Help With Plumbing

[Kevin34]

Well I am thinking about hooking up a refugium into my system and figured I might replace my vinyl tubing plumbing with PVC pipe while I am at it. The PVC is just so much for organized. I dont know why I didnt use it in the first place. Any tips on how to do this? Tank is a 125. And when I take the tubing off, water shouldnt pour out the bottom of the overflow right? that is if I remember to turn the return pump off. haha

 

[customcolor]

vinyl tubing is not the worst, unless you have kinking problems.

 

[Adamc1303]

Water shouldn't pour out once you turn the system off. If you plan on replacing bulkheads as well then the water in the overflow box will leak out. You can siphon most of it out before starting.

 

[therealfatman]

The major problem with vinyl tubing is that people use tubing that is too small. b Why do I say that. Well, consider that vinyl tubings fittings go inside the vinyl tubing. If you use vinyl tubing that is 3/4" in inside diameter you ae putting fittings inside it that are abut 1/2" inside diameter. With PVC pipe the fittings go on the outside of the pipe. Therefore the PVC pipe inside diamter is not decresed by its fittings as it as vinyl tubing is by its fittings.

You will get substantaially more flow from 3/4" PVC pipe than you will from 3/4" vinyl tubing if any fittings are being used. You can get the advantage of flexibility and outside fittings by using Flexible PVC tubing. It is also called SPA flex tubing or pipe. It is mot-re expensive than either vinyl tubing or PVC pipe.