Need advice asap Drilling water storage

[BrianB]

Hey so I started getting some things done this week starting with my water barrles cleaned and a stand built for them but need advice on a bulkhead. I have a 165 gallon water storage barrel that is round and water to put a spigot on it that drains into my 55 salt mixing barrel. What I need to know is if the bulkhead will leak since the barrel is rounded and now a flat surface.

[ReeFit]

looks like either the blue barrel needs to be shorter or the white barrel needs to go up higher.

 

i would think it would be ok. maybe double up the inside washer gasket and cinch it up real good.

[ReeFit]

I wish my garage was that clean. i can tell your never going to be able to park a car in there again though.

[BrianB]

I wish it could go higher but I wanted to be able to open my garage door. My garage was a mess just spent a week cleaning it out. (laugh) I asked woody at seahorse if it would seal ok on a round barrel he said it would but was hoping someone in here had actually done it with a round barrel before I drill the hole.

[ReeFit]

i have done it with 5 gallon bucket. it worked fine. worst case, pull it out and put two washers on there and maybe some silicone.

[ReeFit]

[BrianB]

The bulkhead only came with one washer for the inside. I am gonna go ahead and drill and see what happens wish me luck. (rock2)

[ReeFit]

yea thats how they usually come.

good luck, it should work fine.

maybe heat up the plastic with a blow dryer or heat gun first to make it more plyable.

[BrianB]

well I drilled it bulkhead installed looks like I may have been worried for nothing. Seems to fit snug. I will know in about 20 minutes when the water hits that mark.

[grassi]

You can also consider to use a uniseal.

[grassi]

Btw, where you guys get the blue barrels?

[BrianB]

I drilled already and put in the bulkhead, did a leak test and everything is good. Tommorow I hope to mount the R/O DI unit run the lines and cement the pvc in place. I should be produciing water by sunday night.

[ReeFit]

are you going to plumb in a way to reroute the RODI water around the tanks to a drain? i'll be watching your build because i'll probably be doing this exact same thing in a few months after my house get finished remodeling.

[BrianB]

To a drain? you mean my waste water output?

[ReeFit]

i have always been told not to use the first 5-10 gallons of water when you change filters out. if your plumb in a few t's with some valves you can divert the flow to a drain, possibly same as the waste water so that way nothing but good water will ever touch your tanks.

[ReeFit]

I just added another DI to my setup today so i'm running a full batch through the waste line now to clear it up.

[BrianB]

I don't have the ro setup yet. I just got new filters but I do have a bag of fittings I could easily make a by pass. So your running your first 5-10 gallons through the filters only? What about DI are you running through that or by passing the membrane and DI altogether?

[ReeFit]

no i run it through everything. especially when you replace your membrane, you don't want any of that water that comes out for a good 5 gallons at least. your TDS meter should show you the results. it usually reads pretty high for a while.

[BrianB]

Ahh yeah I was planning on just running it to a bucket for the first several gallons and then when it is flushed the line goes into a 1/4 in push fitting on the white barrel. The waste will go to a line that runs outside. I may get another barrel that sits on the side of my house to collect the waste for flowers lawn etc.

[ReeFit]

yea, from what i've experienced it takes a good 20 minutes before the membrane is ready. I was just checking to make sure you weren't hard plumbing something in that would kick you in the butt later. I would still plumb in some easy way of diverting that to the bucket just because i've had those fittings blow on me before and water spraying everywhere and my guess is its because i unplugged them several times and weakened them. now i don't even touch them anymore. not after cleaning up about 15 gallons of water all over the vinyl floor and carpet

[Fishoutofwater]

i run my waste water out to the planter box and also set up a line that runs to the dogs bucket of water. :}

[BrianB]

Grassi I picked my blue barrel up at a local feed store for $12 it was used to store some food product so I had to clean it up but that was about 7 years ago I have had it along time. The place is called Burns feed store it's on Orient drive in Gresham.

[ReeFit]

i run my waste water out to the planter box and also set up a line that runs to the dogs bucket of water. :}

 

hows that working for you? i was afraid that the water would be full of nasty metals and crap. no ill effects on the plant life?

[Fishoutofwater]

my plants have never looked better. working out great.

 

hows that working for you? i was afraid that the water would be full of nasty metals and crap. no ill effects on the plant life?

[ReeFit]

my plants have never looked better. working out great.

 

Thanks, i'll have to try that now. i make 100 gallons every 2 weeks with water changes and top off refills, so i'm wasting about 3-400 gallons of water i could be watering the flowers with.