mpcart's 240G build
- Thread starter mpcart
- Start date
mpcart
New member
I'm having second thoughts about my plumbing plan and need some help.
There are two 1.5" drains that I had planned on running into a single 2" drain. However, according to this calculator max gravity flow rate is:
This means my single 2" pipe isn't big enough (doh!). Am I better off running both drains independently to the sump, having them flow into a 3" pipe, or keeping the 2"?
I want to make sure the drains are unrestricted and also minimize bubbles in the sump.
-Mike
There are two 1.5" drains that I had planned on running into a single 2" drain. However, according to this calculator max gravity flow rate is:
- 1.5" - 2100 gph
- 2" - 3300 gph
- 3" - 8400 gph
This means my single 2" pipe isn't big enough (doh!). Am I better off running both drains independently to the sump, having them flow into a 3" pipe, or keeping the 2"?
I want to make sure the drains are unrestricted and also minimize bubbles in the sump.
-Mike
mpcart
New member
Bought the fittings today for two separate drain lines.
Here's the sump.
The shelf that will hold the skimmer, calcium reactor, media reactors, etc. It has a lip around it and it is slightly tilted towards the corner where I will drill a hole and tubing that drains into the sump below. That should contain any spills.
The shelf is 4ft high and the skimmer is 3 ft tall so the top of the skimmer cup is 7ft off the ground. Luckily I'm tall enough to reach it.
-Mike
Here's the sump.
The shelf that will hold the skimmer, calcium reactor, media reactors, etc. It has a lip around it and it is slightly tilted towards the corner where I will drill a hole and tubing that drains into the sump below. That should contain any spills.
The shelf is 4ft high and the skimmer is 3 ft tall so the top of the skimmer cup is 7ft off the ground. Luckily I'm tall enough to reach it.
-Mike
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mpcart
New member
Yes. I tried to do everything in sketchup as close to scale as possible. The equipment room is 12 x 15 with 9ft ceiling and the viewing room is 19 x 33.
This is the original thread I started on our club forum six long years ago when we built the house. You can see the space before I put up the wall. I also originally had a more complicated idea for making the tank viewable from three sides but decided I was dragging my feet (5 years) and needed to do something a little simpler if I was going to make progress.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1157518
-Mike
This is the original thread I started on our club forum six long years ago when we built the house. You can see the space before I put up the wall. I also originally had a more complicated idea for making the tank viewable from three sides but decided I was dragging my feet (5 years) and needed to do something a little simpler if I was going to make progress.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1157518
-Mike
mpcart
New member
Water changes? What are those?
Just kidding. I was actually pondering that tonight while dry fitting the plumbing. The plan is to block the flow to the returns and force all the pump water up to the manifold. One of the valve on the manifold will have a hose attached to it and I'll pump it from there. I may just tee off closer to the pump and then block off both the manifold and the returns.
The return section of the sump only holds 40 gallons with I suppose about 25 of that being available for water changes. That's not a lot so I guess I'll have to do water changes more frequently.
Any other ideas for getting a larger volume of water out? On my 58 I just shut off all the pumps and scoop it straight out of the top of the tank. i don't plan on doing that on this tank.
-Mike
Just kidding. I was actually pondering that tonight while dry fitting the plumbing. The plan is to block the flow to the returns and force all the pump water up to the manifold. One of the valve on the manifold will have a hose attached to it and I'll pump it from there. I may just tee off closer to the pump and then block off both the manifold and the returns.
The return section of the sump only holds 40 gallons with I suppose about 25 of that being available for water changes. That's not a lot so I guess I'll have to do water changes more frequently.
Any other ideas for getting a larger volume of water out? On my 58 I just shut off all the pumps and scoop it straight out of the top of the tank. i don't plan on doing that on this tank.
-Mike
dotcommer
Active member
I would keep them separate, just in case you get something stuck when the two come together, you will have some problems. Its a nice back up to have them separate just for that issue.
In my 300 Gallon build, I am doing two 1 1/2' drains, and having two 2" drains just as back up drains.
I have the same exact setup with the manifolds. And that's how I do water changes for the time being. But I can only pump out 15 gallons from the return section. That's considered small as my total system is 450 gallons. I need some new ideas as well. Haha.
Also I have another return pump that goes direct to the DT. If I put my hand near the DT output of the pump that has the manifold, I can feel the water gushing out very gently compared to the one which does not have the manifold. I'm using two Eheim 1264 for my returns and the head loss is a vertical 5.5 feet.
mpcart
New member
Do you mean that you have two pumps feeding the DT - one of which also feeds a manifold?
My return is a Reeflo Barracuda at 4600 gph. I'm working under the assumption that it has plenty of flow to handle both and I even have a valve on the DT side to limit flow to the DT if it is too much.
I've played around with the RC flow calculator but I'm not sure how to handle flow calculations when the lines have multiple branches. Maybe it doesn't matter.
-Mike
-Mike
My return is a Reeflo Barracuda at 4600 gph. I'm working under the assumption that it has plenty of flow to handle both and I even have a valve on the DT side to limit flow to the DT if it is too much.
I've played around with the RC flow calculator but I'm not sure how to handle flow calculations when the lines have multiple branches. Maybe it doesn't matter.
-Mike
-Mike
Yes, I run 2 return pumps. The Barracuda probably has more flow than my 2 pumps combined. I wish I could get that pump locally.
Calculators are a tricky thing. You'll know for sure when you have water in the tank.
mpcart
New member
My return pump has a 1.5" inlet and I need to drill my sump to plumb it. I have a 1.5" bulkhead and a 2" bulkhead that I could use. Am I better off using a 2" bulkhead and reducing to 1.5" before the pump? That would give me flexibility if I ever needed to change the pump out to a different one. Any negatives?
-Mike
-Mike
mpcart
New member
I finally built up the courage to drill the hole for the return pump not the sump - its 3/8" acrylic - brand new.
It's a 3" hole for a 2" bulkhead and is centered about 5" up and in from the bottom corner of the return section. The pipe reduces to 1.5" but I went with 2" to maximize flexibility in case I need to go with a different pump.
I used a standard 3" hole saw with a 1/4" pilot bit. I taped the outside and drilled a pilot hole the same size as the one on the hole saw.
It took about 10 minutes of slow drilling and frequent stops to keep the acrylic from melting. I also held a block of wood on the inside to prevent fracturing as the bit passed through. It was pretty nerve racking but turned out great.
Nice and clean.
It's a 3" hole for a 2" bulkhead and is centered about 5" up and in from the bottom corner of the return section. The pipe reduces to 1.5" but I went with 2" to maximize flexibility in case I need to go with a different pump.
I used a standard 3" hole saw with a 1/4" pilot bit. I taped the outside and drilled a pilot hole the same size as the one on the hole saw.
It took about 10 minutes of slow drilling and frequent stops to keep the acrylic from melting. I also held a block of wood on the inside to prevent fracturing as the bit passed through. It was pretty nerve racking but turned out great.
Nice and clean.
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Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
I finally built up the courage to drill the hole for the return pump not the sump - its 3/8" acrylic - brand new.
It's a 3" hole for a 2" bulkhead and is centered about 5" up and in from the bottom corner of the return section. The pipe reduces to 1.5" but I went with 2" to maximize flexibility in case I need to go with a different pump.
I used a standard 3" hole saw with a 1/4" pilot bit. I taped the outside and drilled a pilot hole the same size as the one on the hole saw.
It took about 10 minutes of slow drilling and frequent stops to keep the acrylic from melting. I also held a block of wood on the inside to prevent fracturing as the bit passed through. It was pretty nerve racking but turned out great.
Nice and clean.
I hope that helps with the pics.
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
Things are coming along well.
mpcart
New member
Had to put the brakes on the plumbing. Once I tried to route the drain lines I saw there wasn't enough clearance between the bottom of the stand and the top of the sump to get adequate slope for the drain lines.
I debated putting the sump on the concrete (with foam) but I don't like the idea of not being able to dry the concrete if there is a spill, overflow, etc. So I knocked the 2 x 4's off the stand and replaced with 2 x 1/2" strips to stand just above the concrete. That lowered the sump height by 3" so I'll see if that's enough.
-Mike
I debated putting the sump on the concrete (with foam) but I don't like the idea of not being able to dry the concrete if there is a spill, overflow, etc. So I knocked the 2 x 4's off the stand and replaced with 2 x 1/2" strips to stand just above the concrete. That lowered the sump height by 3" so I'll see if that's enough.
-Mike
