Plumbing

[bladeruner143]

I was wondering if there were any good articles on plumbing out there. I want to learn as much as I can before I even try any of these things. I've heard terms like recirc and closed loop and no idea what any of this means! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MrMikeB]

I am not aware of articles available off hand, but honestly I think we reef geeks may make up terms to further our own cause, so I would not treat any of them as exclusive to our hobby. For example, closed loop systems are common in the geothermal world to heat/cool your home by using the earth and a heat exchanger - very different than a reefer's closed loop system. Let me take a first crack at helping you better understand some of these terms and others can chime in to pass on some tribal knowledge.

Closed loop - A method of providing flow where the input water is sucked into an external pump from various holes/bulkheads installed on your tank, and then pumped back into the tank through different holes/bulkheads. This is commonly used in lieu of powerheads to provide flow that is not associated with the filtration. It can also be used to provide some nifty flow patterns by placing the inputs/outputs at various locations in the system. When you get really high speed you can do some crafty stuff with electronic gate valves to change flow direction.

Recirculating - I am assuming this is reference to skimmers? If so, the idea with skimmers is to maximize the bubble contact time with the water. With a recirculating skimmer, various powerheads are placed on the body of the skimmer to recirculate the already bubbly water through additional pumps that further increases the bubbles in the water column. More bubbles = more contact time = better skimming.

Hope this helps!

 

[Mikey Donuts]

Once you get to a point where you're ready to try plumbing something yourself, there's a good video podcast on talkingreef.com where you'll get to see how fittings are prepped and glued together.

 

[shiveley]

Here's a glossary of common terminology...
http://www.saltwater-aquarium-guide.com/Glossary-of-Terms.htm

 

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11356499#post11356499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shiveley
Here's a glossary of common terminology...
http://www.saltwater-aquarium-guide.com/Glossary-of-Terms.htm

That page makes me dizzy :lol: The background text, yellow font, etc just don't make for any eye ease

 

[MrMikeB]

Great resource Jon - great add to the faves! I did not see closed loop there though.

 

[bladeruner143]

Thanks for all of the help! I think I did get plumbing and skimming terms mixed up though!