Chemical Feed Tank

Okay, here’s my blog post about setting up a chemical feed tank, written in a casual, first-person style:

So, I needed to get a chemical feed tank set up for my little home project. Nothing too crazy, just something to accurately dose some stuff into my water system. It sounded simple enough, but boy, was there a learning curve!

Picking the Right Tank

First thing I did was figure out the size of the tank I needed. I had to calculate the volume of chemicals I’d be using, how often I’d need to refill, and the available space I had. Ended up going with a 50-gallon poly tank – seemed like a good balance of capacity and footprint. I used a sort of strong plastic to make the tank, but I made sure to confirm its compatibility with the chemicals. Don’t need any nasty reactions!

The Setup Process

Next up was the fun part – getting it all installed.

I placed the tank on a sturdy, level surface. Made sure it was super stable, ’cause I didn’t want any spills or tipping.
Then I sorted out the pump. I ended up choosing it.
Next, I connected the tubing. Made sure to use chemical-resistant tubing. I used some Teflon tape on the threaded connections to make sure there were no leaks.

Double-Checking Everything

Before I added any chemicals, I did a test run with just plain water. Filled the tank, ran the pump, and checked every connection for leaks. I’m a bit paranoid about leaks, so I let it run for a good while, checking and re-checking everything. Found a tiny drip at one of the fittings, so I tightened it up and that solved it. Better to find it with water than with the actual chemicals!

Adding the Chemicals

Once I was confident there were no leaks, I carefully added the chemicals to the tank. I wore gloves and eye protection, of course – safety first! I made sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for mixing and diluting the chemicals. I didn’t want to mess that up and create some kind of toxic mess.

Final Test and Monitoring

With the chemicals in, I did another test run. I monitored the pump’s flow rate to make sure it was delivering the right amount of chemical. I had to tweak the pump settings a bit to get it dialed in perfectly. It took a little fiddling, but I eventually got it right where I wanted it.

Now, it’s all up and running! I still check the system regularly for leaks and to make sure the pump is working correctly. It’s become part of my routine, just a quick visual inspection every now and then. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It wasn’t as simple as I initially thought, but I learned a lot in the process. And it’s definitely satisfying to see it all working smoothly!