water tank for R/O, water changes

[myse7en]

Does anyone know where I can get water tank (plastic) for cheap so I can store water for R/O?
Or what ideas are out there pertaining to this topic? What have people done so far? I'm just tired of lugging my jugs to the LFS and back. Such a hassle for a 150 gallon tank every two weeks. Thanks.

 

[sign guy]

how much water do you want to store a brute trashcan is what alot of people use

 

[hammerhed7]

I use a brute 44 gal trash can I bought at home depot. Just be sure to rinse it well before using. I just throw a powerhead in to mix the salt, any trash can would work, but be sure to get a heavy duty one, the lighter weight ones will bow and or split

 

[dragonzim]

Originally Posted by Hammerhed7
I use a brute 44 gal trash can I bought at home depot. Just be sure to rinse it well before using. I just throw a powerhead in to mix the salt, any trash can would work, but be sure to get a heavy duty one, the lighter weight ones will bow and or split
Same here!

 

[reef46]

Agreed!

 

[myse7en]

thanks guys! Looks like I'm going to use the same (Brute trash can). What salt is good? Any ideas? Also, I'm baad at measuring. Is there a simple way (or shall I say "Dumb-proof" way) of mixing the salt?

 

[reef46]

I use the same plastic cup every time I add salt for mixing. The way you figure out how much salt, well just add slowly on your first batch and remember how many cups of salt you needed to reach your desired salinity level. after that its a garbage can of ro water and x number "plastic cups" of salt.

 

[angelman]

Originally Posted by myse7en
thanks guys! Looks like I'm going to use the same (Brute trash can). What salt is good? Any ideas? Also, I'm baad at measuring. Is there a simple way (or shall I say "Dumb-proof" way) of mixing the salt?
A heaping measuring cup will generally yield 1.019-1.021 per 2.5 gallons of water (depends on one's definition of "heaping" cup).
You can always adjust from there.

 

[indyws6]

Greetings

I wanted something that looked a little nicer and was sturdier than a Brute trash can, so I purchased a water softener brine tank. I now have two; one for R/O water and one for saltwater mix. They are more expensive, but they include a float valve so you can connect them directly to your R/O system output line. They are made from stiffer material and have lids that fit snugly, which is also nice.
In my opinion, they are also more easily adapted to permanent installations for automatic top-off and water change systems, which is what I am in the process of doing. My tanks are in the garage and I will be plumbing as needed to deliver both R/O water (for top-off) and saltwater (for water changes) through the crawlspace to the tank in my living room. Until that is completed I needed an easy way to get water out of the tanks, so I built some DIY bulkhead fittings and installed ball valves to make bucket filling easier. Obviously, there are many approaches, but this one works for me.

I can provide updated photos that show both tanks, the plumbing and the electrical panel I built to support the upcoming heaters, powerheads and pumps if anyone is interested.
Hope this helps...

 

[jrthomas40]

Originally Posted by indyws6
Greetings

I wanted something that looked a little nicer and was sturdier than a Brute trash can, so I purchased a water softener brine tank. I now have two; one for R/O water and one for saltwater mix. They are more expensive, but they include a float valve so you can connect them directly to your R/O system output line. They are made from stiffer material and have lids that fit snugly, which is also nice.
In my opinion, they are also more easily adapted to permanent installations for automatic top-off and water change systems, which is what I am in the process of doing. My tanks are in the garage and I will be plumbing as needed to deliver both R/O water (for top-off) and saltwater (for water changes) through the crawlspace to the tank in my living room. Until that is completed I needed an easy way to get water out of the tanks, so I built some DIY bulkhead fittings and installed ball valves to make bucket filling easier. Obviously, there are many approaches, but this one works for me.

I can provide updated photos that show both tanks, the plumbing and the electrical panel I built to support the upcoming heaters, powerheads and pumps if anyone is interested.
Hope this helps...
that is a pretty nice set up

 

[indyws6]

JRTHOMAS40 - Thanks for the comment.

It's even better now.
I moved the white tank (which is my actual water softener brine tank) over where the black tank is in the picture and added a second black storage tank. As mentioned, one is for R/O water and the other is for saltwater mix. I also built a panel board and mounted it on the wall above the two storage tanks. The board has 5 outlets, each controlled by a switch.
1) R/O tank heater (tanks are in the garage - In Indiana...)
2) R/O tank pump (will be used to pump water to the tank for ATO purposes)
3) S/W tank heater
4) S/W tank powerhead (for mixing salt)
5) S/W tank pump (will be used to pump water to the tank for water changes)
I thought about snapping some pictures and creating an on-line DIY thread, but didn't know if anyone would be interested.
Take Care

 

[myse7en]

This is exactly what I've been looking for! Thanks for sharing! This forum has been very helpful thanks to entusiasts such as yourselves!

 

[jrthomas40]

Originally Posted by indyws6
JRTHOMAS40 - Thanks for the comment.

It's even better now.
I moved the white tank (which is my actual water softener brine tank) over where the black tank is in the picture and added a second black storage tank. As mentioned, one is for R/O water and the other is for saltwater mix. I also built a panel board and mounted it on the wall above the two storage tanks. The board has 5 outlets, each controlled by a switch.
1) R/O tank heater (tanks are in the garage - In Indiana...)
2) R/O tank pump (will be used to pump water to the tank for ATO purposes)
3) S/W tank heater
4) S/W tank powerhead (for mixing salt)
5) S/W tank pump (will be used to pump water to the tank for water changes)
I thought about snapping some pictures and creating an on-line DIY thread, but didn't know if anyone would be interested.
Take Care
i would look i think it would be very helpful...people are always lookin for ways to set up a system like yours..i know if i had a garage i would definitely use your setup as a template

 

[indyws6]

JRTHOMAS40 - Thanks...
As I finish this, I'll snap some digital photos and try to put something together. I still have a lot of work to do, but I hope to make progress soon. The biggest difficulty will be running the plumbing and electrical work through the crawlspace between the reef tank in my living room and the storage tanks in the garage. Right now I am "designing" the ATO and pump setup - I want to build-in at least two layers of redundancy to prevent a single failure from flooding my house.
Some of the installations I have seen on this forum make mine look pretty sad,

, but if what I have done can help someone, that's kind of cool

Take Care

 

[jrthomas40]

no problem if i cant get my skimmer to stop flooding the underneath of my tank and putting about 4 gallons of water on the carpet i would say im hopeless for doing an entire plumbing project like yours...but one day dang it one day!!!!