# Bad news, good news, bad news.



## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

ARGH!!!!!!!

This evening the input tube of the Coral Life RO filter came off and my downstairs bathroom rug is flooded!!!!! That's the first bad news.

The good news is I used a shop vac to suck up as much water as I could and now the carpet is pretty clean.

The final bad news is that even though I have a fan blowing over the carpet to dry it, it's starting to smell like mold. My wife is going to kill me...

This to me is just a poor design. Either I move the whole thing into the garage (wonderful in the winter) or I build a large tub to hold everything should this happen again.

Anyone else experience this?


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Not with that type of RO system but with basement flooding, yes. 

1. Get a humidifier, it will help get rid of the mold. 
2. If it's a floor carpet, you might have to pull it up and vaccum up the padding as well. It tends to trap water. 
3. I ripped out all my carpet and tiled the basement, I also tiled 6" up on the walls as a baseboard. Now when it floods, I get a nice little pool...


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## desjardo (Aug 30, 2008)

My fiancee is the office manager for a company that cleans carpets, and does mold restoration. It is very important that you clean the carpet and run a dehumidifier. Even when the floor is dry there could still be moisture in drywall, wood ect. Keep the room aired out and a fan on for long after you feel it is dry. If you had a measurement of the room I could tell you what it would cost to have them clean your rug and leave an industrial dehu. for a week or so. Will be far more expensive later than it is now.
Hope that helps.
Called my fiancee;
The industrial dehu is 95/day (Well worth it - works fast)
Includes fans
And rug is $2/sq ft
905-738-1759 - Fresh and Clean/DryIt Mold Resto.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Did you recently hook this up or is this an on going problem?
I hook up a filter myself and the first time the hose came off. It wasn't pretty but I got lucky as it was discovered very early on.
I had a bucket under it to make sure it's not dripping or something stupid didn't happened ... actually now that I think about it, I never did take the bucket away it's still there after 1 1/2 years. But there was no leak after the first time though.
As for the rug, if it's a bathroom rug, it's washable. Just wash it in the washer and dry it in a dryer.

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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Zebrapl3co said:


> ...if it's a bathroom rug, it's washable. Just wash it in the washer and dry it in a dryer.


Or do like I did: "Honey, that rug in the basement was ugly and started to get moldy. Here I bought you a new one. "

That way she doesn't have to know what happened and you get browny points for buying stuff.


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

i'm pretty sure that there's gov't grants or some such thing for dealing with serious mold problems. hopefully it doesn't get that bad, but if it does, it'll be costly, and you can defer some of the costs that way.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Shattered said:


> Now when it floods, I get a nice little pool...


lol

Good luck with the carpet. I'll keep this in mind when I hook up an RO/DI filter.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Thanks for the feedback everyone. This morning the carpet was still a bit damp but by this evening it seems to be bone dry. I've had the fan running on it since last night and it'll stay on for the next couple of days.

The flooded area was roughly 4 foot square, luckily I caught it in time. There doesn't seem to be a moldy smell but that can be deceiving. I can't just throw it in the washer as it's wall to wall carpet throughout the whole basement except for the furnace, freezer and fruit cellar rooms.

I know all about flooding, several years ago our hot water tank leaked and flooded almost 1/2 of the basement. Luckily it was rented from Enbridge so they sent in a crew to pull up the carpet and under pad, dry everything out with 3' fans, replace the under pad and put the carpet back down. Of course, as expected, the carpet no needs re-stretching, if that's even possible so the wife is thinking that we'll replace the carpet. It pisses me off because the carpet was quite expensive. <sigh>

The RO filter is relatively new, < 3 months. If re-attached the hose and tightened up the other fittings as they were a bit loose. The unit is now sitting in the downstairs shower with the only external connection being the input hose, which is attached to the faucet above the wash basin. I'm thinking though of going to Rona to buy a length of hose to go from the tap, into the shower. A shower head adapter would be even better.

I have an old electronic lawn sprinkler attachment that I was hoping to use to turn the water flow off and on but on closer examination it seems I can only either set it to run certain times on specific days or turn it on and off manually. What I was hoping for is to use it something like an egg timer, ie. run for 1 hour (for example). Otherwise I have to keep checking to see if the bucket is full.

And I thought that this was going to be a relaxing hobby...


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

just curious, what is that RO filter for?


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

You know what curiosity did to the cat..... 

Since Toronto tap water has a hi pH ~8.0 I wanted a predictable source of low pH water that I could use to lower the over all pH to somewhere around 7.4 for one of my Corydoras species. Although it's a bother to do this (and expensive) I was hoping it would help their longevity and possibly trigger them to spawn.

Is this all worth it? Ask me next year.

Hope this answered your question.

Cheers.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

geeze i am so happy its dried up! I've gotten into a bit of crap myself when i try to do a water change and multitask D:


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

You can get solenoids for RO systems which are controlled by a float switch so you can set it to fill a bucket to a certain height and then turn off:

This place is in Whitby, but they deliver. Float switches (high and low volume), mounting bracket, and solenoid, $76.65
http://www.shopbwirrigation.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=454

After I started reefkeeping, I'm simply amazed at all the gadgets SW folk have.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Good to hear that everything is fine now.



ameekplec. said:


> After I started reefkeeping, I'm simply amazed at all the gadgets SW folk have.


Yup, SW folks are like the cool kids that site at the back of the bus.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Woah, that insanly pricey. Wouldn't a simple toilet float do the trick?

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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Ciddian said:


> geeze i am so happy its dried up! I've gotten into a bit of crap myself when i try to do a water change and multitask D:


Thanks. One should never have more than 1 medium sized tank in a carpeted area; there's just too many distractions.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> You can get solenoids for RO systems which are controlled by a float switch so you can set it to fill a bucket to a certain height and then turn off:
> 
> This place is in Whitby, but they deliver. Float switches (high and low volume), mounting bracket, and solenoid, $76.65
> http://www.shopbwirrigation.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=454
> ...


Thanks for the link. At first glance I failed to see how this would help me, but would the picture below (with the red power cord) the main float assembly picture be the the water shut off valve that's controlled by the float?


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Zebrapl3co said:


> Woah, that insanly pricey. Wouldn't a simple toilet float do the trick?


Hmm. I'm trying to think on how that could be used. Here is the problem I'm trying to solve:

WATER-TAP----------------------------RO-FILTER-------------------BUCKET
^ |
| +------------------------DRAIN
AUTO-SHUT-OFF when bucket is full of water OR after ## minutes

A toilet float could be used after the RO-FILTER but then it would still be dumping the flush water down the drain. I really need the valve before the filter.

Nice simple idea though, too bad it wouldn't work.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Cory_Dad said:


> Thanks for the link. At first glance I failed to see how this would help me, but would the picture below (with the red power cord) the main float assembly picture be the the water shut off valve that's controlled by the float?


I'm not positive, but you can have the solenoid on the supply end into the RO system, so that water only comes out when the solenoid is open, otherwise, if you had it at the other end, then water would always be going into the system with no where to go.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> I'm not positive, but you can have the solenoid on the supply end into the RO system, so that water only comes out when the solenoid is open, otherwise, if you had it at the other end, then water would always be going into the system with no where to go.


That's actually what I was referring to, that is to use the solenoid at the supply end as it makes little sense at the clear water output because the RO filter will still keep working but only the drain / waste water hose would be active.

My question in the reply was if the device with the red power cord was the shut off valve which is controlled by the float solenoid and is it included in the kit. I would definitely place it at the supply end.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

yes, that's the solenoid.

the other parts are the float switch that controls the solenoid, which in turn controls the RO output.

It's the same basic system many reefers use to top off their tanks of evaporation.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I am amazed you guys have the brains for this.. O_O Thank goodness for you guys. <3


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Have you seen some of the diagrams and schematics for the guys with big reef tanks and sumps (that are 150 - 200g in volume...) in their basements or in cellars 100 ft away from the main tanks? Those guys have insane setups with craaaaaazy configurations, with fully automatic everything. I guess it's nice to have tons and tons of money.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Let's not forget they also have tons and tons of time.


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## KevD (Mar 2, 2008)

I feel for your pain, Cory. I've been running a Reverse Osmosis unit for about 20 years and have had my share of floods and soggy carpets. I finally got smart awhile ago and put the unit on it's own cold water tap with a drain line (it's actually where the old washing machine was placed and plumbed many, many years ago before the renovation). I also invested in an auto-shutoff device that shuts the entire unit off at the source when the container is full. Some of them can be a bit expensive, but they're more than worth it, imo&e. For me, you can't beat product from Spectrapure. They've been in biz for a very long time and for good reason.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Words to the wise, KevD.

For now however, I've got the whole unit, except for the for the water tap connection to the sink, inside the shower stall. But I'm looking to see if if I can get an adapter for the shower head. I'll probably order that float ameekplec suggested. Is that the same as the Spectrapure you mentioned?

$80 plus freight plus taxes seems like a lot but in the long run it's cheaper than all the wasted water on the carpet, electricity to run the shop vac to suck it up, the Fabreeze to get rid of the moldy smell plus my time, plus eventually a new carpet.

Our basement is pretty much built out so I'm rather limited as to where I can do this. The only other option is the furnace room which is also a storage area. Hey, anyone want to buy a complete set of drums including double foot pedals? That would at least give me some space and a bare concrete floor.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

$80 + S/H and tax is a small price to pay for the wife not being furious with you.

I would buy it


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Oh, she's not furious with me. She just stands there and shakes her head. I think she's just happy I have a hobby that keeps me at home as opposed to being out drinking with the boys. That, and I'm no longer spending 6 hours a day (minimum) playing World of Warcraft (man, I miss my level 70 Undead Warlock and killing stupid Alliance players).


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Float and solenoid have been ordered.

Thanks all for your excellent (as ever) feedback.

Cheers.


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## KevD (Mar 2, 2008)

Cory,

I certainly understand. We all have limitations for the hook-up of equipment. What you're doing sounds fine and should prevent any floods. I guess there's no need now for me to point you to the Spectrapure line of shut-off devices since you already ordered one 
The other thing I like about having an RO unit is for chemical free water changes as well as the production of good drinking water


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Cory_Dad said:


> I'm no longer spending 6 hours a day (minimum) playing World of Warcraft (man, I miss my level 70 Undead Warlock and killing stupid Alliance players).


lol

I guess tank keeping is a lot more constructive. And apparently social too.

Good luck with the RO unit and the corys.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> lol
> 
> I guess tank keeping is a lot more constructive. And apparently social too.
> 
> Good luck with the RO unit and the corys.


Ya, now I spend my time killing fish.. yup, that's way better. Let's see, WOW account ~$150 per year vs fish ~$200 per year, tanks and equipment (don't ask) water (don't ask) food $40 per year, etc., etc., etc.

Ya way better. I still miss my Warlock though.


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