Garden hose?

[technomex]

Does anyone use garden hose, or can you use garden hose for water changes if you cut off the ends? I want to pump water from the garage for water changes and can't find a hose or tubing long enough.

[::pete::]

You can get PVC fittings so you dont have to cut the end off. I think Alex uses them so he might be able to help.

[jaded]

i use a water hose for water changes... I have a fitting that allows me to hook up directly to the pump (simple)

[alton]

Garden hoses have a chemical in them to kill bacteria. If you need to use a hose, use one that is listed for drinking water. A friend of mine bought a new hose one and did a water change and found out the hard way

[javajaws]

The white hoses used for RV hookups should be safe.

[Polkster13]

Or you can go down to the Home Depot and just buy 6 to 8 feet of clear plastic hose. I take this hose and put it on the end of my syphon tube to drain the tank into my waste water container. I then use a small submersible pump and stick the end of the same hose onto the pump to get water from my mixing container back into the tank. You can also rinse out the hose between draining the tank and filling it if you want to make sure there isn't anything left in the tube. Or you can just buy two tubes; one for each task.

Was there a specific reason you wanted to use a water hose? Is it because you need a really long hose run?

[technomex]

Yep. I need a rather long hose. Approx 60 ft. in order to pump from the garage. I used to do it like you said, but my wife gets all bent out of shape when I have mixing containers and stuff on in the house and on the hardwood floors.

[Polkster13]

I use to have a python hose that was over 100 feet long. I forget who made it but I am sure they are still around. It had a connector on one end that allowed me to connect it to a fawcet. When the fawset was turned on it would create a syphon and drain the tank. It could then be switched to send water back to the tank from the fawcet. The drain would work in your case, but you would need to rig something up to your pump in your new water mixing container to allow you to connect this fawcet connector. I am sure you could find all of the parts at your local HD.

Here is their web site if you want to check them out.

http://www.pythonproducts.com/nospill.htm

[RobertG]

I would use the white hoses for the return water to tank. Use any hose long enough for the drain water.

Where are you draining the old saltwater into, ( drain, street, or your grass) dirt whatever. Am I the only one that runs it down the street is what I am really asking. :skeezy I hate moving 50G's around & out the door.

[Polkster13]

I have just started to pump mine down the drain. I have heard that dumping it on your lawn is a very bad thing (what I use to do). The salt build up will eventually kill your plants. Where I was dumping there wasn't any plants but I may want to grow something there someday and I don't want it to turn into a salt flat.

[alton]

I have been dumping saltwater on my grass, jap. box woods and aloe vera for 15 years, has not killed anything yet

[Shark_Bait]

I actually use the waste water to unsure nothing grows there. I pour it around the edge of my deck to stop the weeds. So pouring it on the lawn would be bad. But I have also ran it down the street.

[jaded]

toilet... the water level will rise and start the flushing automatically and thats just more fun than dumping into the street ;)

[technomex]

I have a drain built in under my aquarium, so it goes down the drain. I just hate hauling water inside.

[RobertG]

I have a drain built in under my aquarium, so it goes down the drain. I just hate hauling water inside.

Well your way ahead of me! I need one of those drains.

I would use those white water hoses.

[dan]

toilet... the water level will rise and start the flushing automatically and thats just more fun than dumping into the street

this is what i do. so simple for me cause i have a ball vavle in back of the tank. hook the hose on it, stick the other end in the toilet and go to town.

[SaltyJim]

I prefer to drain into the yard as well...nothing like draining a tank (or 2 or 3) for moving, and increasing your wastewater level. Draining to the yard avoids the increase in wastewater, and in turn keeps the water rate down.

Or at least in my small little world it will.

[Polkster13]

We don't get charged for waste water only the water coming into the house. Ours gos into a sewer pipe and as far as I know there are no meters on the sewer lines. Never heard of a city charging for waste water. Glad I live in Lago Vista and not Austin.

Now I understand those bumper stickers asking to "Keep Austin Wierd"!

[GaryP]

I have been dumping saltwater on my grass, jap. box woods and aloe vera for 15 years, has not killed anything yet

A lot of that has to do with the porosity of your soil. Sandy soil will alow the SW to drain through fairly quickly. The sodium in SW will make clay type soils swell and it holds the water. Some people that live up in the hill country basically don't have any soil unless they hauled it in and it just trickles into the limestone.

[GaryP]

We don't get charged for waste water only the water coming into the house. Ours gos into a sewer pipe and as far as I know there are no meters on the sewer lines. Never heard of a city charging for waste water. Glad I live in Lago Vista and not Austin.

Most water utilities charge a sewer fee based on a percentage of the water used. Waste water is not metered. They usually base it on your winter time usage that assumes you are doing minimal landscape irrigation during the winter. Of course they never take aquariums or RO units into account when they do these calculations. Check the itemized fees on your water bill to make sure. You can sometimes get an adjustment on this if you can show that a large part of your water use isn't going back to the sewer. Contact the customer service dept. of your water utility for more info.