my upgrade journal/journey

[smitten with ocean life]

next up, i think, is to get all this new sand rinsed! i guess its fine to just rinse it with tap water? any tips to doing it? just rinse it til the water runs clear? i was going to dump each bag into a colander and rinse with tap water. sound like a plan? @Fish Styx ?

 

[fishface NJ]

I put my sand into one of my empty IO salt buckets...about 10 LB at a time. Use a garden hose and rinse until it runs clean.

Any more leaks

 

[Fish Styx]

next up, i think, is to get all this new sand rinsed! i guess its fine to just rinse it with tap water? any tips to doing it? just rinse it til the water runs clear? i was going to dump each bag into a colander and rinse with tap water. sound like a plan? @Fish Styx ?

Tap water is fine. Make sure the holes in the colander aren't too large. You could try a half a bag at a time in a five gallon bucket and wash it like you would rice. Keep rinsing and swishing around until the water is clear. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[Fish Styx]

I put my sand into one of my empty IO salt buckets...about 10 LB at a time. Use a garden hose and rinse until it runs clean.

Any more leaks

You beat me to it.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

got! sounds like a plan! still running with no leaks. im cautiously optimistic! lol. anyone have anything else to add or for me to have around when i do this transfer?

 

[UncommonSense]

got! sounds like a plan! still running with no leaks. im cautiously optimistic! lol. anyone have anything else to add or for me to have around when i do this transfer?

Just pipe straps, new overflow box gaskets, final leak check, and get that sucker level in final position!

Assuming electrical in the area’s already been addressed…

You should have flow, heat, and light ready to run at this point; and the system should be ready to sustain life!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

not sure what you mean by the electrical. i bought the power bars and a gfi thing (sorry the name isnt coming to me right now) did you mean something else?

 

[UncommonSense]

not sure what you mean by the electrical. i bought the power bars and a gfi thing (sorry the name isnt coming to me right now) did you mean something else?

Nope! That’s the major stuff! Just making sure you’ve got electrical safety, and aren’t going to trip a circuit breaker when you plug everything in!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

sounds good. now just waiting for a good time to break it to my husband and boys that its time to move it! haha. so the best way is just to take out the corals and fish, put them in buckets and totes with the water from the tank? should i save some of the saltwater and transfer into the new?

 

[fishface NJ]

I have in the past used new salt water only. You are going to be kicking up detritus during the transfer.

 

[tbrown]

next up, i think, is to get all this new sand rinsed! i guess its fine to just rinse it with tap water? any tips to doing it? just rinse it til the water runs clear? i was going to dump each bag into a colander and rinse with tap water. sound like a plan? @Fish Styx ?

Tap water is fine. Make sure the holes in the colander aren't too large. You could try a half a bag at a time in a five gallon bucket and wash it like you would rice. Keep rinsing and swishing around until the water is clear. Lather, rinse, repeat.

This is what I do.

 

[Remi]

Hi Jill, it is more a checklist.
I am assuming when you will do the transfer, the new tank will be empty. If yes, salinity between old and new water to match, temperature to match. To put wave maker and thermometer if needed on temporary coral/fish containers. To fill the new water I hope you have a pump to send the water to the hose. If yes you can zip a strong plastic bag with many punctures holes so the water strength is split and not flying the sand everywhere once filling.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

ok @UncommonSense . heres what i got. it must be the fad now to send stuff with no instructions!! sigh

 

[UncommonSense]

ok @UncommonSense . heres what i got. it must be the fad now to send stuff with no instructions!! sigh

Nice! You’ve got this!

So, these booster pumps call for a prefilter… the proposed installation uses your RO system’s sediment block as a prefilter!

What you’ll end up with is the booster pump to the right of the RODI system, tapped into the blue line that goes between your last carbon block, and your RO membrane inlets! — pressure gauge goes on the booster pump outlet, pressure switch goes on your product water outlet, before your product water shutoff valve!

This arrangement turns on the booster pump every time you open the product water valve to make water, and turns it off shortly after the valve is closed!

(The pressure switch is the part with a tubing push fitting on each side, and two wires coming out of it… this is plugged in-line between power supply and booster pump to turn the pump off at 40PSI DI outlet pressure!

(Sorry for the dense explanation, I’m out and about, can get into more detail tonight!)

 

[UncommonSense]

ok @UncommonSense . heres what i got. it must be the fad now to send stuff with no instructions!! sigh

Right, I’m home… sorry for the nighttime photos, and the gross old system, but this should give you some visual aids!

For starters, memory did not serve correct; the line your tying into for the pump/gauge is a red one, not a blue one!

Ol’ crusty in all her glory… (note booster pump in bottom center, plumbed off the city water supply line to my RODI)

So, your install will look different from mine; I still need to relocate my booster pump to where I’m recommending you install yours… — it’s just a better way to plumb it!

Here is the factory pressure gauge mounting location; there are better ways to plumb it, but this is how BRS did it over a decade ago! — I propose mounting your booster pump to the right of the RO system, somewhat next to this gauge… (The gauge location, drilled through the steel mounting bracket is very convenient, at least! Also, I just spotted how loose that street elbow out of the gauge is, wow!)

See the 1/4” NPT to 1/4” push connect elbow coming out of carbon block #2 (blue neoprene sleeve/black tape to block sunlight)? This is the far right of the RO system.

You’ll want to use a length of line to go to the inlet of your booster pump off of this carbon block outlet… then, the booster pump outlet can go to the tee for the pressure gauge!

From the pressure gauge tee, next up is the square automatic shutoff valve, as seen here! (Red line on left going through metal bracket is coming from pressure gauge, through ASO valve, to RO membranes!)

So, your plumbing currently leaves carbon block #2, goes through steel bracket, straight into square auto shutoff valve!

— you’ll be adding a booster pump, and Pressure gauge between A and B on this segment of line!




Next up, Automatic shutoff switch! (Different from valve)

— this will go on the blue product water line connected to the left side of the square auto shutoff valve, as seen here!

— plumb it in-line, somewhere semi-accessible, it can technically be adjusted manually!

— It simply plugs in-line with the power supply to the pump, it can’t be wired backwards/etc!

Note: it could be worth getting a few “street” push connect elbows for the booster pump’s inlet from a local hardware store, given that you will be making a U-turn with plumbing going into the booster pump!

I hope this is a bit more clear than my rushed explanation earlier, and gives you some concise direction to follow tomorrow!

you got this!
— Jack

 

[Rocks reef]

ok @UncommonSense . heres what i got. it must be the fad now to send stuff with no instructions!! sigh

Those booster pumps are nice!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

thank you! i am just not clear on where i put the pressure gauge. dont want to snip the wrong pipes!

 

[UncommonSense]

thank you! i am just not clear on where i put the pressure gauge. dont want to snip the wrong pipes!

The pressure gauge goes between the booster pump, and the square auto shutoff valve (the white brick with four push connect fittings)!

It can technically go anywhere along that segment of RO line, I just recommend factory mounting location because it supports the gauge/plumbing, vs. letting the gauge/fittings just dangle!

Here’s factory location:

And here’s my proposed booster pump install location, plus basic plumbing to help you visualize:

Right side of booster pump is water inlet (from sediment/carbon blocks)

Left side of booster pump is water outlet (out to pressure gauge, then auto shutoff valve [white brick])

 

[UncommonSense]

thank you! i am just not clear on where i put the pressure gauge. dont want to snip the wrong pipes!

To clarify, you’ll actually be adding around 1-1.5ft of RO line to the system, just to get your water in and out of the booster pump/gauge!

— I recommend just disconnecting the factory line you’re adding onto at both ends from the push connect fittings! (A 1/4” box end wrench placed over the RO line, and pushed down on the push connect fittings lock ring does wonders here!)

 

[smitten with ocean life]

ok ill give it a try! got a little distracted and set up a jelly fish tank with my daughter. plopped a piece of rock in there from my sump to get the cycle going. now back to bigger things!