Help with PVC

[Newreeflady]

I am doing my purchasing and need to buy PVC. I need to do the following work:

Project 1: Return from sump
I am planning to use an Oceanrunner 2500 which has a 3/4" outlet. I would like to use tubing at first at least to cut back on vibration. I then need to T this off and at the end of each T i'll want a Gate/Ball? valve.

I need to take the top line up to the tank and i'd like to return it via a 2 x 90 degree threaded black pvc so as to make a 180 degree turn into the tank.

[The tee'd line will be for future use in plumbing a chiller into the system. ]

Questions for project 1:

What is the best way to accomplish the bottom part of this setup? I have never used anything but threaded PVC and i'm not sure how easy the glue stuff is to work with. I've heard FLEX PVC can be even harder to work with. Thing is, i'd like to be able to slide the sump out from under the stand so my plan is to install railing so that I can slide this out a little if I need to work in the sump as I won't be able to get behind the tank, and the under-tank area is very tight. This makes rigid pvc unappealing.

Is Flex PVC recommended? And, how would you accomplish what i'm looking to do. Part names and numbers would be very helpful. So far i've only been looking at SAVKO.

Questions for & desc of Project 2:

I am looking to use an Oceanrunner 3500 for a CL through an OM Squirt.

On the inlet end I would like to drill out a 12" piece of black 3/4" PVC to have many intake holes. This will act as a pre-filter and to spread the suction forces out as to save small animals from sure death. I would need an end-cap for this pvc and I need the top end to somehow convert to vinyl tubing or hard line that will leave the tank. The tank has a 1.5" lip at the top and so hard-plumbing may not work if I want the pvc to sit in the back corner. I would need some kind of slip-to-barb fitting I am guessing?

The outlet of the pump is 1", but the inlet of the Squirt is 3/4". Is it safe to reduce this to 3/4"?

Then, I need each of the 4 outlets to reach the tank to ultimately meet 3/4" threaded pvc to loc-line fittings. If I hard-plumb this will I get a lot of vibration?

Thanks for the help!
Angela

 

[sfsuphysics]

Project 1: I'm fairly certain (ie I'm guessing) they don't make 3/4" spaflex, so first thing to do is get a 3/4 to 1" connector, not sure if the OR2500 is threaded but you should be able to stay with threaded stuff. Then use a 1" spaflex length to glue into the other end of the 3/4" to 1" adapter, I've found regular PVC cement is more than adaquate. You might want to slip a union in between some of these steps too incase you want to disassemble certain parts without worrying about the whole thing coming down.

I have threaded fittings to all "expensive" pieces like union & ball valves and pump.

Personally I'd run 1 inch to the Tee, then after the tee reduce back down to 3/4" for your ball valves (3/4" ones are cheaper, might as well chop it down here) to the pvc elbows (I'm assuming you already have them and they're 3/4") . Now I can't for the life of me imagine how that will allow for a future chiller thing.

Project 2:
Yah reduce them to 3/4" you'll reduce the flow slightly, but probably not terribly noticably.

If you hard "wire" it any vibration will result from the pump and the OM that's probably "free standing".. If you can find a way to house the OM on some solid ground (so it's not free to move) and then use a piece of spa-flex from the pump to the OM you should be good to go. Also some spaflex from your bulkhead to the input of the pump should reduce any tank vibrational noise.

 

[Blu50Stang]

Mike, Ewing Irrigation sells black spaflex(TigerFlex) in 3/4"

 

[sfsuphysics]

ahh didn't realize they were open to non-contractors. Hmm wonder if they have bulkheads for reasonable prices.

 

[sid700]

Make sure to take into account that a chiller will have a minimum flowrate. Flow through a chiller will also have head loss - slowing down your flowrate. The OC 2500 (see pdf link below) has a max head of about 8 ft.

I'm just saying because I had planned on plumbing a chiller through my return, and I could not meet the required flowrate with my planned pump. So now, I have to decide whether to go with a bigger pump or dedicated a pump for the chiller.

http://www.aqua-medic.de/en/service/pdfs/oceanrunner OR series _100.012_.pdf

I use flexible PVC to avoid 90 degree elbows. But these are not as flexible as vinyl hoses.

 

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7604470#post7604470 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sfsuphysics
Project 1: I'm fairly certain (ie I'm guessing) they don't make 3/4" spaflex, so first thing to do is get a 3/4 to 1" connector,

I thought that 3/4" spa flex is very common, We have bought it a various times from different LFS, savko, marinedepot and have seen it on several online vendors web site.

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_plumbing_parts_fittings_pvc_flexible_pipes.asp

http://www.savko.com/partlist.asp?pgid=4&ptid=19&pid=36

I have also seen it at Ace Hardware stores in up to 1 1/2" sizes.

Although they all call it flexible PVC, which I thought was a generic term and we have always referred to it as spa flex (unless that is a trademarked name ? or a different product ?). I could be making a mistake with the names/terms, so if I am I apologize in advance for confusing the topic.


pipe names aside, increasing to a 1" is a bare minimum for that pump, as sfuphysics recommends. I believe that you actually reach the manufacturers stated flow rate you would need to use a pipe twice the diameter of the pump outlet. We always go a minimum 1 size up on our pipe connections to pumps. Do a search and you will find more precise information regarding the fluid dynamics and how they affect (and/or restrict) your flow rates.

 

[Newreeflady]

Thanks guys.

Mike, thanks for your drawing. It was very helpful to picture what you were talking about.

I don't already have the pvc pipe for Project 1. I have ordered all of the Loc-Line for project 2.

So, in light of 3/4" being available, I suppose that should be sufficient to return to the tank? Can I push 300+gph through that?

As for the chiller, it looks like with the in-line chillers such as the jbj mini arctica that is coming out, you run a line with water in (up to like 120gph), this would come from the T branch of the return. Then, i'd run it back from the chiller to the beginning of the sump. This, of course, means that some chilled water will always return to the chiller before even reaching the tank. I can't see any way around this aside from adding a third pump in the beginning of the sump, but i'd really not like to add even more pumps if I can avoid it. I'll already be running the pump for the return and the pump for the skimmer in the sump. Then i'll have the pump for the CL of course which will be out of the sump.

Does this make sense?

-A

 

[Kinetic]

aquaticeco.com also sells spaflex in all sizes. pickup a can of flexible pvc cement as well. I've known people who've used regular pvc cement on spaflex and have leaks / microbubbles who then fixed the problem by replacing and using the flex pvc cement.

goodluck!

 

[Newreeflady]

Thanks!


Angela

 

[D-Rod]

Usually any Ace Hardware carries Spa Flex or plumbing supply store.

 

[Newreeflady]

The pump outlet is 3/4", is there any reason to run all 1" plumbing? It looks like that might give more flow, but i'd need to switch back to 3/4" before it goes into the tank as 1" are so big and bulky, so would I lose any gain there?

Also, Questions for & desc of Project 2:

I am looking to use an Oceanrunner 3500 for a CL through an OM Squirt.

On the inlet end I would like to drill out a 12" piece of black 3/4" PVC to have many intake holes. This will act as a pre-filter and to spread the suction forces out as to save small animals from sure death. I would need an end-cap for this pvc and I need the top end to somehow convert to vinyl tubing or hard line that will leave the tank. The tank has a 1.5" lip at the top and so hard-plumbing may not work if I want the pvc to sit in the back corner. *I would need some kind of slip-to-barb fitting I am guessing?

*The outlet of the pump is 1", but the inlet of the Squirt is 3/4". Is it safe to reduce this to 3/4"?

*Then, I need each of the 4 outlets to reach the tank to ultimately meet 3/4" threaded pvc to loc-line fittings. If I hard-plumb this will I get a lot of vibration?

Thanks,
Angela