Preventing topoff water from getting stagnant

[sdch1000]

I have a 3 gallon plastic container I use with my auto topoff unit, and I just realized how stagnant the RO water smells. The water would usually be in there about 4-6 weeks before a refill is needed. Can I prevent the stagnation? Is an airstone or a powerhead all that is required? I was thinking of running carbon in the container, not sure if that's a possibility?

 

[kylev]

I'd just put a powerhead in there and you should be good to go

 

[bang guy]

Try a smaller topoff container and you should be doing a topoff every few days or your salinity is going to fluctuate.

 

[geoj]

Huh, I topoff 1 gal every 2-3 days in a 25 gal tank. I do use a air stone to keep the supplements stirred up.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by GeoJ
http:///forum/post/3298231
Huh, I topoff 1 gal every 2-3 days in a 25 gal tank. I do use a air stone to keep the supplements stirred up.
You keep an airstone in your ro/di container??????
I keep 10G's of ro/di made up, but use 2-3g's daily....so it is always "moving" Do you think an airstone should be kept in there?

 

[stanlalee]

I store RO in airtight 5gallon containers (not buckets though same difference). keep it air tight it really doesn't matter if it sits for 4-6wks. My actual tank top off is limewater and stagnant is good (all the bad stuff precipitates and down to the bottom. water movement stirs it up and clouds top off water with these contaminants). Even when I used straight RO water I have to fill it every couple days so stagnation is not an issue. not sure how aeration would help the quality of stored RO water anyway being fairly pure h2o. If I'm getting smells I think my first step would be to clean out the storage container real good making sure there is nothing for bacteria to thrive on.

 

[btldreef]

I keep a powerhead running in mine at all times, but like meowzer, mine is constantly being circulated with new water. I've actually been using an old Mag7 pump lately because I needed the left over power head for my refugium.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Kylev
http:///forum/post/3298204
I'd just put a powerhead in there and you should be good to go

+1 that's what I do, I use a 10g tank...glass, it does better than plastic for holding water. I use 3g of top off a day but the tank holds 10, I just refill my tank when it needs it from my RO unit, the ATO unit takes care of keeping the tank at a perfect level.
That same power head comes in handy for stirring my new mixed seawater too. A day without movement won't hurt the top off water.

 

[sdch1000]

Thanks for the comments, I guess I'll start by adding a small powerhead and monitor check the smell on a weekly basis, then go from there.

 

[geoj]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3298232
You keep an airstone in your ro/di container??????
I keep 10G's of ro/di made up, but use 2-3g's daily....so it is always "moving" Do you think an airstone should be kept in there?
I use an air pump because I add Kalkwasser to my topoff water,it stirs the supplement.
The bacteria that make most of the bad smells live in water with low oxygen. If you did have a stagnant smell coming from the water adding oxygen would likely help rid it. You could also just clean the container by rinsing it so often but that sounds like work to me...

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by GeoJ
http:///forum/post/3298534
I use an air pump because I add Kalkwasser to my topoff water,it stirs the supplement.
.
once limewater is saturated all agitation to the limewater surface does is help expose it to carbon dioxide in the surroundng air which makes more calcium precipate out and it less potent. an air pump which agitates the surface of the ATO limewater is not stirring it or the same concept as a kalk stirrer. it does more harm than good exposing it to carbon dioxide and allowing the precipitate to get suspended in the limewater which you dont want (the contaminants you dont want in the tank precipitate out of limewater and fall to the bottom) Mix it once, let the precipitate where all the harmful contaminats are settle to the bottom and STAY on the bottom, make sure your ATO pump is elevated off the bottom where the precipitate is, keep a lid on it (doesn't need to be tight fitting) and do not agitate it to minimize carbon dioxide exposure. It shouldn't be there long enough for stagnation to matter (assuming it gets filled at least once a week and your ATO is working muliple times a day). the thin layer of crust that forms on the top of unagitated limewater also protects it from exposure to co2 and should be left intact except for refilling the reservior.

 

[geoj]

I don't want to hi-jack this thread but I will say that after adding the air stone my alk levels became more stable (I did not have to change it), so it is working for me...

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by GeoJ
http:///forum/post/3299588
I don't want to hi-jack this thread but I will say that after adding the air stone my alk levels became more stable (I did not have to change it), so it is working for me...
I would have not mentioned it in such detail if it were a minor or inconsequential detail. its a basic "dont" right up there with not dosing too much at once and not breathing it in. aerating limewater put simply makes it virtually useless in as little as 24hrs. aerating continuously exposes the limewater to room co2. limewater + co2 exposure equals the formation of solid undissolvable calcium carbonate precipation and does so quickly. Its good that it works for you (less potency is the only thing that could make doing this keep alk more stable) but I want anyone else thinking of aerating top off limewater to know what it does.

 

[geoj]

Then tell me why its is dissolving in my case?
I will have to do some more testing to see the effect that you are so convinced of, but if I stop adding kalk the settled powder dissolves as I add more RO/DI water over time...
 
And yes the air stone does not keep all the powder suspended. The as new RO/DI is added water dissolves the powder.

 

[bw256s_srt4]

I just have my own RO kit at my house that i use for drinking water too. I built in into my kitchen sink and it has a 3gal tank that i put behind my dishwasher. I just top off with that whenever i need it.

 

[bang guy]

Aerating will definately cause Calcium hydroxide to become Calcium carbonate.