Plumbing Inquery

[CodeBlueMedic]

Howdy All,

I'm in the process of setting up my 125G and I would like a quick plumbing check to make sure I haven't screwed up anywhere. I would like this to be as flood proof as possible. Both drains in both bulkheads are near at the same level.

ETA: It's a 30 gallon sump

 

[toomany]

What kind of drain style are you running? Looks like it should work. Do you have enough room in the sump when you shut the return off and the water drains back?

 

[CodeBlueMedic]

I haven't filled it up with water yet (that picture is from the previous owner...My plumbing setup looks very similar, only without all the extra couplings.

Here is a picture inside the overflow box. It's just an open ended PVC pipe that at it's current level, will be totally submerged.

 

[bigswaug]

I was wondering the same exact thing as toomany.

 

[CodeBlueMedic]

I'm new to sumps, so I guess I'm not entirely understanding the question?

 

[toomany]

How far down below the water line is "Totally submerged"? If it's a couple inches down, then it could be a siphon drain. Either a Herbie or Bean Animal style. Do both the overflows have the same height pipes? Looking at your first picture, it looks to be a dual Herbie setup.

A quick search brought up this thread, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2435872&highlight=dual+herbie

You could also run a Bean Animal style, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2212298&highlight=dual+herbie

Those are just two of the many threads about the subject.

Different drain styles require slightly different plumbing tweaks, but they all are about the same.

As to how much extra room you have in the sump. When the return shuts off (power outage, maintenance) the water in the drain pipes with drain back to the sump, down to the lowest height pipe in each overflow box. The return lines will also drain back, often creating a siphon until the water level in the display tank gets low enough to break it. This can be a problem if the sump can't hold the extra water.

 

[CodeBlueMedic]

It is just a straight siphon line in the overflow box. One of them is at 2 3/4" below the water line, the other is 2"

Once I get it full of water, I'll have to test it out