Hole size

[Lance A. Lot]

I am looking to drill the holes for my bean animal style overflow. The Reeflow hammerhead pump I will be using can do a max of 5050 gph at 6' of head. The calculator says I need 2.93 inches in diameter for my drain pipe? Do I combine the sizes of the 3 drains? What sized plumbing can I use? (I would like to use 1inch) What volume or depth should my overflow box be for best results? I can get a max depth with the scrap glass I have of 11.25 inches in the overflow box.

 

[M3P]

I have no answers for this question, but am wondering if you are planning on having the hammerhead run just the tank. If so that will be a ton of flow through your sump, so may want to make sure your baffles can handle that flow. I have a hammerhead gold in my basement and they are one beast of a pump. Mine is running a 210 display 1 floor up, a skimmer, a frag tank in the basement, and 3 bulk reef supply media reactors.

 

[_E_]

I don't run a Bean, but considered it at one time. Lots of info here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1541946

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Was planning on running a manifold off it. Considering running the 180 and the 75 off it. If it's that much flow maybe I should run a skimmer from it too?

 

[smoothdog]

Don't run your skimmer off the manifold. Any changes to another device on the manifold will change the pressure/flow rate to the skimmer and change the level in it.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Don't run your skimmer off the manifold. Any changes to another device on the manifold will change the pressure/flow rate to the skimmer and change the level in it.

Yeah I won't. After reading a little more into bean animal's thread I think what I will end up doing is drilling 4 holes for 1" plumbing. 2 full siphons controlled with gate valves, 1 for the emergency standpipe and the last one for the capped standpipe with the air line. This way I can start the build being able to handle a lot of turnover and then when I add the 75 to the system I can turn the extra siphon down or off to adjust to the new slower rate. Does this sound like a plan? :crazy1:

 

[M3P]

How big is your sump? You may consider having any extra flow from the pump being diverted through the sump instead of to the tank if you find that the overflow can't handle it. I've read of the seals going bad on the hammerheads and needing to be replaced. I haven't had any issues, but I wonder if it's because I don't restrict my output.

Where are the guys with the real big tanks at?

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Sump will be 100 gallon horse trough full of LR and a 100 gallon acrylic sump for the skimmer, reactors, maybe a turf scrubber. So the total volume will probably be ~115

 

[MayoBoy]

A 2.93" diameter circle is ~6.75 square inches. A 1" pipe is about .79 square inches so you would need roughly (8) 1" pipes to get the same flow. 1-1/2" pipes are 1.76 sq. inches so 4 would work or 2" pipe is 3.14 sq. inches so 2 would get you close.

 

[smoothdog]

Here is a good resource for planning your beananimal design.

http://www.beananimal.com/articles/hydraulics-for-the-aquarist.aspx

 

[smoothdog]

2 pipes will be hard to control the flow rate on. I think you would have a major headache trying to tune the 2 valves. Looks like one 1.5" pipe would handle the full rate of the pump at full siphon with a 5' drop. I would just do the standard 3 hole beananimal with one full siphon, one trickle pipe and one emergency drain all using 1.5" pipe.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Here is a good resource for planning your beananimal design.

http://www.beananimal.com/articles/hydraulics-for-the-aquarist.aspx

Good read. I feel more confident about this now.