How about using a large Igloo ice chest. They have a drain already built in. It would be easy and cheap to build a stand for it out of 2X4 to whatever size you want. You could use it on extended dive trips / campouts as a cooler and then convert it to the rinse station once you get home.
Scuba Rinse Station Looking for Suggestions or Advice
- Thread starter nairn_diver
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claymore
Contributor
Another vote for the Rubbermaid Plastic watering trough. They are very tough I have had a 300 gal. one for a fish pond for over fifteen years. Its buried up to the rim and freezes solid every winter. If you want the tank to be mobile put it on a furniture dolly or two with a piece of plywood on top.
Wayward Son
Contributor
Tractor Supply Co has 100 gallon rubbermaid stock tanks, with a drain, for $70. Anyone know if they make a top to fit these?
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Food for thought: I personally would not penetrate the tub to add a drain. I would use an electric pump. They move liquids rather quickly and will drain it in short order.
The problem with adding a drain is that sometimes seals fail. You will then be presented with a flooded garage.
The problem with adding a drain is that sometimes seals fail. You will then be presented with a flooded garage.
Wayward Son
Contributor
mine won't be inside.
You can get a drain fitting used for an evaporative cooler. It fits in the bottom of the cooler and has a male garden hose fitting on the end. You can use a water hose shut off to control the flow.
http://www.cornerhardware.com/index...t_info&cPath=6754_6866_7226&products_id=26034
Cheap and easy.
http://www.cornerhardware.com/index...t_info&cPath=6754_6866_7226&products_id=26034
Cheap and easy.
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I've got a laundry sink in mine... Access to normal water, drain can either tap into the drainage system, or just run out a hose to the lawn *what we have*. Hoses on both sides. Allows for stationary flowing water which is nice for rinsing regs and what not. Has two compartments so you can put a cleaning solution in there, or use one side for gritty stuff like gloves and booties etc and the other for your regs and reels etc.
OP
nairn_diver
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Thanks to everyone for the ideas and suggestions. Lots of great ideas out there!
After a week of planning, visiting hardware stores and plumbing supply stores, and powering up the drill, this is what I ended up with:
- a 175 litre or ~46 US gallon Rubbermaid bin ( $25 at hardware store)
- a 1 inch double threaded bulkhead fitting with an reducer and an adaptor to get the 1 inch down to hose size ($11 at a plumbing supply store)
- hose valve (I had one of these in my waterbed filling/draining kit)
- 10 foot hose ($15 at hardware store)
I used a 2 1/8 hole saw to make a hole in the Rubbermaid bin (I started using an box cutter and quickly gave up and went for the drill). The Rubbermaid bin was quite thick (~3-4mm) and it should hold up well to abuse by dive gear. I threaded in the double threaded bulkhead fitting through the hole (rubber gasket on the inside of the bin) and attached the reducer, adaptor, valve, and hose. I used Teflon tape to seal all the threads. The fittings are watertight and the bin drains quite rapidly.
The bin came with a large lid that is perfect for a drip tray. I can also run the garden hose under the garage door and empty the bin with the door closed. My garage is on a slope so any water that accidental leaks out not be a problem as it will run under the garage door and head outside.
Cheers,
After a week of planning, visiting hardware stores and plumbing supply stores, and powering up the drill, this is what I ended up with:
- a 175 litre or ~46 US gallon Rubbermaid bin ( $25 at hardware store)
- a 1 inch double threaded bulkhead fitting with an reducer and an adaptor to get the 1 inch down to hose size ($11 at a plumbing supply store)
- hose valve (I had one of these in my waterbed filling/draining kit)
- 10 foot hose ($15 at hardware store)
I used a 2 1/8 hole saw to make a hole in the Rubbermaid bin (I started using an box cutter and quickly gave up and went for the drill). The Rubbermaid bin was quite thick (~3-4mm) and it should hold up well to abuse by dive gear. I threaded in the double threaded bulkhead fitting through the hole (rubber gasket on the inside of the bin) and attached the reducer, adaptor, valve, and hose. I used Teflon tape to seal all the threads. The fittings are watertight and the bin drains quite rapidly.
The bin came with a large lid that is perfect for a drip tray. I can also run the garden hose under the garage door and empty the bin with the door closed. My garage is on a slope so any water that accidental leaks out not be a problem as it will run under the garage door and head outside.
Cheers,
OP
nairn_diver
Registered
Additional Questions Related to Water Conservation and Accumulating Salt in the Rinse Water:
My main motivation for this fun project, aside from making rinsing my gear a more pleasant experience, was to attempt to conserve water. I am not happy with dumping a Rubbermaid filled with water (53 litres in the past and the new bin will be aroung 100 litres) down the drain two to three times a week on a good diving week.
My hope was to fill up the bin and rinse my gear multiple times before changing the water. Any thoughts on how long I can leave the water before I start doing more harm than good to my gear? Is there any way to estimate the amount of salt in the water?
Cheers,
My main motivation for this fun project, aside from making rinsing my gear a more pleasant experience, was to attempt to conserve water. I am not happy with dumping a Rubbermaid filled with water (53 litres in the past and the new bin will be aroung 100 litres) down the drain two to three times a week on a good diving week.
My hope was to fill up the bin and rinse my gear multiple times before changing the water. Any thoughts on how long I can leave the water before I start doing more harm than good to my gear? Is there any way to estimate the amount of salt in the water?
Cheers,
Even though I no longer pee in my wetsuit I would never rinse my regs and mask after rinsing my wetsuit. I have had two bins at a lot of my cleaning locations; sometimes it is wash & rinse as per my first post in this thread, sometimes it is a second rinse bin just for wet suits.
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