pics of plumbing anyone?

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eric b 125

Guest
i'm planning on drilling my tank and i'm in the planning stage right now. maybe i'm over complicating things, but this is what i've come up with, thinking it will make things as equal on each side as possible, but i dont know how to make it work:
i'm drilling my 125 for a center overflow, 2" bulkheads and a 12 1/2" overflow box. the drains will run to a sump, centered in the cabinet. one drain will run to the fuge, one to the skimmer. both these chambers will be equidistant from the center. in the middle of the sump will be my return pump, and i want to run a single line from the return pump, "y" it so it splits into 2 different lines running to opposite sides of the tank. i want to be able to run all my plumbing so that there is no 'overlap' behind the tank so it can sit as close to the wall as possible. does anyone have pics of their plumbing so that i could see what options i have, or if this idea is acutally possible. i'd post a drawing, but i have no idea of how to even go about drawing this out. thanks.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
i know that the straighter the return lines are, the better. but doing this will require 2X 45's on each return (after the 'Y' split) and the 90 bulkhead. is this going to be a problem? how much do these cut down flow, so i can figure out how big a pump to get?
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
The "Y" fitting off your pump's intake going to both sumps may be a problem. You will almost certainly have cavitation issues if you do this.
The two overflows will never drain at exactly the same rate, and the amount of water sitting in each "side" of your sump will exert different gravity feed pressures on your pump intake, causing the pump to "favor" one side slightly more than the other. In the end, IMO your pump may end up cavitating.
Also, you don't necessarily want each side to be "equal." You'll want to be able to adjust the flow into your fuge, which you won't be able to do with this.
I don't think you'll need more than (1) 2" drain. A single 2" drain pipe can handle well over 2000gph, which is more than you'll likely need for a 125g tank. So what I'd do is run a single 2" drain line, then "T" it off into a 3 compartment sump. Put your skimmer on one side, your fuge on the other, and have each spill over a baffle into a common "return section" in the middle. Then put your pump in that compartment.
"T" off your drain to the sump and skimmer compartments, and place a ball valve on each. That will let you manipulate the valves to adjust how much flow goes into each. If you wanted, you could also drop a line into the middle compartment too. That will all you to "bypass" some of the flow directly into the return compartment, so you can dial either the skimmer or fuge compartments from zilch to full flow. Maximum flexibility.
I'd say for a pump you should be shooting for about 800 - 1200gph. That will make your drains quieter, and still has more than enough flow to handle a fuge and skimmer. Supplement the rest of your flow with powerheads. This adds the safety factor. If your main pump fails, the powerheads will keep water moving in the main tank until you can take action.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
i only will have one overflow, but there will be 2 bulkheads drilled behind it. both of these lines will have ball valves to control flow. if i shouldnt use a 'y' to split the return then how do i get the water from one pump to 2 bulheads? thanks
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Its not the returns that can't be split its the intake. Also the drain should be combine in to one line and then split to fuge and skimmer chambers. If you are draining with a 2" one should be more than enough.
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
...... as far as your fittings on the returns. It really doesn't matter how many or in what configuration as long as you know before you buy the pump and plan headloss accordingly
 
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eric b 125

Guest
can't i just use flexible rubber tubing instead of pvc? like the kind of hose used on beer b.o.n.g.s? or would that be real noisy?
 
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eric b 125

Guest
also, if the kit i'm buying calls for 2 bulkheads to be drilled, then why would i connect them and split them again rather than just running the lines to the respective chamber in the sump?
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2951585
can't i just use flexible rubber tubing instead of pvc? like the kind of hose used on beer b.o.n.g.s? or would that be real noisy?
Flexible vinyl is clear and will get algae growth. It also requires barbed fittings that will reduce flow even further. Use Spa-flex (flexible PVC) you will be able to use PVC fittings and rigid PVC also. PVC Unions will be much easier to deal with than pulling apart hose from barbed fittings when all this stuff is under the tank.
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2951590
also, if the kit i'm buying calls for 2 bulkheads to be drilled, then why would i connect them and split them again rather than just running the lines to the respective chamber in the sump?
B/C one drain can only handle so much. If you reduce one side to much and the other can't handle the flow you will flood. But thyen again with 2" drains......

Question? are you drilling 2" holes or are the BH's 2"? A 2" drain is huge and will need a big hole in the glass......
 
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eric b 125

Guest
they're actually 1.5" BULKHEADS, not holes. i got the kits confused with one another. its a 1500 gph kit. so you're saying i should attach the 2 lines from the bulkhead so theres just one line going to the sump? so skimmer - fuge - return? i really appreciate your help, but i dont see how if i join the drain lines, that would help. i mean, if i join them and it clogs, then there's no water leaving the tank at all, better to have one good drain, then none, eh? i was thinking about putting ball valves on all 4 lines going to the bulkheads. i'm for sure not trying to beat a dead horse here, i just have NO experience what so ever with this and i want to know WHY i'm doing what im doing, you know.
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Eric I'm with ya. I have to split for a bit. I have some diagrams that will help you I just have to find them.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
nevermind, i see why you say i should join them. i agree with you, and thanks in advance for the diagrams!
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
I don't know if this helps or not. This is my 20L I am working on. The plumbing is a bit different. I will be running my return through the OF box so that I can keep the overlap out of question as well. This idea might even save you some space behind the tank and get you closer to the wall.
In these pic's I have the return bulk head just sitting there waiting to be drilled.

As you can see it is an external OF. This gives another view of it.

I hope this helps a little. Good Luck.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
hey, thanks a lot. that looks like what i had in mind. i was thinking after i run the 'T' from the return pump, i'm going to go w/ the flexible pvc, to cut down on back pressure since there would be a bunch of 90's or 45's otherwise. how flexible is that stuff anyways? i'm going to go to the depot tomorrow, i assume they sell it there?
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2952132
hey, thanks a lot. that looks like what i had in mind. i was thinking after i run the 'T' from the return pump, i'm going to go w/ the flexible pvc, to cut down on back pressure since there would be a bunch of 90's or 45's otherwise. how flexible is that stuff anyways? i'm going to go to the depot tomorrow, i assume they sell it there?
Exactly! Yes Home Dumpster does have it but good luck finding someone that knows what it is. It will be in the hose tubing isle usually on the second shelf up so you'll need help. Its best to try and orient the curve that is already there from the packaging. But you can use a heat gun on low to heat it up to make it more pliable.
 
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