200g build in NW Austin

[chrisrush]

Hi everyone. My wife and I are completing a new house in NW Austin, and we have had an additional casita (office/room) built on the back side of the house. The foundation has been poured and the frames are going up this week. I have posted the plans for the casita. My thought is to put a 200g+ tank on the far right wall and have the sump/equipment in the wardrobe area.

I have the opportunity to put some plumbing in the wall studs before the drywall goes in. My thought is to run 2 x 1" lines from the wardrobe to the bedroom area and a 1" line from the wardrobe to the sink area for RO/DI.

Anyone have any other thoughts on this?

I plan on having a remote sump with an external pump in the wardrobe. I will need to pitch the drain a bit from the bedroom to the wardrobe, correct?

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[melev]

I would run a 1.5" drain line and a 1" return from the closet area. And yes, you want a slight slope or drop from the tank to the sump so gravity can move that water in the right direction.

 

[chrisrush]

@Marc wrote:

Thanks Marc. I went by and snapped a few pictures and I think that I can make the runs with 10' sections of PVC. I'm hoping to avoid any connection in the walls in the event of a leak. I'm a little worried about drilling 2-3 holes in the studs. Do you think it will be a problem?

Here are some pictures of the structure (it isn't leaning, but I might have been)

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Wall where tank will go and potential PVC pipes

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Sink plumbing (I will try and hook up my RO/DI line and maybe a water change drain to this area

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[melev]

It is possible to run horizontal pipes through studs, especially if the outer wall is secured with sheets of plywood or chipboard, like what you've posted. However, you can have a visible run instead, securing the pipe to the wall after the fact.

 

[chrisrush]

@Marc wrote:

Thanks Marc. I would like to have the pipes hidden, but I'm not sure if I want to drill through 10 studs with a 1.75" hole saw three times

 

[chrisrush]

So, what if I take the return lines and go up and over the studs? I could run 2 x 1" lines for the return to the right and 1 x 1" water change line to the left. I would still cut out a 1.5" drain (or perhaps 2 drains) and perhaps a dry electrical line (although that might be easier to run up the wall as well.

 

[melev]

When you say "up and over" - how much over are we talking about?

Another option for a wall that must be drilled is to use 2x6 boards instead of 2x4s. This leaves enough lumber for strength, and you simply end up with a thicker wall. Usually this isn't obvious to anyone, after the fact.

 

[chrisrush]

@Marc wrote:

Yeah, running 2x6s would have been a good idea on that wall, unfortunately, the framing has already been completed as is the roof, so I'm stuck with the 2x4s.

Up and over will be about 8" up and down, and maybe 10" over.

 

[Wes]

all you need to do is to add some Galvanized Steel Truss Mending Plates to the sides of the 2x4 you drill and you will be just fine.

 

[DennisF]

The plates will also protect the pipe from drywall screws/nails. If you take out more than half of the stud section you have basicly eliminated the structural effectiveness of the member. You can set some studs at 90 degrees to the cut studs to offset the loss. This will give you a thicker wall section. Check with your builder also.

 

[chrisrush]

@DennisF wrote:

Thanks for all the info.

The more I think about it, the more I'm considering not drilling into the walls. I can put the 1" returns up and over along with a dry line. I'll run the drain outside of the drywall to minimize the structural integrity to the structure.

 

[Carabelli]

what about having your framers build a false wall ... if you have windows on that wall, that will stick work, it will just make a nice shelf due to the extra wall thickness ... that would be easy and allow you to run anything you need and keep it hidden easily.

 

[chrisrush]

@Carabelli wrote:

That's a thought. I'm going out there in 30', to meet with the builder and see what he thinks.

 

[Carabelli]

that would clean and easy ... it won't take them 30 minutes to frame the wall, and, sheet rock would be easy also.

 

[chrisrush]

@Carabelli wrote:

Well, got the RO/DI line run. The builder kindly installed a line for ice maker and so that's where I put the RO/DI in line.

Here is the spot that I want to put my tank. You can see how many studs I would have to go through to reach the wardrobe area.

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This linen closet will be a bit of a challenge, the builder has installed a drain pan line for the hot water heater, so I may be able to tie into that for the water change drain. I'm not sure that I'll be able to run the return line up and over or run the drain through the stud. Might just have to put the SW and FW storage tanks in the closet and everything else under the tank.

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[melev]

Those drain pans hold some water, but they aren't necessarily plumbed into the home's drain system. You'd have to check. Additionally, you won't want saltwater pouring into that pan eating away at the water heater's metal housing.

 

[chrisrush]

Thanks Marc. I wouldn't put the drain into the pan, just tie into the drain line. But I think that is a valid point about the home's drain system. I'm pretty sure that the drain goes outside, which I was hoping to avoid.

 

[melev]

Originally, I wanted to plumb my RO/DI waste line to the water heater's PRV (pressure relief valve), but discovered that it is merely a copper pipe that leads out onto the back porch. It is so designed so that when the water heater blows out that valve, you have a visual indicator right outside the back door. As you can imagine, I opted not to proceed with that plan and went a different route.

Anything new to share? It's been DAYS since you posted last. [smilie=smile.gif]

 

[chrisrush]

@Marc wrote:

Not really. We put in the electrical (installed a plug in the ceiling over the tank), insulation and hopefully today, dry wall. Talking with David Varela about building the tank, or perhaps building one myself with a PVC bottom.

 

[Guest]

I thought you need to use uv lighting to epoxy PVC to glass. Have you talked to dale acropoorer down there he just built a big tank by himself.