Insulating Water Change Container

[m28cruiser]

Hi all,

I keep my RODI water and salt water mixing containers in the garage. The attached garage is not temperature controlled, so it can get quite cold there (55 degrees now). In the past I kept the 32gal Brute can for the salt water mix in the eat in kitchen area during the winter, so maintaining water temperature was not too much of a problem with a heater. My wife was not too happy about the eyesore, so I moved the can into the garage last spring.

Anyone have any great ideas on how to keep the can insulated? I'm sure the heater in the mixing can is running up the electric bill since it is running full blast constantly and it's only getting the water temp to 68 degrees. My display tanks plum together are at 75 degrees (72g+30g with 20g sump).


Matt

 

[saltkreep88]

Why not just heat it before you use it?

 

[trivan]

You can use a product call : Reflectix, basically bubble wrap with tinfoil on the outside. Works pretty well.

 

[redfishbluefish]

You could always build a box fairly inexpensively to hide the Brute somewhere in the house. The box would be a bit more presentable than the plain Brute can.

Or if you still wish to keep it in the garage, make the box slightly larger and insulate that box.

 

[Alcohol120]

i keep mine in my garage also and just heat up the water as im mixing it. its only 4-5 gallons though so it heats up pretty quickly

 

[downbeach]

I used to keep mine in the garage year round as well, but would only put the heater in the can the day before I did a WC. I did however keep a couple PH's in there; one to provide aeration near the top, and one in the bottom to provide additional circulation, that I'm sure added a little heat.

 

[m28cruiser]

Thanks for the feedback gang!!! I will pick up some Reflectix from Home depot. For $17 that sounds like a good option if it works.


I like to tell myself that it always good to have extra saltwater in hand just in case I need an emergency water change (i.e. anemone decides to check out the power head), but in reality my water change schedule may not always be on schedule.

 

[m28cruiser]

The Reflectix wrap works great. The water temp in the can stayed warm and got up to 75 degrees even without the base insulated. I ended up wrapping the bottom of the brute can too after doing my water change.

Thanks Trivan!

 

[m28cruiser]

Here are a couple of pics before I wrapped the base.

 

[trivan]

I'm glad it worked for you. The stuff is pretty amazing for bubble wrap and tin foil. I use it for my Sous-Vide cooking of 12 hr and is able to keep the heat in really well.

 

[mnat]

Way off topic but I also love my sous vide. Makes such amazing food.

 

[Rwc]

I would just heat it befor you use it. What we use at the farm for livestock in the water buckets is a floating heater you can pick one up a tractor supply right down the road from you

 

[m28cruiser]

I'm glad it worked for you. The stuff is pretty amazing for bubble wrap and tin foil. I use it for my Sous-Vide cooking of 12 hr and is able to keep the heat in really well.

Way off topic but I also love my sous vide. Makes such amazing food.

I never had sous-vide cooked food before... hummm... I do have some wrap left over.

I would just heat it befor you use it. What we use at the farm for livestock in the water buckets is a floating heater you can pick one up a tractor supply right down the road from you

I will check it out the next time I m at the tractor supply store. Although, the wrap is working really well right now.