Hard Plumb a Maxi Jet
- Thread starter exmt
- Start date
i'm not sure that you can hard plumb a maxjet for external applications. i'm not sure that the impeler cover makes a water tight seal everywhere with the motor body.
if you are just trying to plumb this for use in submersion, take your maxjet to lowes or home depot and find a piece of vinyl tubing that is close to, but slightly smaller than the output of the maxijet. buy a length that you need and take it home. hold the tube under hot water and it will become a little more plyable. once it is plyable, push it on to the maxjet. once it is cooled, it will hold tight onto the end of the maxjet. you can still pull it off, but it will take a little effort. it won't come off on it's own in a tank.
if you are just trying to plumb this for use in submersion, take your maxjet to lowes or home depot and find a piece of vinyl tubing that is close to, but slightly smaller than the output of the maxijet. buy a length that you need and take it home. hold the tube under hot water and it will become a little more plyable. once it is plyable, push it on to the maxjet. once it is cooled, it will hold tight onto the end of the maxjet. you can still pull it off, but it will take a little effort. it won't come off on it's own in a tank.
Maxxumless
To the Max...
I've seen it done twice... one worked the other failed badly. I wouldn't do it myself.
exmt
New member
Well, this is in-sump, so the pump is submerged. If it leaks a little bit, its fine cause its just going to go inside the tank.
How about a 90 degree CPVC elbow(slip x slip) and some teflon tape? Would this hold up to the pressure? Has anybody found a better fitting to use for this application?
Thanks,
exmt
How about a 90 degree CPVC elbow(slip x slip) and some teflon tape? Would this hold up to the pressure? Has anybody found a better fitting to use for this application?
Thanks,
exmt
grendl
New member
A couple years ago, I was all about doing things on the cheap, & was going to DIY my own canister for my FW tank. I did alot of searching around & found :
http://petfrd.com/forum/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=87
If your going to do a standalone canister, you can get that brand of container that guy used at Target, & you can get them larger than that little one. The bonus to the larger ones is that they are also square, so that sealing them will be easier. (that dudes canister was a cylinder)
This is likely NOT what you are looking for, but it will give you something to start with. I dug deeper & found a guy who made a really nice canister out of PVC. The thing that I really like about these homemade canisters, is that there is no way for the water to bypass the media... it has to trickle thru it to get out.
And at last, I was wanting to do DIY because of price issues. I ended up getting a pair of Jebo canisters from ebay. I think the pair of the highest volume filters ran me about $110 w/shipping. They are cheaper now.... I think you can get em from aquatraders. There is a well documented review of them on www.plantedtank.net in one of the forums. Basically the guy says that it doesnt move as much water as he thought it would, but they do the job & at a fraction of the cost of Eheim.
Hope that helps.
http://petfrd.com/forum/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=87
If your going to do a standalone canister, you can get that brand of container that guy used at Target, & you can get them larger than that little one. The bonus to the larger ones is that they are also square, so that sealing them will be easier. (that dudes canister was a cylinder)
This is likely NOT what you are looking for, but it will give you something to start with. I dug deeper & found a guy who made a really nice canister out of PVC. The thing that I really like about these homemade canisters, is that there is no way for the water to bypass the media... it has to trickle thru it to get out.
And at last, I was wanting to do DIY because of price issues. I ended up getting a pair of Jebo canisters from ebay. I think the pair of the highest volume filters ran me about $110 w/shipping. They are cheaper now.... I think you can get em from aquatraders. There is a well documented review of them on www.plantedtank.net in one of the forums. Basically the guy says that it doesnt move as much water as he thought it would, but they do the job & at a fraction of the cost of Eheim.
Hope that helps.
bkwudzjeep
O|||||||O
I bought a prop system tank a while back that came with a spray bar attached to a maxi-jet.....works pretty well!!
Looks like lots of glue was used, but it works.
Looks like lots of glue was used, but it works.
exmt
New member
Travis, do you think that an acrylic pasta jar would work?
http://www.lnt.com/product/index.js...o&doVSearch=no&pageBucket=0&parentPage=family
So water in a canister has to go in from the bottom and be forced out the top, right? Thats what the Eheims do..so I guess it must be more effective. Would a maxi jet 900 be enough to power a DIY canister that is 12" tall?
Lemonhead, I was thinking about using soft plumbing, but for safety, I decided to use 1/2" CPVC hard plumbing instead of viynl.
Thanks,
exmt
http://www.lnt.com/product/index.js...o&doVSearch=no&pageBucket=0&parentPage=family
So water in a canister has to go in from the bottom and be forced out the top, right? Thats what the Eheims do..so I guess it must be more effective. Would a maxi jet 900 be enough to power a DIY canister that is 12" tall?
Lemonhead, I was thinking about using soft plumbing, but for safety, I decided to use 1/2" CPVC hard plumbing instead of viynl.
Thanks,
exmt
itstheantitang
New member
for the diy canister, you wouldn't have to hard plumb the maxijet, you could place it in the tank and put tubing on the output.
For hard plumbing the maxijet, I belive it has been done on some ca reactors. I don't know the brand name though.
For hard plumbing the maxijet, I belive it has been done on some ca reactors. I don't know the brand name though.
captain7359
Active member
How about one of these two ways I've hooked up mj's for my kalk reactors.
grendl
New member
I think for a real handyman DIYer, anything acrylic would be fine. For a ghetto DIYer like me, I would feel safer going with softer plastics though. Also, as I mentioned previously, those lok-tite (or whatever) containers come squared, so you dont have to deal with the headache of any additional attachments, just cut a hole, stick the MJ pipe thru it, & seal with silicoln.
The reason I like the idea of the MJ being IN the canister, instead of in the tank, is simple... its just less crap in the tank.
Regarding the powerhead positioning, I am unsure. In the example I linked to, the guy says the water comes in the bottom & out the top. I suppose this would be better.... My ghetto science leads me to believe that with the way his is plumbed, it is exerting all the pressure thru the output tube, which is directly outside of the top of the container. If the action were reversed, it would be pushin the water into the container, & out of the pipe at the bottom... And to me that would put pressure on the canister, bowing the sides, compromising its integrity. But I dont know if thats the case.... If you went with solid acrylic, it would be less of a concern I suppose.
The reason I like the idea of the MJ being IN the canister, instead of in the tank, is simple... its just less crap in the tank.
Regarding the powerhead positioning, I am unsure. In the example I linked to, the guy says the water comes in the bottom & out the top. I suppose this would be better.... My ghetto science leads me to believe that with the way his is plumbed, it is exerting all the pressure thru the output tube, which is directly outside of the top of the container. If the action were reversed, it would be pushin the water into the container, & out of the pipe at the bottom... And to me that would put pressure on the canister, bowing the sides, compromising its integrity. But I dont know if thats the case.... If you went with solid acrylic, it would be less of a concern I suppose.
exmt
New member
Thanks captain7359 for the good pics, I like the idea!
grendl, I have decided to put the powerhead inside the cylinder, even though it takes up space. How can I seal the hole for the power cord? I know the person in the link used silicone, but what about a plumbing fitting? Could I use a female adapter on the outside, and use a male adapter on the inside, the stick the power line through the hole?
grendl, I have decided to put the powerhead inside the cylinder, even though it takes up space. How can I seal the hole for the power cord? I know the person in the link used silicone, but what about a plumbing fitting? Could I use a female adapter on the outside, and use a male adapter on the inside, the stick the power line through the hole?
Medicine Man
Premium Member
I have a MJ 600 plumbed externally as a stirrer for my kalk reactor. The john guest fittings fit perfectly and allow you to remove them without glue or anything like that. Been going for a year without a leak.
captain7359
Active member
look for electrical fittings called cord grips or grip tite fittings or something like that. they are a mpt thread with a nut on the opposite side of the fitting what allows you to tighten the nut down which squishes a rubber gasket around the cord. make sure you find an mj with the round rather than flat cord.
grendl
New member
http://www.heyco.com/pages/products/section_1/1-01.html
This is EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT!!!! You will have to shop around for precisely the right part/size, but these are really nice parts.
This is EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT!!!! You will have to shop around for precisely the right part/size, but these are really nice parts.
exmt
New member
Ah yes, those look like some nice fittings there, Travis. Now only one problem..how would I fit the molded plug through the fitting? Would I have to splice the wire?
If so..it sounds like a fire hazard. I don't think I want a fire in my house.
If I cannot put the cord through without splicing the wire, I think will just put the pump in the tank. Even if it means disrupting the aesthetics, it just doesn't seem to be worth the risks.
Here is a drawing of what I have so far for the canister filter. The "canister" is really a clear acrylic pasta jar(12" tall, 4" in diameter).
Since yellow CPVC piping goes bad with marine tanks, how about painting the spraybar and pipes gloss black with Krylon Fusion? That will go well with my black tank background.
Off we go then:rollface::
If so..it sounds like a fire hazard. I don't think I want a fire in my house.
If I cannot put the cord through without splicing the wire, I think will just put the pump in the tank. Even if it means disrupting the aesthetics, it just doesn't seem to be worth the risks.
Here is a drawing of what I have so far for the canister filter. The "canister" is really a clear acrylic pasta jar(12" tall, 4" in diameter).
Since yellow CPVC piping goes bad with marine tanks, how about painting the spraybar and pipes gloss black with Krylon Fusion? That will go well with my black tank background.
Off we go then:rollface::
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