If you own a saltwater mixing station, please share your pictures & ideas?

Nitcrawler · Nov 17, 2020

JGT · Nov 17, 2020

Chbix said:
Yes and no. Honestly at this point I removed the long pipe from the top to the bottom brute. I take the lid off, drain the water from the top to the bottom via the valve, turn on the heater and mixing pumps and use a 5 cup capacity container to add in the salt.
There are definitely some flaws in my design, The location of the PC-4 power bar should be in a different location as it limits the height access on the lid, but I was concerned about water leaking/splashing and really wanted it under the top shelf. Or I should have gone maybe 4-6" higher for the top brute. I should have gone a little higher 2-4" on the bottom shelf. There is limited access on the bottom plumbing. Also I found that I should have put the bottom drain opening at an angle down to assist with draining once the pump is off. Also since I am not using a self priming pump, I can not pull the water from my water changes via the sump currently. I have to drain it from the DT and I have to start the siphon manually until the pump gets going...Kind of a pain, but I will probably be buying a cheap self priming pump just to drain the sump water to the sink. So again, not perfect but its workable.

Cool, yes, exactly what I am planning. Piping between the 2 cans on the sides, plenty of headroom for the bottom can to remove lid and dump in salt and a submersible pump from SW can to my sump 5 feet away. Thanks.

Chbix · Nov 17, 2020

Nitcrawler said:

how many stages on your ro/di? 9?

Turnage · Nov 17, 2020

Here's my setup. Spent about a week designing it in 3D AutoCAD and another 5 weeks constructing it. Was about to hire an engineering firm but the wife said it wasn't in the budget. I think it turned out great.

MPCReefer · Nov 17, 2020

Here’s mine.

JGT · Nov 17, 2020

For those that used Brutes, do you prefer bulkheads or inseals?

Nitcrawler · Nov 17, 2020

Chbix said:
how many stages on your ro/di? 9?

10
2 main br.
3 on the left and 5 to the right,
I had bad water quality so I’m not taking no chances anymore

samnaz · Nov 17, 2020

Turnage said:
Here's my setup. Spent about a week designing it in 3D AutoCAD and another 5 weeks constructing it. Was about to hire an engineering firm but the wife said it wasn't in the budget. I think it turned out great.

Brilliant. My mixing station is almost identical. Gets the job done just fine.

NateDnw · Mar 10, 2021

CDavmd said:
Here's mine-

Obviously this is way old, but where did you get plumbing for this setup? I am trying to do the same thing with an M2 but am not sure where to get the plumbing

jake royston · Jul 15, 2021

I’m currently getting the last parts I need for mine. I have a 75 gallon saltwater mixing tank. For those of you that have a hose reel hooked up, how do you connect the 1” pvc to a 1/2 ID vinyl or pvc hose?

paintman · Jul 15, 2021

Salt water on top, ATO on the bottom. When i do a water change I just siphon 30 gallons out of my sump. Hook up a hose to the union mounted just to the left of the pump and gravity feed new water down to the sump

paintman · Jul 15, 2021

Heres a look at the other side where the sump is.

JumboShrimp · Jul 15, 2021

Weasel1960 · Jul 15, 2021

Saw today’s post so just read thru this whole thread. I am wondering why the inter connected plumbing between tanks but only see one pump. Are you guys opening or closing valves to direct which water you are pumping where?

Considering my space will likely simplify by doing a stacked gravity feed from RODI to salt mix/store. Then a small pump/pipe from each to the display/sump.

Definitely a lot of great ideas shared in this thread. Kudos to all of you.

JumboShrimp · Jul 15, 2021

@Weasel1960, I almost went with a true stack, before I found the workbenches these fit inside perfectly. But I feel for you. I also looked through what seemed like literally hundreds of mixing station photos, and couldn’t figure out for the life of me what the “secret” was to switching valves open and closed to make the pump circulate water (to mix it), fill a tank, empty a tank, transfer water from tank to tank... but hang in there. It IS “doable.”

Weasel1960 · Jul 15, 2021

JumboShrimp said:
@Weasel1960, I almost went with a true stack, before I found the workbenches these fit inside perfectly. But I feel for you. I also looked through what seemed like literally hundreds of mixing station photos, and couldn’t figure out for the life of me what the “secret” was to switching valves open and closed to make the pump circulate water (to mix it), fill a tank, empty a tank, transfer water from tank to tank... but hang in there. It IS “doable.”

LOL yup. I think keep it simple as I have read to many threads lately about automation failing, I don’t think I will go fully automatic. Definitely a lot of great ideas to customize my own solution.