Water changes a breeze

[Vanish]

As most folk do I soon got fed up carting buckets of water around the house, whilst doing weekly 50% water changes. I had to do something about it.
I'm quite lucky as my bathroom is down stairs just across from my front room where the aquarium is kept. So I rigged up a copper/brass connection to link a hose pipe to my shower.

I also connect a hose onto a power head which I pump straight out of the window.
This has to be the single most time and back saving improvement I've made.
Resulting in a 150L water change whilst I have my breakfast.

 

[BIN578]

Just a word of warning with pumping straight out of the window... I found that I was chucking out water in so much quantity and frequency and coupled with poor drainage with being on clay here, it was causing dampness in the corner that was making its way back inside ! I suspect the DPC might be damaged or aged but the problem was never there normally (even with all the rain we get !). Just worth noting. So just as I bring my water to the tank exactly like you, I also pump it out via the shower

 

[Vanish]

Thanks, I'd already considered that. Once the hose is out of the window I run it into a short length of pipe then into a drain. The only chore now is filter maintenance. I don't see an easier fix for that one.

 

[tubamanandy]

What a great idea ! I currently syphon water out of tank to front garden (long pipe) then refill tank via outside tap feeding through a HMA filter BUT in the winter (and summer to an extent) water is simply not warm enough so I end up adding water (much warmer) directly to tank via jug (tank only drops to 20C).

This sounds like a really great solution - what is the best way of connecting a shower hose to a 13mm pipe ?

 

[Vanish]

Use a short length of 15mm copper tube connected to a 15mm - 1/2 " BSP male iron compression fitting. Here's a link.
15mm x 1/2in Straight Coupling Chrome MI - Compression - Plumbing -Tools, Electrical & Plumbing - Wickes
The compression fitting screws into your shower hose, and the copper tube pushes into your hose pipe, secured with a jubilee clip.

 

[tubamanandy]

That looks ideal - thanks

Do you think there will be enough pressure to pre-filter the heated water from the shower through a 3-pod (1 x pre, 2 x carbon) HMA filter ?

 

[Vanish]

There's far too many variables to be able to answer that. But if its what you want to do just give it a try.

 

[tubamanandy]

Well worth a try as the water, as well as being pre-heated (not from a copper tank), would also be pre-filtered through carbon blocks.