amateur hour plumbing

[capschamp]

My first ever sump effort. The return is powered by a mag 9.5 and goes up 55" through two 90 elbows. It's crammed in there tight, to the point where if i ever have to clean or replace the pump i'll be cutting and replacing pvc. is there a better way? i was trying to have it go straight up as possible. hopefully the pic works.

 

[acrylic51]

I'm old, so having a hard time viewing the pics.....

I always take huge pics and never size them......Curious I'm assuming that the Mag 9.5 has 3/4" fitting off the pump.....What size plumbing did you use..... A way to be able to connect and disconnect your plumbing easier would be through using unions......You can pick them up relatively cheap at Lowes or HD....I paid $7.00 for my 1 1/2" unions.....
Straight is good, but not always possible or convenient at times.....Sweep elbows are better/ or preferred over standard 90's IMO......

 

[snakeblitz33]

+1 on a union. Use schedule 80 if possible. 40's don't do well under time/pressure. I also agree with using sweep elbows... it decreases head pressure.
Where's pics of the rest of your plumbing setup?

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/389696/amateur-hour-plumbing#post_3445912
+1 on a union. Use schedule 80 if possible. 40's don't do well under time/pressure. I also agree with using sweep elbows... it decreases head pressure.
Where's pics of the rest of your plumbing setup?
Sorry Seth gonna argue with you on that statement, because it is totally off base.....I challenge you to look and compare a sched 80 pipe vs sched 40 pipe inside diameter, and you'll see you will restrict flow with the sched 80.....And the real purpose for using sched 80 other than bulkheads on a fish tank.......

NONE......other than to say you used sched 80 pipe.....Our tanks/pumps put out no where near the pressure requiring sched 80 pipe.....

 

[capschamp]

i'll have to research unions and sweep fittings and impliment them. The rest of my plumbing is just the drain (not pictured), which is just a 1 1/4" i.d. flex hose that comes down, and then the 3/4" pvc that goes up through the bulkhead into the tank with some lock line for the display return. The stuff visible on the left is going to be an algae scrubber. Yes, it's all 3/4" coming off the mag9.5. Sorry for the crappy pic. had to use the phone and i'm still figuring that thing out. Should i use something different for the drain? The guy that I bought this setup from had flex hose for the drain and return, and claimed he never had any problems before moving to a larger system.

 

[acrylic51]

Whenever plumbing off a Mag always try to bump it up a notch in plumbing size.....Stepping the 3/4" plumbing to 1" would be a bit better on the flow as well.....Not crucial, but something to keep in your mind for future reference......SpaFlex of Flex PVC is decent but depending on size can be a PITA to work with.......

 

[snakeblitz33]

Lol, Acrylic - you read it wrong!!! I meant Schedule 80 unions, not pipe. The plumbing industry is phasing out all schedule 40 unions... At least that's what the wholesale plumbing supply co. said the other day when I went in to get a little plumbing. I absolutely agree that schedule 40 pipe is perfect for any return pump application.
I like spaflex too... but like you said, depending on the size of the job, it can get tricky.

 

[acrylic51]

Ok Seth, but I think someone is pulling your leg....why would they do away with sched 40 unions.....Standard plumbing part IMO.....Even sched 80 unions are overkill for our application. The reason I chose sched 80 is quality of part, and the ability to repair them if needed. Plus I like the color more than anything.......

 

[snakeblitz33]

I guess that company was out of schedule 40 unions and talked me into buying sch. 80 instead. lol Oh well, I was just going by what I was told...

 

[capschamp]

Thanks for the tips guys. Going to pick up a couple unions and switch out the 90's tomorrow. Is there any issue with having the spa flex drain line? I'm just letting it drain down into the sump and wasnt aware of any specific reason to have it drain differently.