Suggestion of RO water storage

[here i go again]

Gang,
I trust you guys the most so here is my question:
I now have my own RO-DI unit making water. I have a 18 gal Stearilite tote and a few 5 gal jugs to make water in. I like using the 18 gal tote but wondered how to store the water once made. Do I just put the lid on it and good to go, or does it need a powerhead in it, or does it have to be sealed like a 5 gal water jug? Might sit for a couple weeks, pour some off, add some new, over and over.
Educate me on storing RO water long term please, thanks
PS: Happy New Year!
Joey

 

[lsu_fishfan]

I would suggest having a top over it to keep debris out, and a power head so the water isn't stagnant.

 

[jennm]

You can rest the lid on without snapping it tight, to keep dust out.

Make sure your container is food-grade or the water will pull ions out of the plastic that can contain phosphate or other toxins.

The Rubbermaid Brute series trashcan is the hobbyist standard. You can get wheels for them too which makes moving the water around easier too.

Jenn

 

[genesis]

JennM;1065366 wrote: You can rest the lid on without snapping it tight, to keep dust out.

Make sure your container is food-grade or the water will pull ions out of the plastic that can contain phosphate or other toxins.

The Rubbermaid Brute series trashcan is the hobbyist standard. You can get wheels for them too which makes moving the water around easier too.

Jenn

+1 that's the method I use

 

[here i go again]

Ok, that might explain a slight phosphate/ algae issue Ive had for years. I use the grey 18 gallon totes from home depot, have for a long time. Its HDPE plastic i think , recycle id #4, could that plastic be an issue ?
Sometimes water is stored in there for a month with my salt mixed in and power head running.
I'll go find the bruite can, just like the shape of the rectangle totes for my laundry sink area.
thanks,
Joey

 

[Adam]

I think you're good with hpde. It's impervious to almost everything. You can't even solvent weld it, has to be thermal.
Unless there's something odd with the recycled material. Have you tested the water in it after its been stored while?

 

[here i go again]

Just ordered the 20 gal Bruit from amazon, will keep saltwater in that, and make my RO in the 5 gal LFS containers, sealed up till use ( mainly to fill ATO , or manually top off) . I only need 15 gallons of saltwater on hand, could do a 30% water change if necessary with that. Will run a powerhead with 5 feet of clear hose attached, when I need to fill my 5 gal food grade bucket , just reach in and pour from the powerhead hose, easy enough
thanks,
Joey

 

[here i go again]

anit77;1065380 wrote: I think you're good with hpde. It's impervious to almost everything. You can't even solvent weld it, has to be thermal.
Unless there's something odd with the recycled material. Have you tested the water in it after its been stored while?

never really thought about it , we currently don't have a sump, so phosphates are always a little problematic,BUT ...I ( my wife actually) has a new Reefer 170 in the box to set up once all the stuff shows up for it ( mainly the return pump).

Also, I get a brown slime on the vat over time, not sure why, never really though about it though. I really need a sturdier vat and the Rubber-made Bruit will serve me ( her) well.
I'm just the support staff when things aren't going well, or to go seek information

Joey

 

[jennm]

The slime is bacterial film. Mainly harmless.

A little bit of normal 'dust' isn't going to hurt anything - it will get into the tank eventually, through the tank.

The main goal is to avoid the chemicals in tap water (chlorine etc.), and things like phosphate that can leach in from a substandard container.

Sealing up water in containers is fine too (like water jugs) just be sure to aerate it some before adding large quantities to your tank because it can drop the dissolved oxygen if that water doesn't have much oxygen in it. It can drop the pH some too if the proportion is too great.

If you are keeping saltwater in a trash can, it's a good idea to keep it mixing with a powerhead, that will keep it aerated too, and always check the specific gravity because evaporation will happen while it's in storage and mixing.

Jenn

 

[here i go again]

Thanks JenM, I often wondered about the slime in my vat. I always mix my salt water a few days before the water change, and have a heater and powerhead running inside. I figure a few days of surface ripple should do it as far as oxygen goes. (?)

Joey P

 

[jennm]

Yep - even an hour of mixing is good. Back in the day, salt mix was toxic for the first 24 hours (ammonia as a chemical reaction to mixing with water), so saltwater was required to be mixed a day in advance.

Nowadays it's OK pretty much as soon as the salt dissolves, but a good mixing is always recommended.

Jenn