HeresJonny
New member
We're setting up a 96 gallon corner tank and it came with plumbing for a Durso in the overflow box. We gave it a try but couldn't get it quiet enough, even after following the advice from multiple threads here. So, we pulled off the u-bend and used the ball valve in order to make a "pseudo-herbie" in order to give it a quick test, and as expected it made all the difference in the world.
Given our success we'd now like to set up a proper Herbie, but space is limited. It would be hard to fit another drilled hole, and we don't want to plumb the return up the side either if we can avoid it. Thinking outside the box, we were wondering how hard it would be to run the return pipe up the middle of a drain pipe. There have been a couple other threads where people have done it, with no real negative comments about that setup.
The main difference from the existing designs is we'd like to run the return up the emergency overflow drain. This would simplify our plumbing because we wouldn't have to seal the part where the pipes separate in the sump. This would also allow the plumbing to be dismantled without cutting anything. Since a picture is worth 1000 words:

We have 2 holes with bulkheads: one is 1" and one is 1-1/2". I'd use the 1" for the primary drain and the 1-1/2" for the emergency drain. The return line would be 3/4". According to my math, a 1-1/2" pipe with a 3/4" pipe inside still offers more flow than a 1" pipe on its own, so it should be sufficient to handle a clogged primary drain.
On the sump side, the inner return pipe has a hose barb to hook up the return pump. The outer pipe expands to 2" in order to allow ample room for hooking it up and flexing the hose to the return pump. The 45 bend would be attached with a union and is necessary to get the drain over the sump (which can't move due to limited space).
To keep the return pipe in its "floating" position, I plan to 3D print a couple of these:

The primary drain is plumbed like a standard Herbie, no questions there.
Before I go and build this crazy contraption, I was hoping for some feedback. Is any of this a bad idea, or are there any potential problems with this setup? We have the tank set up in the garage running on tap water until we get everything set up the way we want it, so we can try anything we want easily.
Given our success we'd now like to set up a proper Herbie, but space is limited. It would be hard to fit another drilled hole, and we don't want to plumb the return up the side either if we can avoid it. Thinking outside the box, we were wondering how hard it would be to run the return pipe up the middle of a drain pipe. There have been a couple other threads where people have done it, with no real negative comments about that setup.
The main difference from the existing designs is we'd like to run the return up the emergency overflow drain. This would simplify our plumbing because we wouldn't have to seal the part where the pipes separate in the sump. This would also allow the plumbing to be dismantled without cutting anything. Since a picture is worth 1000 words:

We have 2 holes with bulkheads: one is 1" and one is 1-1/2". I'd use the 1" for the primary drain and the 1-1/2" for the emergency drain. The return line would be 3/4". According to my math, a 1-1/2" pipe with a 3/4" pipe inside still offers more flow than a 1" pipe on its own, so it should be sufficient to handle a clogged primary drain.
On the sump side, the inner return pipe has a hose barb to hook up the return pump. The outer pipe expands to 2" in order to allow ample room for hooking it up and flexing the hose to the return pump. The 45 bend would be attached with a union and is necessary to get the drain over the sump (which can't move due to limited space).
To keep the return pipe in its "floating" position, I plan to 3D print a couple of these:

The primary drain is plumbed like a standard Herbie, no questions there.
Before I go and build this crazy contraption, I was hoping for some feedback. Is any of this a bad idea, or are there any potential problems with this setup? We have the tank set up in the garage running on tap water until we get everything set up the way we want it, so we can try anything we want easily.