brute rubbermaid trash bin

president89 · #1 08/19/2007, 05:11 PM

Has anyone used one of these to store ro/di water or to cure live rock?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100138897

USC-fan · #2 08/19/2007, 05:56 PM

yes that will work fine. I use that for my top off water.

TCU Reefer · #3 08/19/2007, 07:46 PM

That's probably the most used water container in this hobby. Make sure you get wheels for it!

krzyphsygy · #4 08/19/2007, 08:24 PM

but it from Lowe's, its cheaper, or they will give it to you cheaper!!

president89 · #5 08/19/2007, 08:37 PM

I was worried it might break under pressure.

jlt23 · #6 08/19/2007, 08:39 PM

I use one to store RODI and I use another to mix saltwater. Works great. Like TCU Reefer said, get the wheels.

luv951 · #7 08/19/2007, 08:51 PM

There was a thread on here where guys were saying that those failed after a while (like a couple of years).

Any truth to that? I was surprised to hear it.

TCU Reefer · #8 08/19/2007, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by luv951
There was a thread on here where guys were saying that those failed after a while (like a couple of years).

Any truth to that? I was surprised to hear it.

I'm not sure i buy into that.

They are very strudy and durable, hence the name (Brute).

I've been using both of mine for over a year and no signs of deterioration whatsoever.

Sea Polar · #9 08/19/2007, 09:50 PM

Will the smaller green ones work too?

I just bought two of them today.

swannL11 · #10 08/19/2007, 11:30 PM

I'm using that rubbermaid container now. Works great. Use it for my saltwater so I marked a line on the outside to show me when I reached 20 gallons (I only make up 20g at atime). That way I know how much salt to add.

JCTewks · #11 08/19/2007, 11:46 PM

as long as the smaller green ones are "brute" they are approved for potable water

klam114 · #12 08/20/2007, 12:40 AM

I use all 3 sizes for different reasons, 20g, 32g and 45g.

danskim · #13 08/20/2007, 01:41 AM

I think only Grey, Yellow and White Brute containers are FDA approved for potable water/food storage.

danskim · #14 08/20/2007, 01:43 AM

Sea Polar,
The trash bin you got isn't a Brute model. It may or may not leech plastic resins into whatever water it may hold because it's not guaranteed to be safe for potable water.

loosecannon · #15 08/21/2007, 12:33 AM

I have that same one , to store water. I also have a 50 gal. ben I use as a sump for my 75 gal. tank.

Ewan · #16 08/21/2007, 06:01 AM

I've been using 2 brutes for over 5 years now. One is for kalkwasser (32g) , the other is for saltwater (44g). I wash them out every couple of months or so. Very sturdy containers.

No signs of deterioration whatsoever.

glyle41 · #17 08/21/2007, 07:53 AM

I have several of the large ones have been using for years no probs at all and get the wheels for sure

ibmgeek · #18 08/21/2007, 11:13 AM

I have not bought one, because i dont know if it will bow in the middle. Has anybody had one that failed? I might use the big drum containers for storing water,liquids etc... (plus i get them free)

Wryknow · #19 08/21/2007, 11:54 AM

The BRUTE trashcans will bulge when they are filled but I've never heard of one tearing. Given the material that they are made out of (LLDPE) tearing is extremely unlikey at room temperature, although they can be punctured of course. Just go ahead and pick one up and compare the material to any other trashcan at Lowes and you can see the difference. They cost more than other plastic containers because they use a very heavy gauge LLDPE, which is a superior material to the LDPE most other containers use, because of its tear resistance. (LLDPE is the same plastic that they make grocery bags out of only the BRUTE conatainers are like 1,000 times thicker.)

I use 5 of these containers in different sizes (three as sumps/refugiums and two for water changes) and have never had an issue with them.

michaeljames · #20 08/21/2007, 03:34 PM

I've been using them for years with no problems, even my LFS uses them for a variety of applications

cayars · #21 08/21/2007, 05:42 PM

Keep in mind RO/DI isn't potable water and you will notice a little leach from the brute containers with "pure" water stored in them.

Since most salt mixes are light in calcium and since you need to normally add calcium to the tank also, what you can do is toss a little calcium into the RO/DI water so it isn't "ION HUNGRY" anymore and this pretty much stops any type of leaching.

Carlo

JCTewks · #22 08/21/2007, 07:26 PM

good idea cayars!! Although I use the RO/DI water for making coffee too

I did notice that some leaked RO/DI water actually took the paint off of the concrete floor in the basement!!

BeanAnimal · #23 08/21/2007, 08:40 PM

cayars.... you keep posting that RO/DI is not potable. That simply is not true. You can most certainly drink RO/DI water.

There is some debate about it leaching electrolytes and minerals from your body. In large quantities, this could be the case, but in large quantities, water of any kind can kill you.

The nonsense about needing to get minerals from our water is urban legend. The water leaching your body dry is urban legen. Even the dopes at the WHO (World Health Organization) don't seem to get it right. They even warn people not to use deionized water to prepare food and drink. Heh? As soon as you mix it with anything it is no longer deionized. Shows you how much you should trust the morons at the WHO.

Our diets are chock full of magnitudes more minerals than we need to survive. Anybody who consumes food on a regular basis will replinish any minerals that the water would absorb.

Stuck in the desert? RO/DI would not be the best idea for you to drink. Then again Ice Tea would kill you too.

JCTewks · #24 08/21/2007, 11:34 PM

Bean, but, ion hungry DI water can draw things out that standard mineralized tap water would not. not really out of your body so much...but things like softening the paint on my floor, and possibly drawing plasticizers out of certain storage containers.

JCTewks · #25 08/21/2007, 11:36 PM

btw...DI water makes much better coffee and tea than "other" water