What makes a good reservoir?

I'm looking to set up another ebb and flow table and was trying to figure out something to use as a cheap reservoir. It needs to hold anywhere from 25-30 gal. Has anyone used rubbermaid storage totes? I would hate to come home and find my grow room flooded because the reservoir wasn't strong enough. Does anyone know of a cheap place to get a decent quality reservoir?

I know there used to be a thread on here that had a list of places people have gotten great deals at, but I can't seem to find it with any of my searches.

Robert Paulson said:

I'm looking to set up another ebb and flow table and was trying to figure out something to use as a cheap reservoir. It needs to hold anywhere from 25-30 gal. Has anyone used rubbermaid storage totes? I would hate to come home and find my grow room flooded because the reservoir wasn't strong enough. Does anyone know of a cheap place to get a decent quality reservoir?

I know there used to be a thread on here that had a list of places people have gotten great deals at, but I can't seem to find it with any of my searches.

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i heard they work fine, or a good camping cooler if you want to keep it cool

I thought of a cooler but they are almost as expensive as a reservoir. who would have thought a simple piece of plastic that hold water could cost so much.

Rubbermaids aren't a good solution if your using more than about 30% of its volume. They're meant for storage not liquids. Your best bet if your on a budget is to find those plastic 55gallon barrels, or the larger crate reservoirs like industrial linseed oil would come in. Call around to restaurants, factories, etc. they usually have to pay for disposal and will gladly give them away.

just goto walmart and grab a heavy tote there called like 15 bucks and u can set your tacel on the rez with no problems dont cheap out to bad best is to find a used cooler some where though cuz it keeps water cooler longer

whiteflour said:

Rubbermaids aren't a good solution if your using more than about 30% of its volume. They're meant for storage not liquids. Your best bet if your on a budget is to find those plastic 55gallon barrels, or the larger crate reservoirs like industrial linseed oil would come in. Call around to restaurants, factories, etc. they usually have to pay for disposal and will gladly give them away.

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Thats not a bad idea, thanks.

I have been using no name Walmart totes, a big one that I use 20gal in and a smaller one that I use 10gal in. I bought two of each and doubled them up, just in case one started leaking. I also have extras just in case. No problems yet. Get the darkest you can to keep the light out.

i just setup an ice chest and love it

Robert Paulson said:

Thats not a bad idea, thanks.

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Or you can get a 35 gallon garbage can - 30$. I have one downstairs right now on my homemade Ebb and grow and it works beautifully for holding liquids.

thought about that but it would be to tall, i also thought about recessing it into the floor---don't know if the landlord would like that though

Rubbermaid Roughneck. They will hold liquid just fine and they will NEVER leak. I have an 18 gallon rubberneck, and its awesome. I even installed a bottling spigot in the bottom for easy drainage and that does not leak either. Can not go wrong with a Rubbermaid Roughneck, they are built STRONG.

I'm leaning towards large ice chests for my 2 new flood n drain tables

PeaceLuvPot said:

Rubbermaid Roughneck. They will hold liquid just fine and they will NEVER leak. I have an 18 gallon rubberneck, and its awesome. I even installed a bottling spigot in the bottom for easy drainage and that does not leak either. Can not go wrong with a Rubbermaid Roughneck, they are built STRONG.

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Thanks man, that is what i was hoping to hear. I thought about ice chests, but that defeats the purpose because they cost as much as a regular reservoir. I am also not concerned with my rez temp., it's not a problem in my grow room.

Thanks for all the replies.

We always used Rubbermaids and never had any issues.. Just make sure to not fill them overly full, or they can find a leak spot near the handle area.

Lowes has a nice heavy duty 27 gal storage bin that is black with a stiff yellow cover for 14.00 best bins I've found so far.

meduser2 said:

Lowes has a nice heavy duty 27 gal storage bin that is black with a stiff yellow cover for 14.00 best bins I've found so far.

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sounds like were using the same thing, though i bought 2 in a row and both had a leak in them lol, was a defect in the bottom corners, got some epoxy and sealed the bottom of both and they work great. very strong containers

i was using this too, went to an ice chest because of the insulation and another cool benny is that the drain is 3/4" thread, which makes hooking hoses to the bottom a cake walk.

meduser2 said:

Lowes has a nice heavy duty 27 gal storage bin that is black with a stiff yellow cover for 14.00 best bins I've found so far.

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Those work exceptionally well......any tote will work as a reservoir......I would stay away from the cheaper no name brands and stick with a heavy duty tote like this one mentioned here.......

meduser2 said:

Lowes has a nice heavy duty 27 gal storage bin that is black with a stiff yellow cover for 14.00 best bins I've found so far.

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I saw these yesterday and they are really tough, I just wish they made one in the 35 gal size. If anyone needs a rez 27 gal or smaller these would be a very good option, I think they were $12 with a lid.

I ended going with the 36 gal. roughneck, only 17 bucks w/ a lid. Sure beats paying over $100 for a res.

meduser2 said:

Lowes has a nice heavy duty 27 gal storage bin that is black with a stiff yellow cover for 14.00 best bins I've found so far.

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These totes seem to be going down in quality I have many of the old style ones, and they are great. Be carful when selecting them inspect for thin spots on bottom where they are injection molded. Myself I'm searching for a different style of tote that suits my needs. Bummer that they had to go and screw up a good thing. Even the lady at Lowes said many folks have complained about the new design. If you can find the old style, those are best. New styles are built really crummy.
You can tell the new style by the diagonal squares pattern on the lids. The older stronger ones have a strait square pattern on the lid. If you can find the old style ones I suggest buying as many as you can. Once you realize how great they are for all types of storage (I have probably 15-20 of them) you will wish you did. Good luck, hope you can find what your looking for.