Help: DIY Gravel Siphon

[Ted_C]

I was wondering if anyone's ever tried to set up a vacuum system and could give me some design tips.

Here's my situation: I have a waveline dc 2200 plumbed in such a way as to recirculate my sump water to:
feed my UV
Which then goes to my chiller
(Allows for future reactors to be set up on the 3/4 inch plumbing.
Which then goes back to my filter socks in the sump.

I have it tee'd off with valves on both outlet sides of the tee. One valve controls the flow to the UV/Chiller/(future reactors) and the other valve will be to remove the water from the sump during water changes. I can stop flow to the UV and start flow to the sink.

What I'd like to do is set-up some sort of method to pull an "on-demand" vacuum when doing these water changes so I can remove any detritus that may be stuck on the bottom of my display tank.

This is where I need your help. I think if I use a normal tee - the water will not pull from the vacuum but instead just push water out of both outlets of the tee.

Could I plumb in an Aqueon Water Changer into the 3/4 PVC? (http://www.thatpetplace.com/aqueon-..._id=27465948&gclid=CMfdpbL2ucICFSxk7AodACcAUA)

This device is designed to be used on the faucet of the sink. You run water through the tee and it pulls water from the long hose.

Any other DIY ideas?

 

[Ted_C]

Something like this is what I'm looking for:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2123513

Only with a better venturi than a simple tee.

 

[viper12775]

we have 3/4" brine injectors at work for our industrial water softener I'll take some pics tomorrow and get your # again and text them to you

 

[CuzzA]

Ted, do you think it's really necessary? With the right livestock and flow I would think you shouldn't need to be vacuuming anything but the sump. I had a similar idea when I first setup my tank and I found it simply wasn't necessary once I got everything dialed in. Just a thought.

 

[Ted_C]

we have 3/4" brine injectors at work for our industrial water softener I'll take some pics tomorrow and get your # again and text them to you

Thanks! that's exactly what I was looking for! I found a mfg that I have contacted for the 1" eductors - I'll just plumb it in with adapters and bushings:
http://www.millerplastics.com/eductors

Ted, do you think it's really necessary? With the right livestock and flow I would think you shouldn't need to be vacuuming anything but the sump. I had a similar idea when I first setup my tank and I found it simply wasn't necessary once I got everything dialed in. Just a thought.

Yes. Yes I do. These two builds I'm in to are about ease of use, aesthetics and redundancy based on lessons learned in my last aquarium.

Even if I have the right livestock and the exactly perfect feeding regime and the exact flow I'd need (while keeping pumps w/ wires out of the display) - I still expect that detritus may settle in the display, overflows, sump, etc - whether it's from poo, uneaten food, or bacterial mum.

Even if I never have to use the gravel vac w/ the venturi educator - it's there and built in from the start.

 

[Ted_C]

Ok - resurrecting this thread. I finally got the plumbing on the 150 to a point yesterday where I could give this venturi / eductor a shot. I had the venturi plumbed in to a loop on a DC 4000 pump (~ 1000 GPH).

It didn't work to my liking. It pulled a bit of water through the 1/2" tubing - but nowhere near sufficient to siphon anything out of the sump or the display's sand bed.

Maybe my hose was too long (20 ft) - maybe it's not meant to work against gravity. Maybe 1000 GPH is not enough.

 

[risin]

The pump is going to pull water from the source of least resistance. You would need to restrict the intake to create more suction from the hose. I would only attempt this with a pump designed to suck in water.



I'm not familiar with the dc pumps but I would not try this on a reeflo style pump. It would cause cavitation and likely permanent damage to the pump.