Advice needed on modifying water storage containers

T

Titus

I picked up two used 20 gallon blue jugs with the intention of adding taps and using one for RODO water and one for mixing/storing salt water in. When I got them home, I realized that I couldnt fit my hand into the ports for screwing on a bulkhead for a tap, and I would not be able to fit my maxijet in the hole for mixing. Does anyone have any ideas of what I could do before I give up and just cut bigger holes in the tops of each one?

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@bimmerzs wrote:
You could add a external pump using uniseal's. http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/829/Uniseals Cheers said:
Perfect... that, conbined with the 14 page thread on mixing stations I just found on reefcentral gives me yet another project to work on! [smilie=worried.gif]

I suspect a design similar to this is in my future...

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If you use the design in the pic I would use bulk heads not uni seals the cant be trusted the fail all the time especially the ones that go on the bottom of the drums that hold all that water pressure
 
What I did with my own blue barrel was cut an 8" opening. This allowed me to add salt, drop in a big pump, and clean it out from time to time. It worked out well, so I did the same to a second one and have used it for years.
 
@Titus wrote:
[I]@bimmerzs wrote:[/I][quote="You could add a external pump using uniseal's. http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/829/Uniseals Cheers said:
Perfect... that, conbined with the 14 page thread on mixing stations I just found on reefcentral gives me yet another project to work on! [smilie=worried.gif]

I suspect a design similar to this is in my future...

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[quote="Uniseal installation Instructions 1-Cut hole with holesaw to the size indicated. 2-Ensure that the hole is cut clean. Irregular holes could cause poor seating and possible leaks. 3-Insert the uniseal with the wide surface facing out. 4-Make certain the pipe to be inserted is cut clean and square said:
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Keep in mind that a high quality uniseal, that is installed correctly will rarely fail. You also need to adhere to the pressure rating of the uniseal, the one I linked to is only rated for a max pressure of 40psi. As with most thing's, it comes down to using the correct item for your application, I would not use uniseals in the configuration above.

Cheers,

Regards,
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Thanks for all the feedback. I am thinking I will replace the drums with something like THISat some point. For now, I already have the cheap drums and ordered uniseals minutes after seeing the link here. Given that the investment was so low ($50 for the 2 drums, uniseals, and all plumbing parts) I decided to give it a try. I installed a uniseal in the side of one of the drums about 6" up from the bottom inserted a pipe, and added a ball valve to it. I then filled the drum up to the top and let it sit for over a week with no leakage. I have since filled both drums and added 1.5 gallons of vinegar to each to clean them out and get rid of the smell of Dr Pepper LOL. This weekend I will add a second tap up high to the first drum and a single tap 6" up the side on drum 2. They will then get plumbed together with ball-valves and a quietone 2200 I got from the classifieds. It will live in the garage, so if I do ever have a problem it won't be a big deal.
 
Larger but you get the idea... with a few valves you can run the entire thing on a single pump and a few barb fitting you can pump your ro/di to your holding tank and saltwater mix into the tank from it quite easily and have it all be closed loop for mixing etc.

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Thaks Dave... that is just about exactly what I was thinking.
@mmiller40 wrote:
Where are yall getting the drums? I could use one said:
I got my used blue drums off of Craigslist and the guy had tons in different sizes and configurations. For new ones like Dave pictured, Ruralking.com had the best pricing I could find once shipping is considered.
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(This is cross posted from my build thread as it brings closure here)

Late night in the garage. I built and tested my mixing station tonight. I am very happy with how it turned out, with the exception of a small drip coming from the threaded output from the pump. After having issues breaking things from over tightening, I think I went too far in the other direction and didn't tighten it enough. I am going to pick up a union tomorrow to add to that pipe so I can tighten that fitting as needed.
Budget:
Used Drums- $15/ea (2)
Used QuietOne 2200- $20
Uniseals- $2/ea (3)
Ball Valves- $1.89 (4)
Tees- $0.79 (3)
Elbows- $0.59 (4)
Threaded adapters- $0.64 (2)
PVC Pipe- $1.95
Vinegar- $2.34 (3)
Total Cost: $78.54 (The union should take it up over $80 by a hair!)

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Yup....looks good and it's in the garage so no risk of flooding the house. [smilie=lol.gif] May still be a good preventative measure to change out the lower uniseals every 2 yrs or so. [smilie=wink.gif]

Cheers,
 
@Marc wrote:
Looks nice. Well done. said:
Thanks!
@bimmerzs wrote:
Yup....looks good and it's in the garage so no risk of flooding the house. [smilie=lol.gif] May still be a good preventative measure to change out the lower uniseals every 2 yrs or so. [smilie=wink.gif] Cheers said:
I am sure these will be for sale here on the classifieds long before that when I replace them with some bigger ones... I don't have any fish yet but can already tell that I am going to keep adding tanks until my wife starts screaming at me! I am a DIY junky and this has really been doing a good job feeding my cravings!
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Good jon, my only comments are geared towards the long-term so if you plan on changing them out in the near future, apply this to the next set....

On your stands, you will want to do away with the metal and particle board base (appears to be that in the photo). Even with good seals, you will still get moisture and the larger sizes weigh a ton so you will want something that is both humidity proof and sturdy. I used 4x4 posts and 3/4 ply then painted/sealed the whole thing with white epoxy paint to eliminate any moisture issues.
 
@DaveJ wrote:
Good jon said:
Yep... it is sitting on already rusty metal shelving that I picked up at a garage sale for $10 a few years ago. It ended up there because the shelving was sitting where I wanted the tanks, and I figured that would work for the short run. Within hours of using it, I had decided I would build a custom stand out of wood that sits much lower to the ground. using a stepping stool to access the ports is no fun! [smilie=shake.gif]
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