Please help me with plumbing.

[Flobajob]

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out how to plumb my 90 gallon reef but I don't really know what I am doing and I really need some guidance.

So far I've come up with several plans (BTW, the drain hole size is actually going to have to be 1.25"):

1.

2.

(this one has the return plumbing included in the diagram)

3.

I think the last one looks best, but I am not sure whether it might need an unrestricted drain line in order to work properly.

Are any of these plans any good, or do I need something completely different?

Many thanks for your help,

Flobajob.

 

[RichConley]

Don't connect the safety drain to other drains. Just run it straight to the sump.

 

[Flobajob]

Thanks for the suggestion Rich. If the emergency drain line was not connected to the main drain in any of the above diagrams, which one would you pick?

 

[aaronpentz]

Also dont put a ballvalve on any drain.
Number 1 and 3 are the best. with number 2 your going to recirculate some water through your fuge. better to have dirty water all the time.
And number 1 is better than number 3 as you would have to watch that you dont close any valve too much. Number one has a bypass. You dont want to flood the room because your tank cannot drain. You want around 2 times the tank volume going trough your skimmer and fuge So unless you match up your return pump excatly I would go with number 1.

 

[Flobajob]

So this would work:

 

[Flobajob]

??

 

[aaronpentz]

That would work But I would do It jut like Number 1 in your original post. but remove the ballvalve on the right drain pipe. If you want the left to be a safety then all you have to do is make the drain like .5 inch taller than the right one. There is no need for the ballvalve on the right drain. If you reason to put the valve is to quiet the drain down then you should condsider using a durso or stockman stand pipe.

 

[Flobajob]

Isn't the ball valve you're referring to needed, since it forms part of "Herbie's method".

 

[aaronpentz]

I dont see a reason for it. Unless you are tying to tune both drains to flow the same ammount. If you put a valve there you run a greater risk of clogging that drain. I have always used unrestricted drains and have never had any problems.

 

[Flobajob]

I think the drain has to be restricted in order to get the water level in the overflow at the right height. What I might do is move the ball valve on the line to the fuge much further down towards the end of the pipe. It seems to me that as long as there is a single unrestricted route to the sump as an emergency drain line I should be alright. In either the modified or unmodified version of diagram 1, this is the case. The issue I am now trying to solve is whether or not to attach the emergency drain line to the skimmer feed (like in the unmodified diagram 1) so that should the main drain fail I can still have skimming capabilities. The trouble with that is if the blockage is below the first ball valve I will end up with a flood or a burnt out pump or both.

However, the chances are that any blockage in the main drain line will be above the first ball valve (since the ball valve is the narrowest point in the drain), and thus I can safely connect the emergency drain to the main drain line as in the first diagram.

I am inclined to attach the emergency drain line to the main drain, but I am not 100% certain that this is the way to go. Can you see a flaw in my reasoning? Or is there a better way of doing things?

 

[aaronpentz]

So the only reason that you have a ballvale on the pipe is to raise the water level in the overflow so you dont get the waterfall sound from the water falling from the top of the overflow to the bottom where your bulkhead will be? Are you going to be using a standpipe on your drain?
I am using a durso standpipe in my setup. The wter level in my overflow is 3 inches below the tank level and I dont have any valve on the plumbing. I would attach the emergency to the main drain so that you dont run your skimmer dry and I highly doubt that the pipe will get clogged. I am only running one drain and have yet seen any sort of restriction on my drain. My overflow is built so that only the smallest snail could get through and that wouldnt be enough to slow the drain down. plumb the tank just like number 1. and the ballvalve is up to you.