looking for some suggestions on moving water...

siropa · #1 12/10/2007, 10:14 PM

Looking for some opins or suggestions...

My fish room is in one corner of my basement. My utility room is on far corner. The util room is where my furnace, waterheater, sump pump, and sink are. And the only drain in the basement. Currently my RO unit, fresh and salt tubs are in this room. My kalk mixing tub is too.

So I've been hauling water from the util to the fish room manually and it's getting old. I have to add about 5gal of topoff daily now.

At first I had thought about either relocating the RO to the fishroom and running the waste line back to the util or to run the output line to the fishroom. but I'm leery of doing either in case of a sensor malfunction and I get a flood. I've put my wife though a lot of water "issues" over the years, but this kind of potential leak would result in more bloodshed than I want to risk

so does anyone have a good suggestion on how to make this easier? I think ideally i'd mix up my kalk in the fishroom, so it would be how to get the RO water there. put a brute trashcan on wheels and haul? run some water line in the ceiling and use a big enough pump to pump it over manually when I need it?

MSU Fan · #2 12/10/2007, 10:22 PM

RO units are wonderful pieces of equipment. They have an amazing amount of back pressure, so you could run the RO line from your util room to your fish room through your ceiling with no problem (it's what I do). Distance isn't much of a factor either, so you should be fine for your basement size.

I would run the line to a storage container in your fish room, where a float valve will keep the unit full. Then a pump in that container will keep it warm (mag pump) for use. If you keep it in a permanent spot, then you could actually do some creative plumbing - allowing you to turn a valve to top off your tank with RO water if you want to.

siropa · #3 12/10/2007, 10:42 PM

I know that would work. It's not an option because if something goes wrong it is a long way to the drain from the fishroom. I can just see the float valve failing and having it put water on the floor for a day.

Really kicking myself for not thinking of a fishroom when we built the house. wouldn't have added much cost to put a drain in then.

MSU Fan · #4 12/10/2007, 11:24 PM

well, then I would roll a brute over and fill 'er up! lugging is just so bad to do long term. Get a brute and save your back...

Lishoop6 · #5 12/10/2007, 11:25 PM

there is the python it is basically a hose that can be run either way that is provided you have a faucet like area to connect it or you could always buy a lot of tubeing and siphon it there and fyi i am a little out of it so this may only make sense to me

customcolor · #6 12/10/2007, 11:26 PM

This float valve has never givin me any trouple on a fail for my ro top off garbage can set up i have 25 gal of good top off water when full.my top off last over 3 weeks. its a high grade stainless so no rusting. i have had it set up since feb now. since i use my ro to fill my water change tank and my top off tank i use some ball valves to stop the flow of the ro the next day after i do a fill so i dont have much tds creep after a fill. my coral life one float valve gives me so trouble though.

Limpit · #7 12/11/2007, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by customcolor
This float valve has never givin me any trouple on a fail for my ro top off garbage can set up i have 25 gal of good top off water when full.my top off last over 3 weeks. its a high grade stainless so no rusting. i have had it set up since feb now. since i use my ro to fill my water change tank and my top off tank i use some ball valves to stop the flow of the ro the next day after i do a fill so i dont have much tds creep after a fill. my coral life one float valve gives me so trouble though.

I have used the same float, no troubles for 3 years, K.O.W.!

Pike614 · #8 12/16/2007, 11:02 AM

I'd get a brute can and put a simple pump in there, a mag, or something and run a 5/8" hose to your display. When you need to do the H2O change, just mix the salt into the brute (or whatever you use for a container) and flip the switch (or plug the pump in). When you've reached the desired water level, unplug the pump. It is not automatic, but it is much better than wheeling a can around full of H20. Personally I do not trust the float valves either. I'd rather just have control of it myself!

siropa · #9 12/16/2007, 11:25 AM

pike, that is pretty much what i'm going to do I think. I just have to get the motivation to fish the wires and tubing in the ceiling now