drain and return

[iflipsidei]

2 questions

for the drainage would it be alright to just have it drain at the bulkhead or do i need to put a pipe in it and have it drain like half way up the overflow box


and my other question is, i just put my sump under my tank today, which is a job with the weight of the tank and the position, but poor planning cause where my return pump will be is about 3ft from the return bulk head. Should I take the sump back out so the return pump is directly under the return bulk head to reduce the distance? or would it not be worth it?

[bertoni]

Can you post a picture of your setup? I'm having trouble visualizing it.

[murfman]

You are going to loose some head pressure with it being further away but sometimes stuff happens. If it is a big pain to move the sump, I'd just look at a larger return pump, if you are worried about the head loss. You can use the head loss calculator on the main web page to calculate your loss.

I would have the pump to minimize splashback. The more it splashes, the more salt creep you are going to experience.

[iflipsidei]

Never heard of splash back before

and her is a crude pic of my tank, and it wouldnt be to big of a pain to turn it around

see no pipe on the drain, is that right or no?

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6595/tankky9.jpg

[AZDesertRat]

Do a search for a Stockman or Durso standpipe, you will want to make you one of those for the overflow. It should only cost a few $$ in PVC parts. Your return should be OK as long as you use large enough diameter tubing/pipe and minimize fittings. The smaller the diameter the more restriction or resistance to flow.

[iflipsidei]

I checked out the durso stand pipe but dont they lower the amount of water you can drain?

and i still dont know, do you have to put a pipe in the bulk head to drain or can the water just drain thru the bulk head.

[AZDesertRat]

By using a standpipe you will actually gain flow. Without it you gulp air and surge. With it you feed a measured amount of air with the water and get a smooth constant overflow.

[iflipsidei]

so once you get the durso in, is there any way to know exactly how much gph your getting in a 1" bulk head, so i can match up the return pump.

or is it more of a shoot and re-adjust

[AZDesertRat]

Normally they will balance themselves out as long as you don't go hog wild with a way oversized pump. Always put a valve on the outlet side of the pump to fine tune return flow if needed and to isolate the pump and sump for maintanance.

[iflipsidei]

Well went to home depot tonight and checked out what they have and this is what i came up with. All the pipe is pvc, should any of it be tubing, would it help the flow? also is there any pieces i should add or remove?

And if anyone has a better idea, i would like to hear them. I think with this set up and my 1" bulkheads i will get about 700-800 gph flow, that enough going through the sump for the 100g? i plan on making up more flow with a power head in the tank. Or should i just go all out and make both bulkeads drains and have the return come up the back of the tank.

And i do plan on soft coral and anenomes, and clam or two


http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/982/tanknz1.jpg

[iflipsidei]

So im heading out to buy the piping i need which im probably going to make it all pvc pipe, but still have questions

1. if i have a ball V on the return, do i still need a check vavle?

2. do i need a union cupling on the drain side?

3. is there any where i should use flexible clear tubbing instead of pvc?

[AZDesertRat]

Forget the check valve period. It will fail on you eventually and cause you grief. If you use a short piece of clear tubing right off the pump with a barbed nipple you can remove the pump at that point for cleaning and will not need a union. This also will break up an vibration and sound transmission from the pump through the rigid piping.
Personally I use clear heavy wall braided tubing for just about everything under the tank. I have threaded bulkheads so I screwed a short nipple, ball valve and barbed nipple into the bulkhead so I do not hang pipe on it and stress the gaskets and cause leaks. If you use rigid PVC you want to support the horizontal piping somehow or you will put uneven stress on the bulkheads and gaskets and they will probably leak.

[iflipsidei]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9235050#post9235050 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Forget the check valve period. It will fail on you eventually and cause you grief. If you use a short piece of clear tubing right off the pump with a barbed nipple you can remove the pump at that point for cleaning and will not need a union. This also will break up an vibration and sound transmission from the pump through the rigid piping.
Personally I use clear heavy wall braided tubing for just about everything under the tank. I have threaded bulkheads so I screwed a short nipple, ball valve and barbed nipple into the bulkhead so I do not hang pipe on it and stress the gaskets and cause leaks. If you use rigid PVC you want to support the horizontal piping somehow or you will put uneven stress on the bulkheads and gaskets and they will probably leak.

awesome ty

the barbed nipple, the come in pvc? or copper? or ?

and if i use the heavy wall braiding tube, which i saw and liked. how would you suggest i support the weight for my return which will a little horizontal.

and im assuming with the nipples you had to use steel washers to hold the seal correct? do they corroad over time in the water?

[AZDesertRat]

Barbed nipples come in grey PVC at least the ones I used did. They are like 3/4" male pipe thread by 3/4" or 1" inside diameter hose.
Good stainless steel hose clamps although they will still rust eventually will last a long time under salt water. My tube was snug enough I didn't have to use clamps for most of the connections, even heating the end of the tube with hot water it was still a tight fit.

[iflipsidei]

thank you for the help, well i am off to home depot ehhe

[iflipsidei]

well after a few visits to lowes and HD here is what i came up for both the drain and return under the bulkhead. commets? critizisum?

basicly a 1" bulkhead, 1" nipples, 1" ball valve (thinking gate thou), then 1" nipples and finally 1 1/4" inner diameter tubing


http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4324/bulkheadnx7.jpg

[bertoni]

I don't understand the purpose of the ball valves in the setup.

[iflipsidei]

well if i ever need to hold back the water, say if i was cleaning the pump

[iflipsidei]

so anyone else think the ball valves are not needed?

[Icefire]

keep it.

1" drain is for 400-600gph max

[AZDesertRat]

Always put valves in for both isolation for maintenance and to throttle flows if needed.

[dwd5813]

that all looks good, but i have one question. why the ball valve on the drain?
seems unnecessary to me, since regulation of the flow through the drain will be accomplished by adjusting the valve on the return. maybe i am missing something though?

[Icefire]

Just for maintenance

[bertoni]

I can't image throttling flow on a return line, and the area should drain rapidly when the pump is turned off, but I suppose if the overflow cracked, it'd be useful.