jestep Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 My 90 gallon sits against a wall with our garage on the other side of it. I am really considering plumbing the tank through the wall so I can run a larger sump and also reduce the noise in my dining room. The pumps in my sump and CaRX are pretty much the only remaining noise contributor after ditching vortechs. What I would really like to do is plumb my overflow into an elbow or a sweep and route it through the wall into a larger sump in the garage. Reroute the return through another hole in the wall and back into the tank. Also, run a USB cable so that I can use an EB8 in the garage. My idea would be to get a 75 gallon or possibly a structural foam rubbermaid tub and use about 4" of open cell insulation on the bottom and the sides or spray foam to insulate it. I do have a chiller and would probably get a larger heater just in case they are needed. The ambient temperature in the garage is my main concern. Luckily it's north facing, so it doesn't heat up an incredible amount, but definitely does get warmer and colder than the house's normal temperature. I would guess it's about a 10 degree swing during hot and cold days. Has anyone done this or considered doing something like this? Just seems like it would be so much easier not having to cram everything in a sump, and eliminating most of the noise from the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 In my previous 180g I had a sump that was located in the garage. Plumbing the drain line is the easy and can be done just as you suggested. My garage was considerably colder than my house and I had to run a heater 24/7. I went through a few heaters that way. Another thing to consider is that the return pump gph lowers with the higher head. You'll have to check the head on your pump to make sure it can be used. Surrounding the sump with exterior insulation can help. It also helps to cover the sump versus having an open top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 In my previous 180g I had a sump that was located in the garage. Plumbing the drain line is the easy and can be done just as you suggested. My garage was considerably colder than my house and I had to run a heater 24/7. I went through a few heaters that way. Another thing to consider is that the return pump gph lowers with the higher head. You'll have to check the head on your pump to make sure it can be used. Surrounding the sump with exterior insulation can help. It also helps to cover the sump versus having an open top. I was thinking about sealing the top but was concerned about losing too much gas exchange. Might still be fine though, would probably just need to watch my PH to see if it's going to be a problem. I could probably float 4" of foam on top as well, which would insulate and prevent evaporation in the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 I'm not sure about floating styrofoam in the sump. I had a glass top that I cut holes into for the drain and return lines. I would insulate the five sides of the glass. The cold glass will cool the water passing through the sump. I would also insulate the return and drain lines with that foam insulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 I've always wanted to do this but my tank is not against the garage wall. My idea was instead of letting the system just sit in the garage, I'd wall it in and insulate it as a separate tank room and run an AC vent to it to keep it close to ambient of the house temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Some people make equipment closets for their tanks. It's the same as it sounds, a room the size of a closet, that is vented, and holds all of their sumps and equipment. Normally the rooms have a sink or water line that attaches to the RODI unit. If you had the space, then you could definitely throw up some framing and insulation in the garage and make your own insulated closet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 I'm going to get myself in trouble with this idea... A closed room would be awesome. Even something like 60" x 30" with insulated doors and a vent into the house could probable handle everything perfectly. Media reactors and a nice shelf to hold everything on the back wall. A nice 100 gallon sump covering most of the foot print and then a simple fan and vent to keep air circulating to and from the house. Building code be damned, but I think I could throw up a framed and insulated floor to ceiling room in a weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Technically, it doesn't have to be up to code. If you want BAT insulation then the framing has to be 24" on center, but you could go with foam insulation and save money. You also don't need drywall if you don't want. You can go with simple ply or 1/4 drywall. Just make sure that you frame the door properly. If I were to do it, then I would create a room wide enough to hold the the length of sump I want. I would install a shelf above the sump that runs along the length of the wall and the perpendicular wall. The sump below would be an unlit sump with all of your gadgets, then the shelf above the sump would have a 55g refugium that gravity drains into the return line. The perpendicular shelf can hold all of your dry goods. You can install a 22g ATO reservoir next to the sump, under the shelf, for all of your RODI. It would be nice to only fill the ATO once every two or three weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 The full length refugium is a great idea. I think I would probably do a half length, but should still be way more than I currently have and would give better access to my skimmer and biopellet reactor. Is plywood a fire hazard? I would think 1/2 ply with marine varnish would be great on the inside, but don't really want to create a fire risk. Drywall with a good water resistant paint should work, but it's so much easier to mount stuff to ply. I've got my RO tank about 8 feet from where this would be so would have about 70 gallons of available RO between a 20 gallon ATO reservoir and the RO storage tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 You could always get fire rated plywood, we use it at work all the time building out electrical closets and server rooms. Usually about 40-50 bucks for a 8'x4' sheet of 3/4" tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvrEnuf Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 plywood is not a firehazard, we use it FOR fire blocking in arches all the time; which points out the exact reason the city likes these projects permitted. Fire blobking, it's one of thier biggest deals. You're at no more risk using OSB for walls than sheetrock, but I don't think OSB holds up to the humidity near as well, nor is it any better for mounting. I think for your purposes green board is what you're looking for. Once the dry-in is complete, think about using just 1X4 hung hrizontally to mount what ever you need. It's plenty strong when srewed into 2x's, strong enough for wind bracing as a matter of fact! Should hold anything that can be screwed; for anything bigger use 2X6 or 2X8. Personally, I plan to build in the garage , and am still deciding what to do for the floor. I'm considering building on top of water blocks, but it's too expensive. So, maybe a re-level and channel! Since you're already in the garage, running a dedicated circut should also be very easy; especially if you have an attic above the garage? Good luck with your build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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