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  #26  
Old 10/17/2004, 11:23 PM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by drblank1
Harleyguy,

It seems we have something incommon. I too, am "Politically Incorrect", but I am "Morally Bankrupt'.
Thanks, my wife bought me that sticker for my helmet, and it just seemed to fit so well what can I say?
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  #27  
Old 10/18/2004, 02:14 AM
Chris Witort Chris Witort is offline
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You said that you were going to pour a 18" thic slab! Thats how thick runways are! I wouldn't go thicker than 6-8" with rebar. that could handle anything you could throw at it.
  #28  
Old 10/18/2004, 10:22 PM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Chris Witort
You said that you were going to pour a 18" thic slab! Thats how thick runways are! I wouldn't go thicker than 6-8" with rebar. that could handle anything you could throw at it.
I know its overkill, but I'm only going 18" thick directly under the tank. I was going to put those tubes in that are usually used for deck foundations. But we realized that it would be easier to just dig that whole section out. We finished digging that out tonight; I will snap some pictures tomorrow.
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  #29  
Old 10/18/2004, 10:25 PM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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I found out this weekend that I have access to a directional boring machine. I would love to use it to put my drain in. Does anyone know what the largest size flexible pipe comes in???
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  #30  
Old 10/19/2004, 10:53 PM
Zephrant Zephrant is offline
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If you are looking for drainage pipe, it comes in 4" to 6" I think. It looks like a black corrugated pipe, very thin wall. It comes in perforated and solid I think.

Zeph
  #31  
Old 10/20/2004, 01:08 AM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Zephrant
If you are looking for drainage pipe, it comes in 4" to 6" I think. It looks like a black corrugated pipe, very thin wall. It comes in perforated and solid I think.

Zeph
I think I'm limited to the size of the drills head. I'm assuming that the max I will be able to have is 3-4� but it could be bigger. I will find out what is the max size I can use than I will see if I can find it.
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  #32  
Old 10/20/2004, 10:15 PM
Zephrant Zephrant is offline
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The drain pipe I put in was 1.5" from that big floor drain, which went in to the 4" main from the house. So I'm thinking that if it just a normal floor drain, you would be fine with 1.5" flex PVC from the pool shop.

Zeph
  #33  
Old 10/20/2004, 11:56 PM
Bezoar Bezoar is offline
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I apologize for my ignorance harleyguy, but I'm still stuck on Ramble on Rose's observation. According to the previous diagram two of the sump return holes reside in the bottom of the tank (on the far side away from the overflow). How will a siphon break stop those two holes from draining all the way to the bottom of the tank since they are not dependent on suction but gravity? Am I misreading the diagram?
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  #34  
Old 10/21/2004, 12:00 AM
Bezoar Bezoar is offline
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Oops, never mind. I just reread your explanation. The return line will come up above water level, didn't realize that from the diagram. Forget I was here.
Very nice project by the way, looking forward to the finished pics.
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  #35  
Old 10/21/2004, 12:31 AM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bezoar
Oops, never mind. I just reread your explanation. The return line will come up above water level, didn't realize that from the diagram. Forget I was here.
Very nice project by the way, looking forward to the finished pics.
Don't worry I won't shoot you.
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  #36  
Old 10/21/2004, 12:33 AM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Zephrant
The drain pipe I put in was 1.5" from that big floor drain, which went in to the 4" main from the house. So I'm thinking that if it just a normal floor drain, you would be fine with 1.5" flex PVC from the pool shop.

Zeph
Man I never even considered flexible pipe from a pool supply place. Awesome, I guess there is something to be said for you engineer types after all.
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  #37  
Old 10/21/2004, 12:48 AM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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quick update

I was down playing in the dirt today when I had am idea (call it change 2058B).
See if you can fallow. I have dug out the floor in the crawl; this has left me a wall, of sorts, of dirt about 3 feet high on the side (towards the middle of the crawl). I was going to build my walls as close to this "wall" of dirt as I could, but now I'm thinking I will lay some block (kind of like a small retaining wall) next to the wall of dirt. Then I will form in and poor a slab back another 5' or so. Once that's done I will build my wall there. This will give me a ledge about 3 1/2 to 4' tall and 5 foot deep. I will be able to put my mixing tank and my RO/DI storage tank there.
The cost will be minimal because my father-in-law is a brick mason, and he has tons of extra block. I'm having a truck bring me concrete (at $70 a yard) I figure at 4" deep that shelf will take about 1 1/2" yard (and that's being generous). So for an extra $100 and some sweat equity, I will gain almost an extra 100 square feet. I am going to try to have the retaining wall in by this weekend .
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  #38  
Old 10/21/2004, 02:32 PM
eric's reef eric's reef is offline
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must be nice having a basement. here in florida whats under my house is called the water table! haha
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  #39  
Old 10/21/2004, 08:54 PM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by eric's reef
must be nice having a basement. here in florida whats under my house is called the water table! haha
I grew up in South Florida, so I know where you are coming from. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this space under my tank; I guess I would just be doing a 100 gal tank.
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  #40  
Old 10/21/2004, 10:38 PM
Zephrant Zephrant is offline
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Awesome idea on the shelf idea. I guarantee you use up all available space, and desire more.

Zeph
  #41  
Old 10/25/2004, 09:28 PM
curthendrix curthendrix is offline
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Harley,

I am now planning the lighting on my 36" wide tank. Did you decide to go with the 400w DE pendants and run one row or go with the SE option and run 2 rows or run 1 with a some shadows near the rear of the tank. Looking at the light spread of the 400w DE PFO's, it appears they have a 3 foot spread.

Curt
  #42  
Old 10/25/2004, 10:24 PM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by curthendrix
Harley,

I am now planning the lighting on my 36" wide tank. Did you decide to go with the 400w DE pendants and run one row or go with the SE option and run 2 rows or run 1 with a some shadows near the rear of the tank. Looking at the light spread of the 400w DE PFO's, it appears they have a 3 foot spread.

Curt
Curt,
That's a great question. As of right now the only answer I have is the jury is still out. I will definitely be going with 400 w bulbs. As for how many that all depends. If the DEs do in fact have the spread they say they do I will be going with them, most likely 4 and I will have about eight 4' t5's for viewing when the MH's are off. If I do go with SE's I will likely do 5 (staggered) and still do the t5's. I think that I would really need 8 SE's, but Man that's a lot of heat. Time will tell. I will most likely decide after the first of the year, because I won't need them before that.
I have also read that the current DE 400s get really, really, really hot. This is something I will have to do some more reading about. I think if we give them a little time they, in the end, will prove themselves. And as we weight more bulbs will become available. I want 14K bulbs, and right now I don't think anyone has anything but 10K and 20k.
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  #43  
Old 11/16/2004, 02:24 AM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Update
I was told today that my tank will be done this week, and I "should" have it next week or early the week after.
As for my basement crawl space, I have run into a snag. We got the small retaining wall up (for the shelf), and a couple of days later we had some really hard rain... The space flooded.....
We figured out what caused it (a lack of a French drain), so the concrete is on hold until we dig out the French drain.
I will take some update pictures later tomorrow.
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  #44  
Old 11/16/2004, 12:34 PM
Doubledown Doubledown is offline
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I am looking to do something similar in the near future and I'm still unclear about why the tank won't drain down the returns in the bottom?

Are your return lines going to go from the bottom all the way up to the surface and then flow the return water from there? If this is the case then why not just come up through the overflow and plumb to the far end?

Hope this wasn't a dumb question.
Chris
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  #45  
Old 11/16/2004, 06:18 PM
pch90265 pch90265 is offline
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Hey Shane,

A thought for you (and anyone else considering bulkheads in the bottom of your tank) is to make sure you have a ball valve between the 4-way and the bulkhead in the tank. I have my ugly octopus setup (my 8-way from Paul) setup that way and it is great for shutting off the power and ensuring you don't return too much water to the sump.

I've had a couple of complete outages (three intentional, and one storm driven) and I have never lost water out of the holes in the bottom. I set my line up in a "p trap" configuration under the floor, before the 8-way, and that seems to do the trick every time...

--Sean--

PS -- sorry again to be such a looser about return your PMs
  #46  
Old 11/18/2004, 04:57 PM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Doubledown
I am looking to do something similar in the near future and I'm still unclear about why the tank won't drain down the returns in the bottom?

Are your return lines going to go from the bottom all the way up to the surface and then flow the return water from there? If this is the case then why not just come up through the overflow and plumb to the far end?

Hope this wasn't a dumb question.
Chris
Chris,
First off there are no dumb questions just dumb people LOL .
To answer your first question the about the drains in the bottom. The will drain your whole tank unless you have some sort of safety measure in place to prevent this. You could use a check valve (and I will) and/or you could use a siphon break (which I am also using). This kind of leads into your second question, I will have a kind of J pipe. The (2") "feed" for the 4-way will run up (above the surface of the water and behind the tank) then down to the 4-way. At the top of this J pipe there will be a half inch pipe the leads to the overflow. The idea is that during a power outage (if the check valve fails) the water will siphon out of the tank until the siphon break gets air. Then the siphon will be broken. I am planning my sump to hold an extra 100 gallons (I figure that at most 80 gallons will drain)
Hope this answers your questions
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  #47  
Old 11/18/2004, 05:03 PM
Harleyguy Harleyguy is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by pch90265
Hey Shane,

A thought for you (and anyone else considering bulkheads in the bottom of your tank) is to make sure you have a ball valve between the 4-way and the bulkhead in the tank. I have my ugly octopus setup (my 8-way from Paul) setup that way and it is great for shutting off the power and ensuring you don't return too much water to the sump.

I've had a couple of complete outages (three intentional, and one storm driven) and I have never lost water out of the holes in the bottom. I set my line up in a "p trap" configuration under the floor, before the 8-way, and that seems to do the trick every time...

--Sean--

PS -- sorry again to be such a looser about return your PMs
Sean
Great to see you’re still alive LOL . I am already putting ball valves, and unions between every output of each 4-way (just in case I have to replace one or whatever. I would love to see some pictures of your "P trap" if you get a chance. By the way I stole your idea for coming threw the bottom of the tank .

As far as the PM's go I understand (you were busy )

Hope everything is going well....and I'm still looking for a picture of your baby next to your tank.
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