Had to do this as my house hot water is ion-exchange softened thus not suitable for fish tanks. Previously used kettles and pans of water into 40l tubs in kitchen then pumped into lounge tank.
Got my butt from
http://www.ampulla.co.uk not the cheapest, but at least brand new, clean and suitable for fish. Works well, it fills and heats water whilst I am replanting and syphoning 50% of tank water onto front lawn.
However....................if I was doing it again....
- Use 6 off 500W metal aquarium heaters (3000W total). These are allowed to run dry, thus no need for float valve and relay. No need to drill big holes in bottom of container either. Just dunk in and leave.
- Not bother with the ball valve arrangement, issues here are
- Ball and valve in the tank gets tangled with the drain pump piping and wiring.
- When tank is full you end up with a length of hose pipe pressurised at mains water pressure that you somehow have to depressurise, drain and empty. What ends up happening is:
- You go to to kitchen to turn off the water.
- You return to the butt, press ball valve down to release the pressure in the hose pipe.
- You unclip the hose at butt end.
- Walk it back to kitchen.
- Unhook kitchen end of hose.
- Drain hose into sink.
- Use a mains operated valve (eg a cheap washing machine water valve) under the sink, operated off a float valve in the butt.
- You run hose from butt to kitchen.
- You run wire from butt float valve to kitchen valve.
- Kitchen valve opens, water enters butt.
- Butt fills, float valve closes valve in kitchen.
- Just reel back the hose pipe to kitchen as not pressured.