4-way Manifold for AM 3K needed

[ChrisIsBored]

I'm in need of a 4-way Manifold to split between the returns on my RR tank, and two 3/4" Sea Swirls.

Dolphin has two, an 8-way and a 6-way but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with these and if it would be wise to go with something that size when i'll only be using 4 of the outputs. I'll need to cap off the rest of course.

I'm not much of a plumber so if you guys know of a better way... please let me know.

I all four returns are 3/4" which is including the two Sea Swirls...

Any help? :)


Oops... linky to the dolphin page (http://www.dolphinpumps.com/highhead2.htm) ... you'll have to scroll down a bit.

[gljjr]

I wouldn't spend the money on a manifold. On my tank I had my 1 1/2" go to the top of the tank and then into a T. From there I used another T where I wanted to output into the tank. The output T's were 1 1/2" down to 3/4" threaded. I then threaded on 3/4" ball valves and then an elbow to a sprinkler head. This worked very well and the rotating sprinkler heads were only $13 each! I tried the Saturn Orbits that Snailman has on his site but they didn't work with the Ampmaster 3000 I have. So I was driving by a plumbing store and decided to stop in and see what they have. I asked the guy what he had for a low pressure system and he pointed me to these Hunter PGS heads for shrubs. They come with a 3/4" pipe thread and the only piece of metal I could find holds the nozzle in (I throw it away anyway!) and the check valve spring. I decided to just leave it in place. I'm not sure the extra iron in the water will be a problem as I use an Eco-System style sump with Macro Algae.

For more info on the heads go to http://www.hunterindustries.com/Products/Rotors/pgp1.htm

[ChrisIsBored]

Thanks for the input gljjr,

I haven't seen or heard anything about the Saturn Orbits... what exactly are they? Got a link?

At one time I thought about using seperate T's but the added 90 degree turns will slow down the flow. Money really isn't an issue here... At the most the 8-way manifold was $30... i've spent over $3k already on the tank, stand and accessories... :D

Got any pics of how you did your plumbing?

[gljjr]

Well right now I had the critters and rock sitting in a large horse trough due to a mishap with the stand. But the pictures I took a few months ago can be found at http://fp1.centurytel.net/TheAerie/FishTank2.htm

The Saturn Orbit III sprinkler heads are popup heads that you can get at your local Home Depot or Lowes. I got the Hunter sprinkler heads from a small plumbing supply house. They were much more knowledgable than the HD and suggested these for my use. They worked great! They are very quiet (you only hear a small click when they switch directions) and best of all they were $13.00 each and don't require any more electricity to operate. That is a concern for me as I am almost tapped out on the breaker that my tank is on.

[Stuart]

Try this. Four 1 1/2 X 3/4 inch tees (the 3/4 is threaded), four threaded nipples and 3/4 inch Norwesco single union ball valve and flex PVC (to provide a little vibration dampening). I'll add a pic as soon as I edit one. One drawback is the large volume of water to drain when servicing the pump. The 90s are also a flow restriction but I haven't measured it yet.

In most cases, I'd suggest using tees with 1 inch outlets and 1 inch valves. You'd see a significant increase in flow (it didn't matter for my application). You'd just reduce it at the bulkhead or SS.

Good luck, Stuart

[Stuart]

Here's a pic.

[gljjr]

That's almost exactly what I made. Except that I put the manifold at the top of the tank instead of at the pump. That way I had more flow up to the exit points for the outlets. I used Flex PVC from the pump to the manifold. It works pretty well.