Instant Ocean mixing question

[BioMan]

Lately Ive been making larger than usual (for me) batches of saltwater for water changes and letting the water and salt run in a brute for a few days,,,35gal+/-
I am now on day 4 and the barrel has a rusty look on the wall and Im positive the RO/DI is all new. This happened a month ago. Whats happening?

 

[STORM]

its not the water or your rodi that salt does that after a couple of days not sure why but a lot of ppl don't use that salt because of that reason i believe theres an old post on here that explains in better detail

 

[BioMan]

its not the water or your rodi that salt does that after a couple of days not sure why but a lot of ppl don't use that salt because of that reason i believe theres an old post on here that explains in better detail

Ahhh,,yes I thought I saw that too but after a quick search I thought maybe it was another brand. That's so weird I wonder what that is.

 

[STORM]

that salt is high on mag so my guess is that can be a factor

 

[theMeat]

Lately Ive been making larger than usual (for me) batches of saltwater for water changes and letting the water and salt run in a brute for a few days,,,35gal+/-
I am now on day 4 and the barrel has a rusty look on the wall and Im positive the RO/DI is all new. This happened a month ago. Whats happening?

There's many elements in seawater, including various forms of iron that will rust. Nothing wrong with instant ocean. Why are you running your water change water for days?

 

[BioMan]

There's many elements in seawater, including various forms of iron that will rust. Nothing wrong with instant ocean. Why are you running your water change water for days?

I use a mag 9.5 to mix the water and it takes a while for it to clear up. also getting the water temp up takes a day or two

but even with all that Its usually the second day its just recently i haven't been available to do it while my lights are on.

My top off container is crystal clear.

 

[theMeat]

Put towel under the bucket and keep it covered with a lid. That will help with heating it faster. Also a good idea to check your ro/di occasionally with a tds meter.

 

[BioMan]

Put towel under the bucket and keep it covered with a lid. That will help with heating it faster. Also a good idea to check your ro/di occasionally with a tds meter.

I thought the ro/di was the problem so i just replaced all the filters and "nuclear grade" resin. My TDS was at 3 before the swap now its at zero again.

Should I be using warm water or cold water to make my water?

Also, should I have packed the resin down tight as I filled it, I still had a decent amount left over in the bag.

 

[theMeat]

Cold water into/out of ro/di. If you're at zero tds than no worries but yes you should tap down the resin and get in as much as possible. Most salt mixes mix faster when brought up to temp, but either way, especially with a mag 9.5 and a heater, overnight should be all you need. Maybe your heater is broken or not big enough

 

[oh207]

Its been shared by others that the brown residue is a harmless substance and it is part of the binding agent for the salt.
I mix the full 50g bag at a time in 35g to 40g of water in a white barrel for 24hrs and I get the same residue afterwards.
I have a white barrel so it looks disgusting after every mix, so I rinse the barrel after every mix with RODI.

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[BioMan]

I mix the full 50g bag at a time in 35g to 40g of water in a white barrel for 24hrs and I get the same residue afterwards.


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Whats your salinity after that? Even though I've never tried another salt, I find the 1 cup/gallon ratio convenient. I also noticed that if I use rounded scoops I always land at 1.026.

 

[oh207]

Whats your salinity after that? Even though I've never tried another salt, I find the 1 cup/gallon ratio convenient. I also noticed that if I use rounded scoops I always land at 1.026.

When using one of 50g Reef Crystals Salt Mix bag with 40g of water my Salinity comes out at 1.023. If I want 1.025 Salinity, then I have to mix with less water, around 35g. But other parameters will be high.

I also test Ca/Alk a few times on fresh batches. Calcium is right on point at 420, however Alk is high, I see ranges from 9-11dKH some times.

 

[lnevo]

RC always has some inconsistencies. I switched to IO and my tank hasn't been more stable and doing well. The residue is binding agents as oh207 mentioned. You can find a lot of threads. I have heard this happens with IO/RC and RedSea salts and probably others. It's safe to ignore, just unsightly. I clean my barrels anually and get off as much as possible.

 

[greg 45]

After years of mixing issues and tank not liking a water change with instant ocean , I switched over to Fritz Pro salt. Mixes clean and consistent number every time.

 

[edd]

I thought the ro/di was the problem so i just replaced all the filters and "nuclear grade" resin. My TDS was at 3 before the swap now its at zero again.

Should I be using warm water or cold water to make my water?

Also, should I have packed the resin down tight as I filled it, I still had a decent amount left over in the bag.

water to ro unit should be in the 70's. the colder it gets, production drops.
i used a washering machine y connector with hot and cold mixing together, and it really speeds up production and less waste.
you should get a bigger heater for your mixing barrel. i used a 150 watt to make 30 gal and it would heat up over night, about 12 hrs.
i read that reef crystals gives that residue, i used regular IO and never had a problem.

 

[theMeat]

water to ro unit should be in the 70's. the colder it gets, production drops.
i used a washering machine y connector with hot and cold mixing together, and it really speeds up production and less waste.
you should get a bigger heater for your mixing barrel. i used a 150 watt to make 30 gal and it would heat up over night, about 12 hrs.
i read that reef crystals gives that residue, i used regular IO and never had a problem.

You may be right but would guess your production went up because your psi was increased with the supply now coming from 2 pipes instead of one. Hot water will, in almost all cases, be dirtier and use up you replaceables faster

 

[edd]

NOTE 2: A rough calculation of reduced water production if you do not have 60 PSI or you have cold water that is not 77 degrees: You will lose 2% of you production for every degree less than 77 degrees, and you will lose 2% of your production for every pound of pressure you have less than 60 PSI. So if your water temp is only 70, then you lose 14% of your capacity and if your PSI is only 50, you lose 20% of your capacity. A combined loss of 34% capacity means a 75GPD membrane will only produce 50 GPD.
thats from air watr and ice.
yes hot water will make filters work harder.
your working from the same water main, psi will not change only volume/flow.

 

[BioMan]

Awesome Info guys!! I've always used cold water in. I started using a booster pump not long ago, but I tried warmer water last night to fill my top off and made close to ten gallons while I watched TV.(1-2 hours)
Thanks.

 

[theMeat]

NOTE 2: A rough calculation of reduced water production if you do not have 60 PSI or you have cold water that is not 77 degrees: You will lose 2% of you production for every degree less than 77 degrees, and you will lose 2% of your production for every pound of pressure you have less than 60 PSI. So if your water temp is only 70, then you lose 14% of your capacity and if your PSI is only 50, you lose 20% of your capacity. A combined loss of 34% capacity means a 75GPD membrane will only produce 50 GPD.
thats from air watr and ice.
yes hot water will make filters work harder.
your working from the same water main, psi will not change only volume/flow.

I have about 45 psi at tap for rodi. The temp is 50-55 deg. My 75 gpd membrane gives me 70 gpd. My waste to product ratio is 4 to 1, and membrane lasts for years.
If you have an instant hot water heater the hot water will be minimally dirtier. If you have the boiler heating the water more so. If you have a hot water tank, with or without a burner on it, it will be a lot dirtier. Sediment settles in the tank, no way around that. The dirtier the supply coming into your home, the more sediment will collect.