Evaporation.

[mitchelliii]

On a 210, I am seeing about 5 gal a week evaporating. Is this abnormally high? Should I consider panes or something over the sump to prevent this loss or not worry about....anyone anyone?

 

[mojo]

I lose about 10g/day in the summer on my 240+100g sump.

I'd be worried 5/week wasn't enough to help offset heat issues. For every gallon that you evaporate, it's the equivelent of running a 1hp chiller for an hour... big money savings to evaporate using a fan vs. cool using a chiller.

 

[mitchelliii]

sorry I failed to mention previously.

But the answer seems clear - 6-10 gal per week evaporation is not abnormal.

Thanks Mojo!

No nitrates, no nitrites, ph 8.2, buff cap. 180 Alk approx 9, ammonia is all gone now.

Some algae growth starting now - a lot of corraline and a tad of BLACK algae... not happy about that. All kinds of critters coming out now.

 

[washowi]

Better than normal...I loose 2 to 3 gallons a day sometimes on my 90..

 

[cdub]

i did some calculations on my 95 gallon + 55 gallon sump and the average over a week was right around 12 gallons in the winter without a fan blowing on it. I'm the summer I would expect it to be around 15 with the fan.

 

[mike17kb]

I lose about 12 a week on my 210

 

[krb]

I lose about a half gallon a day on my 20 + 4 setup.

 

[wbholwell]

Wow, I didn't realize how little evaporation I have. I lose about a half gallon per day on my 72 bowfront- about 85 gallons total. I'm sure that number will go up in the summer when I have to add a fan, though.

 

[cameron]

3 gallons per day on about 100 gallons of water.

 

[kevin]

I lose roughtly 2-5 gallons per day depending on time of year on my 90.

 

[matttvi]

between 6-9 gallons per week on 75g total water volume.

 

[jgoal55]

does saltwater evaporate faster than fresh????

 

[george]

Jgoal55;29353 wrote: does saltwater evaporate faster than fresh????

It shouldn't. The presence of salt raises the boiling point and lowers the gaseous pressure.

 

[george]

mojo;29110 wrote: I'd be worried 5/week wasn't enough to help offset heat issues. For every gallon that you evaporate, it's the equivelent of running a 1hp chiller for an hour... big money savings to evaporate using a fan vs. cool using a chiller.

There is one down side to evaporative cooling as a method. You increase the overall humidity in your house which makes you house AC system have to work much harder to cool the air. I'm not sure how this compares to a chiller, though.

 

[kwl1763]

I lose between 12-15 a day on my 600 gallons of water. More in the summer when I have the vent fans going all day.

Evaporative cooling on anything over 100G is a ****ed if you do, ****ed if you don't proposition. If you have a good way to vent the humidity out it's cheaper then a chiller. If it's just increasing the humidity in your house your paying for it in a big way both in AC costs and potential for mold, etc.