2438 · Nov 18, 2014

I got our barrels from (Bayteccontainers.com)

They have different sizes good prices some including shipping. Got my 55gal barrel on sale for 65.00 on sale including shipping.

They run sales...promos often. We drilled our for bulkhead at top for float swts and bottom for drain N fill with ball valve and hose to reach all our mixing barrels.

GeoHawk · Nov 18, 2014

Thanks everyone I'll look into these

dbl · Nov 18, 2014

Look at www.tank-depot.com as well. They may even have a location near you.

tonto95 · Nov 19, 2014

you should also check into any local food preperation factory's for food grade containers.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 19, 2014

How big do you want?

beaslbob · Nov 19, 2014

If you have a sump and are using an auto top off there is a very real possibility that a drain to the sump could plug up. In that case the auto top off would sense low sump water and dump water into the system. Causing flooded display and lowered salinity. IMHO best to use some kind of drip system to replace evaporative losses or level valves to insure the display does not flood. (turn off the ato if the upper container level rises.)

GeoHawk · Nov 27, 2014

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
How big do you want?

Im looking for like 55 gallon, I havent been able to find locally so far and shipping is crazy high online. I just want it so that I can set up auto top off on it and always have like 55 gallons ready at my disposal.

beaslbob said:
If you have a sump and are using an auto top off there is a very real possibility that a drain to the sump could plug up. In that case the auto top off would sense low sump water and dump water into the system. Causing flooded display and lowered salinity. IMHO best to use some kind of drip system to replace evaporative losses or level valves to insure the display does not flood. (turn off the ato if the upper container level rises.)

I am not wanting to do this. I already have a 5 gallons reservoir that I use for auto top off that wont overflow my sump or change salinity dramatically if it were to all leak in at once. I refill this once a week.

tigerdragon · Nov 27, 2014

Look at tractor supply stores or stores similar

Patto005 · Feb 19, 2015

GeoHawk said:
Im looking for like 55 gallon, I havent been able to find locally so far and shipping is crazy high online. I just want it so that I can set up auto top off on it and always have like 55 gallons ready at my disposal.

I am not wanting to do this. I already have a 5 gallons reservoir that I use for auto top off that wont overflow my sump or change salinity dramatically if it were to all leak in at once. I refill this once a week.

I used two 32g Brute garbage cans. Every Home Cheapo or Blowes will have these and they have 44g or 55g as well. I built a stand to hold 1 can that my fresh made ro/di water is plumbed into via float switch. I drilled a hole near the bottom and inserted a threaded 3/4" bulkhead with double gaskets on each side and torqued it down extremely tight since this is a curved surface. I connected a 3/4" slip x threaded pvc coupling, a length of pipe, another coupling, a 3/4" ball valve, another coupling, another length of pipe, and a 3/4" 90Â° to route the drain down. I also drilled another small hole near the bottom and 1 near the top, I inserted a 1/4" threaded x barbed 90Â° fitting in each of these with double gaskets on each side and secured with a nylon nut on the inside, then I cut a length of 1/4" clear vinyl tubing to fit between these. This gives me a sight glass/level indicator, so I can tell the water level without having to get a ladder and remove the lid to look inside. I have marked off every 5 gals on my sight glass so I know about how many gallons I have left. And the second can on bottom has casters so that I can fill up to the premeasured level and roll to my tank to mix fresh saltwater. If this doesn't make sense, maybe my pictures will help you understand it

AZDesertRat · Feb 19, 2015

Nice setup but get rid of the brass ball valve immediately if not sooner. RO/DI is extremely agressive so leaches the copper out of brass and bronze alloys and poisons your reef. Replace it with a PVC ball or gate valve.

Patto005 · Feb 19, 2015

AZDesertRat said:
Nice setup but get rid of the brass ball valve immediately if not sooner. RO/DI is extremely agressive so leaches the copper out of brass and bronze alloys and poisons your reef. Replace it with a PVC ball or gate valve.

Thanks for the tip. I looked into this and even asked an engineer, everyone I talked to said that it wouldn't be an issue-but then again, they are not into reefing either. The only reason I went with the brass valve is because the ball valves at Blowes are pretty tough to turn and I didn't want to cause a leak trying to operate it since the garbage can isn't extremely rigid. Do you know of any other ball valve that is easier to turn?

racin2438 · Feb 20, 2015

I got all mine at Bayteccontainers.com, great prices , food grade, option on tops, colors...

heathd.hd · Feb 20, 2015

I'm using these rubbermaid 23g containers available at home depot. 1 Rodi 1 kalk 1 salt. I keep 15 gallons of each around. I have small power heads in the mixing containers and a heater in the saltwater one.