Best way to setup top off storage?

[elm0]

I purchased a new 55 Gallon plastic drum to store water for my top off, I have a nice RO/DI unit that I will use to fill it. My question pertains as to the best method of setup for ease of use. Unfortunately I dont have a way to set up an auto top off for my tank so I have to fill buckets and mix salt, but I was thinking that it would be nice if I could find some sort of heavy duty stand to put the drum on (full of water) and install some sort of spigot near the bottom, for filling buckets.
Any ideas or experience with this sort of thing would be appreciated.

[brewercm]

Does the drum have two screw in pieces on top. If it does you can buy a spigot for them and a stand that the barrel lays on. Fill it up through the larger hole on top and just dispense through the spigot when you want water.

Do you have a sump at all or just the tank. I have my RO/DI unit under my sink with a feed line to the side of my sump where it goes into a float shutoff valve. Since the RO unit has a auto shutoff the unit just shuts off when not in use.

[elm0]

It does have the two holes on top with screw in caps. I thought about that, but I think that if I lay it on its side like that and fill through one of the holes that is already in the drum, that will reduce the capacity of storage significantly. I was wanting to find a stand that would allow me to keep the drum upright, and maybe use a bulkhead with a spigot, somewhere near the bottom. But not sure if using a bulkhead would work on that, I dont want to end up with a flood.

[GaryP]

The bung caps should have a threaded recess. This recess is for a ball valve that is about 3/4" (I think.) You will have to crack the top bung or put in some sort of vent for air to enter it when you are draining water out.
You should be able to get one of these valves at a container supplier. I know Berlin in SA has them. I'm not sure who in Austin carries that sort of thing. Maybe Grainger?

[GeoB]

Unfortunately I dont have a way to set up an auto top off for my tank so I have to fill buckets and mix salt


Just to check, you're not mixing salt into your topoff water, right?

Are the holes on top large enough to put a small pump through like a maxi-jet. You could attach some vinyl tubing to it and lower into the drum each time you need water.

[elm0]

no, not mixing salt until adding to tank, i dont think the holes are big enough for that, and I thought using the spigot might be a little more efficient......anyone else have any ideas?

[elm0]

Does anyone know where I can get some sort of a stand for 55 gal drum?

[JimD]

Maybe build one yourself? 3/4" plywood with some 360° casters and youre set to go!

[elm0]

i realize now that without cutting a large enough hole in the top of the barrel (which i dont want to do) there is no way to mount a spigot directly to the inside of the barrell, so now i guess the best way to do it with the barrell storing the water while upright is to use some sort of external pump or something......any other suggestions?

[brewercm]

Get a small maxijet 1200 and a section of flexible hose long enough to attach to the maxi, drop it into the barel (should fit into the larger hole I think), and just plug in pump when you want to pump water to wherever.

This is what I do with my trash can.

[blueboy]

what you could do is make a U shape out of PVC long enough to reach the bottom of the container, drop one side into the container, mount a spigot on the other. oh, fill it with water by opening the spigot, fill, then close to hold the water in while you drop the other end in the barrel. this will give you a siphon with a spigot attached, as long as you don't drain it down all the way, you should only have to set it up once, assuming your PVC joints don't leak. does all that make sense? and for a stand, just go down to your local builders supply and ask for a waterheater stand. it should handle the weight, and be cheap and easy.

[PeeperKeeper]

no, not mixing salt until adding to tank

Forgive me if you already know this, but it still sounds like you plan to use salt water as top off water, which you don't want to do. Top off water is added to the tank to replace water that evaporates every day. Since salt doesn't evaporate, you only use fresh (preferrably RO/DI) water to replace the evaporation. If you put salt water in to replace evaporation, your salinity would continually creep up.

Again, sorry if I just misunderstood what you typed, but it sounded in two different posts like you were using salt water for top off.

*edited to say: Oops I just noticed that you've been a member here since 2004. I'm sure you know all about top off. Sorry for assuming ignorance on ya. Oh well, maybe a newbie will be helped by it.

[elm0]

what you could do is make a U shape out of PVC long enough to reach the bottom of the container, drop one side into the container, mount a spigot on the other. oh, fill it with water by opening the spigot, fill, then close to hold the water in while you drop the other end in the barrel. this will give you a siphon with a spigot attached, as long as you don't drain it down all the way, you should only have to set it up once, assuming your PVC joints don't leak. does all that make sense? and for a stand, just go down to your local builders supply and ask for a waterheater stand. it should handle the weight, and be cheap and easy.
Sounds interesting, but I'm not sure I completely understand, would it in essence be an upside down U when put into the barell, won't the spigot have to be lower than the bottom of the pickup tube inside the barrel, and exactly how would I fill the tube and hold the water and siphon while putting it into a full barrell of water, sorry to sound ignorant.
Oh, and thanks alot for the suggestion of a water heater stand, I think that will work perfectly.

[elm0]

Forgive me if you already know this, but it still sounds like you plan to use salt water as top off water, which you don't want to do. Top off water is added to the tank to replace water that evaporates every day. Since salt doesn't evaporate, you only use fresh (preferrably RO/DI) water to replace the evaporation. If you put salt water in to replace evaporation, your salinity would continually creep up.

Again, sorry if I just misunderstood what you typed, but it sounded in two different posts like you were using salt water for top off.

*edited to say: Oops I just noticed that you've been a member here since 2004. I'm sure you know all about top off. Sorry for assuming ignorance on ya. Oh well, maybe a newbie will be helped by it.
Thanks for the advise, I'm always open to others opinions, I'm by no means an expert, actually far from it.
I usually do top off with fresh water for the most part, although I have found that after 4 or so fresh water top offs it seems that my salinity will drop a bit and I add a few gallons of salt water and it comes back up just fine, not sure if thats due to salt creep or my skimmer or what. I've been doing that for quite a while and dont beleive I've had any adverse affects from it, I try to keep a close eye on my salinity considering I'm only running a 46G tank with a 400w MH 8 hours a day, can you say Evaporation?? lol

[hobogato]

won't the spigot have to be lower than the bottom of the pickup tube inside the barrel

it just has to be lower than the water level in the barrel.

[elm0]

OK...still confused on how to construct this pipe

[blueboy]

yeah, it's just an upside down U. as far as starting the siphon, there are several ways you could do it. you could set the thing up, then open the spigot, and suck on it to get the siphon going, but sometimes this is less than pleasant(PVC glue tastes funny). what i would do is fill the U with water, and then close the spigot. hold your thumb over the open end, and , as quickly as possible drop the open end into the full barrel. i would then open the spigot and run water into a bucket for a few minutes to remove the little bit of air that probably got in there. now you should be good to go, unless your joints leak.