Plumbing Help

Redsox Nation

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Well its been quite a long time since I've been on here, and sad to say but my tank has been neglected BIG time in the last 2 years. Think it started when we went on vacation and I lost a couple fish and a handful of corals, seemed like every time I went on vac I came back to a fish missing or a coral dead.

Any how, I want to finish out the plans for my tank (110g tall and it is drilled). I currently have a 30 gal make shift sump thats been working for the past 3 years and was actually cracked on 1 side. I puirchased a nice acrylic sump about 2 years ago but never got a chance to get around to installing it. I know plumbing comes very easy to prob most in this hobby but I'll be the 1st in saying I completely suck at it.

Just curious if there was anyone out there willing to come over one of these weekends and help me knock it out? I really dont have any frags to give as a trade off, but I could always pay you. I'll have to update this thread with all the details, size of sump, etc once I get home tonight.

Im located in south tampa near westshore mall and just putting a feeler out there. Thanks.
 
Plumbing couldn't be any easier. We can walk you through it.

First, a couple questions...
Post a picture of this new sump and include the dimensions.
How many holes are drilled in the 110, where are they located and what size bulkheads?
Do you have a return pump? If so, which one?
 
Plumbing couldn't be any easier. We can walk you through it.

First, a couple questions...
Post a picture of this new sump and include the dimensions. Yep was plannin gon that when I get home
How many holes are drilled in the 110, where are they located and what size bulkheads? 2 holes, almost dead middle back of tank, 1" bulk heads
Do you have a return pump? If so, which one?currently running an old school Blueline external pump, but will be changing over to an in sump pump, and cant recall off top my head which submersable pump I bought 2 years ago, will also look when I get home

questions anwered....well what I can atm :p
 
Ok, here's what to do...

First I would replace the gaskets on the bulkheads, assuming they are used. Hand tighten, plus one quarter turn with a bulkhead wrench or channel locks.

I would setup a Herbie drain since you have two bulkheads. One will be a full siphon the other an emergency drain. In order to set this up you are going to replace the standpipes in the over flow box. They should look like the link below. The strainer can be purchased online or from most LFS's.

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/

Next you're going to need threaded adapters on the threaded side of the bulkhead under the tank. This will be 1" male pipe thread (MPT) x 1" slip (Assuming your bulkheads are slip on the flange side and female pipe thread on the other). You will need thread sealant or Teflon tape to create a leak proof joint (Follow the instructions in the video below). Then a short piece of pipe and a 1" Slip x 1" Slip Union. This will allow you to easily remove the drain pipes under the tank if the situation ever came up where they needed to be removed without hacking up your pipes.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Auyhm7YKQEI

You're going to need a stick of 1" SCH 40 PVC pipe and 4x 45 degree elbows. Maybe 90 degree street elbows if the distance is too far to the sumps filter bag holder. Better to go ahead and buy them now and return them later. You'll also need PVC cement, but do not glue anything until you have dry fitted everything first. Pick up a pair of PVC pipe cutters too. They can be bought very cheap at Harbor Freight. Finally you're going to need a PVC gate valve for the full siphon. I would buy a threaded gate valve and install 1" MPT thread x slip adapters on both sides. Gate valves aren't cheap. No sense in permanently gluing them.

Now, you need to place the sump in the stand and figure out how much pipe and where to put the 45's/90's and the gate valve on the full siphon drain. Just eye ball it and cut your pipe a little long to make finer adjustments/cuts as you start to piece it together. The emergency drain can terminate anywhere in the sump, however, I would avoid terminating in the return section. Make sure it terminates above the water level. Above the water level will provide an audible alert that your full siphon has been compromised and needs attention. The full siphon should terminate no more than 1" below the water level.

Once you have it all together grab a beer and admire your work and post a picture on here for any critiques.

Next is the return. Since we used the two bulkheads for the drain you can just run the return up and over the rim of the tank from the back. First install a 3/4" female pipe thread x 1" slip adapter directly on the pump. Then a piece of pipe to above the water level followed by a 1" slip x 1" MPT adapter. Then install a 1" threaded true union ball valve. This will allow you to easily remove the pump for servicing and also remove the valve for cleaning. From this point you will need to determine if you want to run PVC up to the tank or vinyl tubing. Since we're upsizing the plumbing from 3/4" to 1" I don't see any problem with running vinyl and it will insure there's is no vibration transfered to the tank. If you want to go this route you'll need a 1" MPT x 1" Hose Barb elbow and a stainless steel hose clamp. I suggest an elbow because the 1" vinyl isn't very flexible and the elbow will direct it to the back of the tank. Finally, pick up one of these below and another clamp.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/return-jet.html (You may need to drill an 1/8" hole just below the water level to create a siphon break.)

Most of your plumbing parts are available at Ace Hardware, Home Depot or Lowes. The true union ball valve may have to be purchased online. BRS sells them.

Last but not least, I would consider adding another pump and buying a manifold to run other equipment like reactors, UV, etc. But we can jump off that bridge when we get there.

I hope this helps or at least gives you some direction. It may sound like a lot, but I promise it's very simple. ;)
 
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Also, just a suggestion... What does your weir look like on the overflow box? Does it have teeth? If so I would cut them out and attach plastic gutter guard behind it. This will effectively double the surface skimming area of the weir.

Should look something like this below or just cut down the entire box to be even with the bottom of the trim of the tank. Then attach the gutter guard to make a fence. Put some on top too so fish can't jump over and into your box.

This I absolutely necessary, but the production reef ready tanks are from from being efficent in this area. Nearly every tank I've seen has a BP oil slick on the surface or they point powerheads to the surface to mix the crap in the water column which is counterproductive as we want that crap to go to the sump to be filtered.

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Cuzza I really appreciate the feedback and suggestions. Gonna try to fig out how I can do this as my tank is up and running with the Durso method and has been....
 
:headwallblue:Oh man, I thought you were plumbing a new tank. It still can be done though and you'll have a much better setup.
 
I took your initial post as you were completely oblivious to any plumbing.

I would do the same thing I suggested. Just remove some water so you can pull the stand pipes and drain the box into the sump.

No offense but your tank could definitely use a serious reset/cleaning. ;)
 
Well it's been 3 years since I've had to do any plumbing and wanted a better setup as I know I skipped a few key parts in my current setup and don't want to do the same. Honestly not sure I can drain enough water out to remove the stand pipes.

And no offense taken....it was once a beautiful oasis but like I said before...it's been seriously neglected and it's time to bring her back to life. Ordered some new lights today, tunze care magnet, new filter socks, and currently looking for a dosing pump and adding some much needed additional clean up crew inverts
 
I actually like plumbing tanks. I might be free this Sunday after 11am. Maybe I can swing by and come up with a plan or help you if needed.
 
ok so i'm in the process of now sketching out how I want my plumbing to be and in reading more into the Herbie Method there is only 1 thing that I dont understand. It states to not install a check valve on the emergency pipe. Why would this be :confused: Is it bc since this is the emergency pipe and that the standpipe is already high and close to the water line that once enough water is pushed into the sump during a power outage that it will no longer siphon out?

"Don’t install a valve on the emergency pipe — just don’t…no good can come of it."

Also if you are running the trickle way on your emergency pipe....did you put a ball/gate valve on it?

and lastly...it states that the Herbie method should never use less than 1″ pipe for plumbing, no matter what size tank. My tank is dual drilled with 1 hole being 1" and the other being 3/4". Do to this should I run adaptors to create the pipe up to 1" or larger or would that not matter since it will all be straining through the 3/4" opening anyway in the bulkhead?
 
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Honestly, don't rely on check valves anywhere, they're false security imo. The trickle in the 2nd pipe doesnt come from restricting the emergency, it comes from restricting the main siphon to a water level you want and the emergency / secondary picking up the remainder.
 
Redsox, if you look at my build thread, i changed my durso's to full siphon with 1 emergency drain. i'd be glad to assist with yours
 
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