How to properly heat RO water.

[fattytwobyfour]

I have put heaters on the side of the bucket, and I've managed to melt into the bucket. :/
Is there like a submersible heater that is preferred? I don't know if this is a common newbie question, or just me. :/

 

[bang guy]

Why would you want to heat RO water?
For buckets just put a heater guard on your heater. They're fairly inexpensive.

 

[fattytwobyfour]

I use the RO water for freshwater and to mix my saltwater. I thought that it needed to be the same temp as the tank? My tank is at 78 degrees, but after letting the water aerate for a day, the temp is still in the 60's?
Is that the process I need to be doing? Or maybe I've messed up. :/

 

[bang guy]

Oh, OK, I just misunderstood.
When mixing up your saltwater it should be as cold as possible but you're right, when doing a water change the saltwater should be at the same temp as the tank water.
It shouldn't matter for topoff, you shouldn't be adding that much all at once.
Heater guards for warming up the saltwater just before you use it.

 

[btldreef]

I have a pump in my mixing bucket that warns the water a little, and I have a little heater for a 30G tank to heat the water as well. I'm doing weekly 40g water changes. If you have a smaller tank and you're just mixing in a 5g bucket, grab a small heater meant for a 5-10g tank and that should be fine.

 

[fattytwobyfour]

Thanks for the tips!! You can research for hours at a time, but sometimes the material don't take in account this human's error.

 

[fattytwobyfour]

I do have a question. I read that you are supposed to aerate ro water for 24 hours because the process removes oxygen from the water. Does this have to be done 24 hours before I add it to the tank, or can I aerate it a little more in advance? I have some water that I've aerated for 24 hours, but it might be Wednesday night before I can do the water change.

 

[xcali1985]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/394184/how-to-properly-heat-ro-water#post_3508263
Oh, OK, I just misunderstood.
When mixing up your saltwater it should be as cold as possible but you're right, when doing a water change the saltwater should be at the same temp as the tank water.
It shouldn't matter for topoff, you shouldn't be adding that much all at once.
Heater guards for warming up the saltwater just before you use it.
If im not mistaken, I think temp of RO water affects the specific gravity. For instance the Instant Ocean brand recommends that you mix it to a specific gravity at the temp of 75 degrees. Not exactly sure what the variance is before it starts to affect it, but I always heat my RO water to tank water temp before I add the salt.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xcali1985 http:///t/394184/how-to-properly-heat-ro-water#post_3508387
If im not mistaken, I think temp of RO water affects the specific gravity. For instance the Instant Ocean brand recommends that you mix it to a specific gravity at the temp of 75 degrees. Not exactly sure what the variance is before it starts to affect it, but I always heat my RO water to tank water temp before I add the salt.
Yes, it affects the specific gravity quite a bit so if you're using a hydrometer you would want to raise it up to tank temp before measuring the specific gravity. It will not significantly affect the salinity of the water though so you can test the salinity while it's still cold with a refractometer or conductivity.
The reason you want the water cold is because most trace elements dissolve better in cold water and you're much less likely to have them precipitate out of solution.

 

[btldreef]

I do have a question. I read that you are supposed to aerate ro water for 24 hours because the process removes oxygen from the water. Does this have to be done 24 hours before I add it to the tank, or can I aerate it a little more in advance? I have some water that I've aerated for 24 hours, but it might be Wednesday night before I can do the water change.
I have aerated my RO and even mixed saltwater for more than one day without any issues. Just keep the water circulating