Sump Outside

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SIMS

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Hi all,

I have a very old house (55+) and all my floors ar suspended wood other than the front veranda, kitchen and study. I currently have the tank in the study, problems are that it has Parque (sp?) flooring that has been sanded and sealed. I tend to spill water and all that goes with being a newbe, I have noticed that my ceiling has started to mauld. I have decided to move the tank because of these reasons and also because it's hidden away in the study and no one really gets to see it. I have plans for a tank room off the lounge but I do not have the R65k to do the alterations so in the meantime I want to move the tank to the room off my kitchen.

Tank will fit in perfectly and there is already a hole in the wall for the tumble dryer (don't know it was there when I bought the place. Behind the tank is an old landing where the back door used to be and it is sort of enclosed on 3 sides with out a roof, its about 1.3 x 1.6.

Would it be wise to house my sump in this outside area? I guess I would have to put on a roof but what about insulation?

If it's possible it will work out quite nice as I have a water outlet and a drain very close by..

Any advice would be great...
 
My sump sits outside on the veradah ;)

Sump3.jpg
 
Thanks DR - do you think I would have problems keeping my temp without major swings - my system is only 500l or so?

I plan for a chiller in summer so I'm only worried about the winter?
 
My sump also sits in an outside room, it has a roof and 3 walls, I partially built the 4th wall to close it off completely but stopped with about a 1 meter gap from the top of the wall to the roof. I suffer with temp fluctuations from 26 down to 21 overnight during winter.
 
Sims I haven't had any problems and the sump cabinet isn't insulated either. This will be the second winter now that it's been outside. System runs about a degree cooler in winter, but that's normal anyway. I currently run 2 x 300 w heaters and they are coping fine. The big bonus is that you keep moisture outside so you don't have mould problems. Big issue for me becuase the windows are always closed at home.
 
viper357 said:
I suffer with temp fluctuations from 26 down to 21 overnight during winter.
Click to expand...

Aish that's quite a harsh swing. I would add a couple of more heaters there Dean.
PMB a different animal to Durban.
 
DragonReef said:
Aish that's quite a harsh swing. I would add a couple of more heaters there Dean.
PMB a different animal to Durban.
Click to expand...
yeah I know, I've already got 800w of heating in there. Will sort it out one day.

SIMS, you going to have to gauge how cold it gets where you are, maybe insulate the sump with some polystyrene to help keep temp stable.
 
Yea my tank room looks like I've been running a shower in there... viper I guess you will have issues as PMB can get rather cold in winter but in Zululand it ain't that bad.

By looking at your pic Anthony I should be ok as your veranda is way more open than the area I will use,

What wood did you use?
Do you ever get rain over the box?
Do you have issues with dust?

Thanks for all the help...
 
viper357 said:
SIMS, you going to have to gauge how cold it gets where you are, maybe insulate the sump with some polystyrene to help keep temp stable.
Click to expand...

Yip I will but I guess if DR does not have a problem then I should be ok,

Anthony do you live anywhere near Pinetown area?
 
Sean the verandah is covered, but other than that it's pretty open. When we have serious rain the sump cabinet gets a bit wet.
I used plywood and sealed the inside with about 4 coats of white enamel paint. The outside was stained and varnished with exterior varnish. I'll probably give it another coat of varnish in summer again.
I don't really have too much issues with dust, gets a bit, but then again the cabinet inside the house seems to get just as dusty. About once a month I get stuck in with a vacuum cleaner and give it a bit of a clean.
I used lourve doors that are pre built, you pick them up at any decent hardware shop.
Even with the fierce rains we has earlier this year I never got water inside.
HTH
 
Thanks for all the help....

Just asked about Pinetown as my parent's live in Hillcrest and darn does it get cold on that side - Dean I recon you will battle to get heaters that can keep your temp stable - I have not stayed in PMB many nights but the few that I have I can remember....

Off to the drawing board to design me a sump....
 
Thanks guys great info....DR thats a brillant setup so neat and as for the heating i would reccomend insuilating the tank or adding a little heated fan blowing over the sump...problem with the fan is that it will cause evaporation..
 
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