Aging barrel temp.

[monching]

I recently bought 2 - 55 gallon food grade barrel for aging my water, unfortunately there's no place to put it but in my balcony. Being outside and temp normally goes down to minus here in Toronto, what will be the best heater for it? I already put 2- 100w heater but it's still on the 20 degree mark and this is during the hottest time of the day today which is around 20 degrees also. What's happening now is I still need to heat the water indoor before i can put it in my tank. Is there a better way?

Inputs will be highly appreciated.

Thanks and God bless,
Ramon

[Akili]

Without insulation, you are just wasting hydro in the winter time. I suggest you build a fully insulated cabinet that can house your two barrels.Insulate all sides including the doors, top and bottom too.

[bluelagoon]

I don't use a heater,just an air stone.I dump a few(usually 2) buckets of hot water from the tape into my 75 gallon ageing barrel to bring the temp up.Altho it is inside.It gets mighty cold in Toronto in the winter months and a barrel of water can freeze solid on the balcony costing big bucks to heat it.

[monching]

Without insulation, you are just wasting hydro in the winter time. I suggest you build a fully insulated cabinet that can house your two barrels.Insulate all sides including the doors, top and bottom too.
I wish I could Akili but I live in an Apartment and I don't think management will allow it and the balcony door is too small just in case I want to take it with me when I move out not to mention how much I'll be spending to get it done. It's not feasible Bro. Maybe 2 or 3 - 500w heater and the barrel lid will do for now. My hydro is included in my rent anyway.
Thanks for the input Bro. Much appreciated.

[monching]

I don't use a heater,just an air stone.I dump a few(usually 2) buckets of hot water from the tape into my 75 gallon ageing barrel to bring the temp up.Altho it is inside.It gets mighty cold in Toronto in the winter months and a barrel of water can freeze solid on the balcony costing big bucks to heat it.
That's my big problem, i have no space to put it inside, I'll definitely will have problem with the wife if I insist on putting it inside. My only space is in one corner of my living room and I myself don't want to do that. Akili's idea I think is the best solution but not feasible in my situation. With regards to hydro, It's included in my rent so not a problem even if I put 2000w heater in it but then again I don't want to do that if I have other options.Oh man.....things we need to do for our beloved wet pets.

[Jason F]

I wish I could Akili but I live in an Apartment and I don't think management will allow it and the balcony door is too small just in case I want to take it with me when I move out not to mention how much I'll be spending to get it done. It's not feasible Bro. Maybe 2 or 3 - 500w heater and the barrel lid will do for now. My hydro is included in my rent anyway.
Thanks for the input Bro. Much appreciated.

You could maybe built this cabinet panel by panel, paint them to match the apartment complex, and put the whole thing together with screws so that it could easily be taken apart when you move. If done right it shouldn't be too expensive. Depending on how long you plan on staying there might be cheaper than trying to constantly heat that much water in a cold climate. Just a thought.

[Akili]

I wish I could Akili but I live in an Apartment and I don't think management will allow it and the balcony door is too small just in case I want to take it with me when I move out not to mention how much I'll be spending to get it done. It's not feasible Bro. Maybe 2 or 3 - 500w heater and the barrel lid will do for now. My hydro is included in my rent anyway.
Thanks for the input Bro. Much appreciated.Ramon give some thought of insulating the barrel You can buy a hot water insulation blanket for a 45 to 55 gallon tank at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Also put the barrels on Styrofoam.That way you will contain the temperature within the barrel.I made use of old sleeping bags to wrap couple of my barrels.You can look for the old sleeping bags at a Thirft Shop save a few pennies.

[monching]

Thanks for the input guys, will do a project study on all the suggestions and might go for the cheapest.
Thanks again guys, much appreciated.

[Keith Perkins]

First things first, are you sure you need to age your water?

[monching]

First things first, are you sure you need to age your water?
I believe so, I've been noticing that every change of season, my fish are lethargic every time I do WC specially during winter and summer months, i don't know if the city is doing something with our water supply but my fish is telling me so. I started to age my water on pails and it proves to be better for them so I bought the barrels. My PH straight tap is 7.4 and goes down to 7 after 24 hours, TDS is 177 straight tap.