Finally had a hobby home disaster :(

[steallife904]

I have been in the hobby for almost 10 years now and never really had anything major happen, until Saturday night..... Let start first by saying it was not to my tank. its still going strong.
Well here is the story, I had been sick over the weekend so wasn't 100% and wasn't giving the tank my normal attention. My auto top off was low and I needed to make some water to fill it up. At the same time I noticed this my wife was preparing and told me to get ready to go to dinner (my wives birthday dinner, that's why I went not feeling great). I decide to fill up a 3 gallon container I had and just add a little to the sump before we left so I started the water and went on to getting ready.......... needless to say I forgot the water...... We left and where gone 3 or 3.5 hours. While I was pulling into the driveway and opening the garage door I see water dripping out of the light in the garage roof. It hit me immediately, I left the water on. I first run over and kill the power to the garage from the breaker, run up stairs to turn off water. Laundry room is flooded, the A/C closet next to it has wet carpet and wood under it. I was able to shop vac up about 3 or so gallons and get everything cleaned up, ran fans all weekend and everything inside the house is dry pretty much, but had water in the ceiling and water stains all over garage roof. Called servpro out to take a look and said I need to have that section of garage roof removed, dried out, new insulation and repair roof as well as remove laundry room floor because water is trapped under it and moister meter is picking it up. The bill est was high enough (guy said around 1000-1500) it looks like I will have to call my insurance today and file a claim. Sucks. Wife is not happy with me, We are expecting our 1st child so have been spending funds getting ready and this one came at a bad time but stuff happens some time. Well just wanted to vent and tell my story. I will be removing the RODI from the laundry room and see about setting it up in the garage somehow going forward.

[scooter31707]

Sorry to hear that. It's life. We try to please others and ourselves and we lose track sometimes.

[GimpyFin]

That sucks, sorry to hear that. That seems to be a problem I have off and on. I turn the water on to make rodi and forget about it until the following morning or something and have a big puddle in the garage.

[mfaso24]

Sorry about the damage. Has happened to me a handful of times, not I just use a float valve in a brute. I'm sure you'll go this direction too in the future


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[ReefPharmer]

Honestly since your tank was there before the first child, it gets first dibs. Tell your wife she can breast feed for an extra month to save on formula ...

[steallife904]

Honestly since your tank was there before the first child, it gets first dibs. Tell your wife she can breast feed for an extra month to save on formula ...

lol, I will give that a shot! I actually tried to blame the dog, I said the dog was here the whole time and could have turned it off, drank the water or called :). Wife didn't find it funny at the time but did laugh about it later.

I guess it could have been worse as well, keep saying that to myself and the servepro tech told me the same thing and horror story's he has seen. Guess it was also good I caught it after a few hours and not let it run all night.

[Reel North]

My wife filled my ATO once and left a 100 gpd RODI unit running for 30 hours. My reservoir was 25 gallons.

Engineered hardwood + 75 gallons of water = get out of jail cards for me lol

[JMorris271]

The same thing happened to me. The biggest pain was noise from there fans and banging while installing in the new sub floor. Our bill was $1600. But then again we don't have a baby coming. Congratulations on that. I'm sorry for your accident.

[johnike]

I've. Done. That.
Concrete floor, fortunately.

Good luck with the new baby!

[bigfruits]

float valve!

[GilliganReef]

I do this all the time. I am just lucky I have a drain next to my water station. Wife still hates it when it overflows.


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[OrionN]

I normally have automatic shut off, but sometime, for one reason or another, I need to get RO water separately. I did my share of forget to turn off the valve. To the point that I make a rule never to have the RO running unless I am looking at it. I can let the bladder tank fill and empty it every 15 mins, but never just let the RO run on a bucket. No water spill for the last 2 years.

[jd371]

I have a 5 gal pail with a float valve in the mixing station (laundry room) that I fill for the ATO container. Float valve has gotten stuck a couple of times and overflowed. Luckily for me, the laundry room is in the front part of what used to be the garage and has tile floors. The first time it happened we drove into the driveway and noticed water coming from underneath the garage door. All I have to do is open the garage door and squeegee it out into the driveway which isn't so bad, I guess that's why I haven't replaced it yet.

[jayball]

I keep my bucket or brute in the tub when filling from RODI. Saved me many times.

[jonwright]

Dood, I lose my coffee cup all the time, let along attempting to remember to turn off RO water. A simple float valve and john guest fitting /w valve on end of line and you'll be *less likely* to have that again. Anything can happen, though.....

[billdogg]

I have a float valve in my 55g mixing barrel, but just in case it should fail, I also have an emergency overflow made out of 1/2" CPVC at the top of the barrel draining in to the slop sink. Me no likey leaky.

[d2mini]

That's probably one of the most common hobby goofs. :)

What's your insurance deductible?
$1500 wouldn't even cover my deductible.
Even if mine was only $500 or something, doesn't seem worth it to file a claim because it will haunt you later.

[mtaswt]

I've done that more than once....float valve has saved me many more times! Concrete floors in my fish room have been a marriage saver!

[rosterv]

3 hours at 3 gallons per hour? 10 gallons of pure water spilled? I Don't see the big deal or need for big repair bill myself but Im not an expert. Why not just replace the stained drywall or ceiling yourself?

[Hal]

Sorry to hear. Been there, done that.

Rule #1 is NO water unless I'm home and checking on it. I will take the RO wrench and put it on my pillow so I don't go to sleep without turning it off. I suppose I could also put one on the front door handle so I don't leave the house with it on. I have a float switch, and still do this.

Here's my thread: How to avoid a flood: rules to live by, along with many contributions by reefers who are smarter than me.:)
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2568714

[Sapelo]

^ This.
I try to turn the RO on at lunchtime and put a note on the cocktail hour glasses so that come 5pm I've got a pre-set reminder.
Having said that, I've had my share of overflows and cleanups. I dare say it's a hazard of the hobby.

We have an infant too and I can tell you that the tank, while still loved and pampered, has taken second place.
On the up side, the three month old loves (LOVES) the tank, it can pull him out of the most horrible screaming fits. THAT is your trump card. I promise if the tank can stop the baby from crying, you are good to go (you might even be able to squeak an upgrade depending on the level of screaming).
Good luck with the tank and the baby!

[bwhit1406]

Sorry about your damages. I flooded my laundry room a couple times, now I have my Ro on a timer with a float switch. One of the best things I have done.

[Horace]

Sucks bad! For that reason I have a float valve on my holding container. I do not trust myself to turn off the feed water....

I have done worse to my tank though
TWICE I had two completely full 1 gallon containers of Randy's 2 part siphon into my tank because I removed the feed lines from my dosing pump and I was dumb enough to have the bottles higher than the sump.

Both times the entire tank water turned pure white like milk from all the precipitation of calc and alk. I did a near 100% WC both times and didn't lose a single coral....though I did burn the tips on my birds nest both times....

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[kmbyrnes]

Before I got bigger tanks, I used to forget about my RO/DI all the time, which is why it ran in the laundry sink to fill 5g containers.
Now my 55g drum is in the garage, with a float valve that gets checked regularly.
So far, so good.

[Capt_Cully]

My 2.5 yr old 120 popped a lower seal on Sunday. Had to emergently drain my tank. Lost all my fish (clowns and one tang were 12+ yrs old). Lost 1/2 of my corals. Total poop storm. I feel your pain.

[Jscwerve]

Similar situation, but not nearly as bad.

My RODI is set up in my utility room in my basement. I only turn it on when I'm home and need water. My container (32gal Brute) wasn't half empty and I wanted to top it off. Go watch TV for a while, forget the water was on. Caught it before I went to bed and luckily had only spilled a few gallons. Thankfully in the utility room. No major damage even though we have a floating floor in our basement. Luckily there is a drain close to the RODI.

That's all it took for me to automate it. Just got the parts the other day. 12v solenoid valve that is fail safe (closed), electrical float switch, second backup electrical float switch, and a power supply to run it. Exactly like an ATO, but instead of a pump, it's a solenoid valve to start and stop the water.

No more flood worries, and no more worries about forgetting to fill up the container either.

[BrandonFlorida]

I have done this so many times its insane. luckily my fish room is in the garage and spills out the garage door lol. Next house will have concrete floors with a drain..

[Reef Ruler]

That's probably one of the most common hobby goofs. :)

What's your insurance deductible?
$1500 wouldn't even cover my deductible.
Even if mine was only $500 or something, doesn't seem worth it to file a claim because it will haunt you later.

I was going to recommend the same thing. I'm in the insurance business and most homeowner deductibles are $1,000 or higher. This one would be worth it just to pay out of pocket in my opinion.

Sorry that happened to you though! It happens to a lot of people haha don't feel too bad.

[jeremybunn]

Siri - Remind me in 20 minutes to turn off the water

:)

Been there, sorry!

I did move my RODI to the garage. The topoff runs from there too, with a peristaltic pump. APEX controlled (150' apex extension cable).

Best of luck sorting it all out.

[jeremybunn]

Here is my messy setup:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160615/8eac6203ecf2b26b39ffe2a88b5e3d1b.jpg

Some highlights:

1. 150' apex cable extension
2. Triple tds meter (in, rodi, di)
3. Peristaltic ato and Kalk pump to get to second floor
4. Dual rodi membrane halves waste and increases production
5. Solenoid apex controlled for rodi

[OrionN]

That's probably one of the most common hobby goofs. :)

What's your insurance deductible?
$1500 wouldn't even cover my deductible.
Even if mine was only $500 or something, doesn't seem worth it to file a claim because it will haunt you later.

That is for sure. I have people got their insurance drop due to a very seasonable claim.

[Bent]

Will RO/DI water even cause any damage? Id imagine the moisture would mildew after a while if it doesn't dry out, but its not conductive so it should cause any electrical shorts, nor does it have anything in it that would cause a crud buildup when it dries.

Other than the actual moisture, I couldn't imagine what damage RO/DI water could cause.

[mcgyvr]

That sucks..
My wife FORCES me to turn on the microwave timer when filling my water containers..
I've dumped abuot 10 gallons on the carpet in the last few months as I don't have my setup finished yet for the new tank..
I have a carpet cleaner though so I just drag that out and suck it right up and throw a fan on the carpet..

[steallife904]

thanks for all the replies and info guys!!! Well my gut told me to have someone else come out yesterday and give me a second opinion (I didn't even tell this guy I had another company come). This guy used a Flir camera and moister meter. He said there is NO moister inside my home on the second floor, so everything I did to clean and dry worked. In the garage there was still moister but was only some moist drywall. the insulation was dry (pulled some out through a hole we drilled, I actually drilled some holes the day it happened to help dry). guy swore to me all I need to do was rent a couple fans/blowers and run for 3 days aimed at the ceiling. Told me he has no reason to lie to me because he is losing business telling me this. Said if he was hired for the job all he would do is put a few fans in and run for a few days. Said in my garage it will act like blowing a hair dryer up there. I ran up to homedepot, got the fans around 5:30 and they have been running since. Looks like I dodged a bullet and thank god I called someone else. He advised similar to what others said, it was RODI water and at most a few gallons that got through. between running my A/C and the blowers in garage would dry in 2 or 3 days. Was already dry to the touch and drywall hard again this morning. Will run for 3 days like he said, let it sit a few more and patch the drill holes then touchup with paint!
Next is to redo my RODI situation. Either move it or and float valve like you guys advised!

[rosterv]

Nice yea Man! good looking! Of course serve pro would quote you $1500 for 10 gallons of water spilled, and a bunch of anal reefers would wax disaster :)

[Grayhead]

I've had this happen. Filling the ato was my biggest for for a while. Finally set my system as fool proof as I could. I have a 35 gallon salt mix tank and a 14 gallon top off. I have the rodi running to fill via the apex. Solenoid cuts rodi on and float valve and pressure switch shuts it down. I also have electronic float switches that notify me and shuts the system down long before the tank is full. As a third level of redundancy, I have leak detectors scattered around to let me know if something is wet. They also shut off the system if something is wet. I can remotely control everything, including filling g both tanks. I sleep good at night with this set up. Also, the apex has an audible alarm should the sensors get wet. A simple float valve on your tank is not enough for piece of mind. Second and third layers of protection is the best route. I had a leak develop in one of the fittings on the rodi unit. How long would it normally take to find something like that. Anything can happen to the mechanical side of our equipment. Being ready for anything is key

[ThRoewer]

Back in Germany I had these things happen all the time. What saved me was the fact that my room was a converted swimming pool and that there was a floor drain.
Still, it was always a nice mess and a few times I had to pump out the swimming pool from the tank overflows.

In another room I had a tank leaking and due to faulty wiring in the ground the whole floor electrified - I tell you, it's no fun to step on 230V barefoot. It was the old part of the house without separate ground wire and not connected to the house GFI.

[IdahoCindy]

My RO/DI set-up is in a shower. If it overflows or if I otherwise slop water it goes down the drain. We teed off the shower head so that we can still use it when guests come. We just have to take out the Brute for a day or so if we need to use the shower for people (rare).

[Reefinny]

I used to use a 50 gallon brute on a dolly. Came home to 50 gallons of water on the floor. Luckily in my basement on a slab. One of the casters on the dolly broke. Barrel went over. Float switch didn't help this situation. At least ro was off when it happened.

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[cham]

I do the float valve and a sprinkler timer that is made to attach to a water hose that feeds my RO as a double measure. I set it to run for an hour or more, if the float fails the timer will catch it.

[Bpb]

Rule #1 for me is any running water or water storage does not live in the house. I've left work work for 8 hours at a time and forgotten my rodi on probably a dozen times over the years. Nothing but a little 1" wide stream running down the garage and down the driveway. No harm at all.


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[steallife904]

I am defiantly thinking of moving it into the garage. I am not sure though..... I can mount it on the wall near the garage door and run a water hose to it that is pretty much right there outside the garage everytime I need to make water. I am not sure though if the water coming from the outside bib is the same water coming from inside laundry room water line??????? my house is on city water so would it be the same? just not sure if that water is dirtier and would burn the filters up faster???

[Bpb]

I haven't noticed any difference personally and I'm also on city water.


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[rc1626]

I too have done this many times in my basement. Concrete floor but still a PITA to clean up depending on how long it has run for. Got myself one of these. Sensor goes on floor next to filling container. Once sensor picks up moisture it automatically shuts off and an audible alarm sounds.

[Potatohead]

I always set the timer on my phone for this reason, because I did the same thing but only let it overflow for about ten minutes. Glad it wasn't too too bad.

[Potatohead]

I am defiantly thinking of moving it into the garage. I am not sure though..... I can mount it on the wall near the garage door and run a water hose to it that is pretty much right there outside the garage everytime I need to make water. I am not sure though if the water coming from the outside bib is the same water coming from inside laundry room water line??????? my house is on city water so would it be the same? just not sure if that water is dirtier and would burn the filters up faster???

It's likely the same, but the outside water is typically not heated and the RODI units work best with water around 75 degrees or so. Mind you being in Florida it's probably fine for you.

[jbvdhp]

Been there done that too. Luckily it's the kitchen and we have ceramic wood tile


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