New Fish Room - 11.5 X 6.5
- Thread starter cantrell00
- Start date
And if any of you guys are wondering why I chose to build this overly complex water storage contraption???
Well, I only had 14" of space above the tanks & needed to store 180-200 gallons in the room. There was no such storage tank with that footprint. I initially thought of building one out of acrylic but that would have been way too expensive to just store water in it. If I chose to not store it, I would have needed atleast a 80 gallon water heater to provide hot water to the room AND I also would have had to run a water supply line to the garage also. So that was a "no go". Took up too much room & I don't have the amperage available in the garage. (fish room had to be run on only a 20 amp service) - SO, I had to resort to designing my own.
Well - here we are.
I am well under my total amp load too BTW. Whole room, lights, filters, heaters, A/C etc is running on around 8 amps. Obviously, when the AC is running, the heaters aren't & vice versa.
I may still need a dehumidifier in the winter but don't know yet. ALOT will depend on how well I seal the top of the tanks to minimize evaporation. If it is a problem, I may put a humidstat on my vent fan so that it is only on when the total humidity in the room exceeds a certain preset threshold. My only concern about that is heat loss in the winter. The dehumidifier may prove to be a more efficient means of removing moisture. We'll see.
I will just be glad when the room has fish in it....
Well, I only had 14" of space above the tanks & needed to store 180-200 gallons in the room. There was no such storage tank with that footprint. I initially thought of building one out of acrylic but that would have been way too expensive to just store water in it. If I chose to not store it, I would have needed atleast a 80 gallon water heater to provide hot water to the room AND I also would have had to run a water supply line to the garage also. So that was a "no go". Took up too much room & I don't have the amperage available in the garage. (fish room had to be run on only a 20 amp service) - SO, I had to resort to designing my own.
Well - here we are.
I am well under my total amp load too BTW. Whole room, lights, filters, heaters, A/C etc is running on around 8 amps. Obviously, when the AC is running, the heaters aren't & vice versa.
I may still need a dehumidifier in the winter but don't know yet. ALOT will depend on how well I seal the top of the tanks to minimize evaporation. If it is a problem, I may put a humidstat on my vent fan so that it is only on when the total humidity in the room exceeds a certain preset threshold. My only concern about that is heat loss in the winter. The dehumidifier may prove to be a more efficient means of removing moisture. We'll see.
I will just be glad when the room has fish in it....
Looks awesome. Can't wait for it to be finished and get the fish in. I like your water storage solution, great idea for such a small space. I'm planning on doing my own fish room in a few months, I hope it turns out as well as yours did. One thing to be careful with is the heaters in your water storage totes. I have seen heaters melt through plastic before, you may want to put a small piece of glass or acrylic in there for them to sit on so they aren't touching the totes.
Where did you find that insulation? I was planning on using rigid styrofoam on mine, maybe this stuff would be better.
Where did you find that insulation? I was planning on using rigid styrofoam on mine, maybe this stuff would be better.
Amazing. huge project but im itll be worth it. thanks for the progress pics, cant wait to see the room completed with the tanks stocked.
I've heard good things about those uniseals, but don't know if anyone here has actually used them or how well they would hold up to the pressure your storage tanks would be exerting on them.
Thanks...
I think my problem is the type of seal I used & where I had it located on the bulkhead. Going to try a new arrangement on one of the tanks tomorrow & see what happens... I ordered a 3/4" & 1" Uniseal today to try them out... If I could get my present bulkheads to work, it would be a homerun though...
I think my problem is the type of seal I used & where I had it located on the bulkhead. Going to try a new arrangement on one of the tanks tomorrow & see what happens... I ordered a 3/4" & 1" Uniseal today to try them out... If I could get my present bulkheads to work, it would be a homerun though...
I think I now realize what the problem was.... If I had only found this link prior to constructing everything...
From the website http://www.truetex.com/bulkhead.htm
Here is the bulkhead fitting assembled on the hole at the bottom of the tank. The rubber gasket should go on the outside, between the outside wall of the vessel and the female fitting. (If the gasket were on the inside, the mated threads would be exposed to the liquid under pressure; and the threads, being straight, do not seal.) Putting the gasket on the outside also exposes less of it to contact with the tank contents.
The good news is I found a solution, tested & it works!
The key is to put the seal on the OUTSIDE of the container wall..
Tank filled & no leaks. Well, other than the masking tape that was an attempt to hold the water long enough to test the fitting..
From the website http://www.truetex.com/bulkhead.htm
Here is the bulkhead fitting assembled on the hole at the bottom of the tank. The rubber gasket should go on the outside, between the outside wall of the vessel and the female fitting. (If the gasket were on the inside, the mated threads would be exposed to the liquid under pressure; and the threads, being straight, do not seal.) Putting the gasket on the outside also exposes less of it to contact with the tank contents.
The good news is I found a solution, tested & it works!
Tank filled & no leaks. Well, other than the masking tape that was an attempt to hold the water long enough to test the fitting..
