Exposed plumbing question

[jfl14609]

Ok guys I am trying to do some goofy stuff with my upgrade. the new tank is going to be on a normal stand canopy setup only I am going to make a room in my garage for my sump and fish stuff. Now here is the question I have where I want to put the aquarium inside is about 6 foot down the wall from where ideally I would like the room in the garage. that leaves me having about 6 foot of plumbing in the garage before it actually gets into the fish room. Do you think that if I were to wrap the pipe in insulation and box it in that it would be ok in the winter or would freezing still be an issue? I could use heat tape but then I would be afraid it might heat the water as well. any ideas?

 

[jdoenumber2]

Heat tape on a controller.

 

[jfl14609]

i am going to have to assume since the water is always moving its not going to freeze do you really think that would be needed where would you put the probe?

 

[superkat]

we have a jacuzzi in our sunporch...piping underneath, even with the water moving constantly, the pvc froze and cracked. had to replace all the piping and redo the entire plumbing with insulated piping...don't think you'll need the heat tape, but pipe insulation will be a MUST, i believe.

 

[jfl14609]

i was thinking box it in with wood then seal with spray foam

 

[superkat]

that would probably work....will you be able to open the box if you need to get to the pipes? we also had the pipes spray foamed, cause we had to dig the pipes out of all that...i'd hate for you to do all that and then have something go wrong. the pipe insulation is pretty inexpensive...and probably worth the precautionary effort. Just my opinion...and part of my OCD behavior...lol!

 

[pascal32]

I have watched my garage, and at the worst it has made it into the 20's and that is rare. With 78-80" water moving through it I have a hard time believing it will freeze, though your heaters might have a little extra work cut out for them. add some insulation for peaceful sleeping.

can you drop straight down and push through spa-flex piping?

 

[jfl14609]

can you drop straight down and push through spa-flex piping?[/QUOTE]

what do you mean by this? i guess the other thing I need to be carefull of is that area turning into a heater in the summer

 

[mynock11]

I have watched my garage, and at the worst it has made it into the 20's and that is rare. With 78-80" water moving through it I have a hard time believing it will freeze, though your heaters might have a little extra work cut out for them. add some insulation for peaceful sleeping.

can you drop straight down and push through spa-flex piping?

I agree with blurry i dont believe it would freeze either it would have the constant temp through it.. i would build the box around it and get the sturdy foam panels to insulate the inside and spray foam the seams .. this would also work as insulation against heat in the summer. build the box with a hinged top so you can access it if need be.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I've seen aquariums plumbed to a garage sump and I can't say much good about the whole concept. In Rochester it gets too cold in most garages.

 

[jfl14609]

yeah there is going to be a heated a/c room for the sump this is just going from tank to fish room

 

[mynock11]

when we building this rm?

 

[pascal32]

can you drop straight down and push through spa-flex piping?

what do you mean by this? i guess the other thing I need to be carefull of is that area turning into a heater in the summer[/QUOTE]

the spa-flex piping is classified as flexible PVC. it's not super flexible, but does the job! I ran 1", though 1.5 and 3/4 is available at the lowes in Cicero, and probably at other locations. Attaches with PVC cleaner and all purpose cement like regular pipe.

check out some pics in my build thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16970719&postcount=38

 

[jfl14609]

Yeah I have used flexible pvc many of times just didnt understand the drop straight down part. I will prob just put the room right behind the tank seems easier. the room is going to be the last part of the build first the stand and canopy that way I can run a in stand sump for a while to get the tank cycling while I build the room.

 

[Willistein]

I think either way is fine. If the sump room would be better 6' down the wall I would go that way. I would probably box in the exposed pipe and just fill it with fiberglass and cover with thin ply or drywall. There's no reason to worry about freezing unless the water wasn't moving. Boxing in seems easy enough to do.

 

[captain7359]

i was thinking box it in with wood then seal with spray foam

That would be plenty, but if you're worried you could add a layer of board insulation and pick up a little more R value. Insulated or not, you don't have to worry about freezing. At out salinity you're good into the mid 20's before it even starts to think about slushing. You will loose some heat and work the heaters more if it's uninsulated, so you'll be better off in the long run insulating it to save some $$$.