Equipment...under the tank or in the garage

[SPotter]

So I am getting closer to the new build and right now I need to decide where I will put my equipment for the new tank which will be 96x36x24. The easy answer is to put everything under the tank but I am concerned about not having enough space to easily work on things and space for equipment.


My other option is to put the equipment in my garage which unfortunately is on the opposite side of the house. I have already run one 1.5" pvc line from where the tank will be into the garage and I still have time to run more before the walls are closed up for the next stage of construction on my house. My concerns about putting the equipment in the garage are....


* Heat...heat index during the summer gets over 100
* Everything else that is put in the garage will begin to rust
* Critters, pollen and other contaminants getting into the water column


I could build a small storage shed, insulate it and hook a mini split ac system to it to take care of the concerns I outlined above. I came across this vinyl shed on line Duramax 00111/00114 – 8'x5.25' Stronglasting DuraMate Vinyl Sheds - Duramax-Sheds.com and was wondering if I lined it pink foam board and then installed the mini split would it work?


So please share your thoughts both good and bad and let me know which option you would go with.

 

[pam0630]

id put it in the garage...easier access than under the tank...thats just me...when i do buy a new house im hoping to have a place for all the stuff............

i love having my ro system outside...i cant tell you how many times i have flooded the buckets in my basement/living room.....

 

[Badfish83]

Frame in a small room in the garage with vents into the house. Just a thought

 

[trido]

I couldn't imagine having a large tank with all of my equipment under it. A shed or the garage would be a much better idea. If you use the garage you could always build a couple walls and install a bath fan to help insulate from heat and isolate moisture.

 

[BlueDartReefer]

When I decided to upgrade to our current 270G, I knew I wouldn't have room under the tank and my wife insisted the tank be dead silent. My ideal location for the sump and mechanical would have been in our basement but my wife wouldn't go for that. That left the garage. Initially, I was very concerned about the same issues you mentioned. I built a small platform for the sump, pump, Ca reactor and C02 tank to sit on. I then built a metal stand around this for a 75G isolation tank (which included an enclosed glass top) and if needed, a chiller to sit on. Besides adding a fan over the sump, I ran everything through the summer this way with no problems. However, once winter hit I was worried about the outdoor freezing temperatures and any residual car exhaust that might accumulate since we leave our garage doors closed as much as possible.
I decided to insulate the metal stand using 1.5" (R20) rigid foam insulation. This made a huge difference. I'm running three 300W heaters which have no problem heating our 400G total water volume- and without having to constantly be on. It's been almost two years now without any weather related problems. Our tank temp tops out around 79 degrees in mid summer. I have since purchased a chiller which I may find time to hook up this winter. I may also decide to insulate the sides of the 75G tank this winter with same rigid foam.

 

[trickedout900]

My vote is for the garage. In the hobby spills come natural and it makes it a lot easier to squeegee the garage floor than to suck up water off of a hardwood or carpet. Plus the garage gives you plenty of room for future expansion, lets face it you can never have enough or a large enough tank

 

[TrishW]

I had a bunch of people tell me it was a bad idea but my sump has been in my garage for over two years. The first house was easy as the display was on the wall that was next to the garage. In this house the garage is ~35 feet away. Our pipes go into the wall, through the crawlspace and to the garage. For the first year we were in this house the sump was covered by a plywood box that just slid into place against the wall. In the winter I kept the sump wrapped in 3/4" styrofoam insulation board. I recently upgraded and added a settling tank so we built a "room" around the sump. We went with wood instead of drywall because we need it to be removable should we have to move again.

We were planning to build but then found the perfect existing home. The home we had designed for us would have had a large closet than spanned the front of the garage and would have been heated and cooled. We may still build one day but for now I am happy with what we have. I don't run a chiller but temperature was not an issue this past summer. My garage only gets direct sunlight in the late afternoon, the garage door is insulated and two walls and the ceiling of the garage are next to living areas that are of course heated and cooled. Our large dog sleeps in this garage so we heat it in the winter anyway.

 

[Jenaleigh1]

one thing you may want to think about is the seal around your garage door and the insulation on the door itself. when we built our house we used spray in foam insulation. the people that installed it said that it is more about the seals between the bottom plates and slab, the headers, etc than how much you insulate. keeping your garage door sealed from escaping air may alleviate many possible issues.

 

[SPotter]

When I decided to upgrade to our current 270G, I knew I wouldn't have room under the tank and my wife insisted the tank be dead silent. My ideal location for the sump and mechanical would have been in our basement but my wife wouldn't go for that. That left the garage. Initially, I was very concerned about the same issues you mentioned. I built a small platform for the sump, pump, Ca reactor and C02 tank to sit on. I then built a metal stand around this for a 75G isolation tank (which included an enclosed glass top) and if needed, a chiller to sit on. Besides adding a fan over the sump, I ran everything through the summer this way with no problems. However, once winter hit I was worried about the outdoor freezing temperatures and any residual car exhaust that might accumulate since we leave our garage doors closed as much as possible.
I decided to insulate the metal stand using 1.5" (R20) rigid foam insulation. This made a huge difference. I'm running three 300W heaters which have no problem heating our 400G total water volume- and without having to constantly be on. It's been almost two years now without any weather related problems. Our tank temp tops out around 79 degrees in mid summer. I have since purchased a chiller which I may find time to hook up this winter. I may also decide to insulate the sides of the 75G tank this winter with same rigid foam.

Any chance you could post some pictures of your garage set up?

 

[SPotter]

Thanks for everyone's feedback so far. My last house had a basement and I had my and fish room down there so it was so easy. My wife enjoys the tank when it's clean, doesn't smell or make a lot of noise....which makes it important for me to do the equipment in the garage.

 

[3Twinklets]

Garage would be better in the long run. Less mess in the house and more room.

 

[TrishW]

That is why our sump is in our garage. Noises drive me batty! The sound of trickling water is not relaxing, it is torturous. Throw in buzzing and humming and I am crossing over from psychotic to homicidal :lever:

The room we built even makes the garage quiet, which wasn't really an issue but is an added benefit.

 

[SPotter]

I would love to see pictures of everyone's set ups if possible or links to your builds so I can look at what you did.

 

[AJsTank]

I would love to see pictures of everyone's set ups if possible or links to your builds so I can look at what you did.

Since your tank is 8 feet long, you should have plenty of space. Mine is 96 long, 30 wide, so everything fit perfectly. I did have to custom build a few things, but it worked out great. Here is a link to my build

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/large-aquariums-180g/134726-400-gallon-starfire-build-mixed-reef.html


Also, here is a shot of what is under the cabinet. On the far right is my dossing box that my Libra sits on top of. I also had Elite Aquatics build this custom stand for my Apex boxes. It can be moved around and can slide anywhere along the front.

 

[BlueDartReefer]

Any chance you could post some pictures of your garage set up?

You can check out our build thread here: Our 265G Upgrade

Here are some pics from the vault. I have made some changes since then- to include a

Reef Dynamics INS300 skimmer. The Ca reactor and C02 tank are back underneath in the sump encloser.​

 

[SPotter]

I had a bunch of people tell me it was a bad idea but my sump has been in my garage for over two years. The first house was easy as the display was on the wall that was next to the garage. In this house the garage is ~35 feet away. Our pipes go into the wall, through the crawlspace and to the garage. For the first year we were in this house the sump was covered by a plywood box that just slid into place against the wall. In the winter I kept the sump wrapped in 3/4" styrofoam insulation board. I recently upgraded and added a settling tank so we built a "room" around the sump. We went with wood instead of drywall because we need it to be removable should we have to move again.



We were planning to build but then found the perfect existing home. The home we had designed for us would have had a large closet than spanned the front of the garage and would have been heated and cooled. We may still build one day but for now I am happy with what we have. I don't run a chiller but temperature was not an issue this past summer. My garage only gets direct sunlight in the late afternoon, the garage door is insulated and two walls and the ceiling of the garage are next to living areas that are of course heated and cooled. Our large dog sleeps in this garage so we heat it in the winter anyway.

That looks awesome!!!! Can you tell me what the dimensions are and do you have any pictures of it with the doors open???? I appreciate everyones feed back...this has been very helpful.