DrBDC
Active member
I had been asked for pics of the return manifold so here they are.
In short, on the other side of the wall I split the return to 2-1" hoses which reduce down to 3/4" just before the unions. Then there are 2 manifold feeds. That loop connects all the way around with 9 pvc T's. Those pvc t's are 3/4" on the 3 sides but the T off of it is threaded 1/2". On those I have locline w/o any actual lines, just the beginning one with threads and then the small sized fan output.
Right now I have only 4 of them with the locline outputs and 5 with ugly white pvc 45's and then a cap on those with a hole drilled in them. I went to GWA last night and scrummaged but they only had 4 that I could make outputs with and had to order from premium aquatics the other 5.
Here are the pics:
Showing the union coming through the wall on the left:
Shot from one end to show most the structure, the other end is the same:
Showing what sticks down into the water. Note the pic is close up and I only used the 1 1/4" fan to keep the amount sticking in the water to a minimum. On overall view of the tank you really don't see them.
One nice thing about bringing the return over the top is it free's up both bulkheads for returns. Thus having more drain available than I even send up there and less chance of clogging etc.
The drains are the standard aga 1 and 3/4" with the 3/4" not having a stand pipe and the 1" having a durso on it. By the 3/4" not having a stand pipe it "should" keep down debris etc. by having flow in the overflow box down low. If the return pump would be too weak then this would keep up with the pump and make noises but I overpower it and it comes up and runs on the durso.
This works great on closed loop systems too btw.
In short, on the other side of the wall I split the return to 2-1" hoses which reduce down to 3/4" just before the unions. Then there are 2 manifold feeds. That loop connects all the way around with 9 pvc T's. Those pvc t's are 3/4" on the 3 sides but the T off of it is threaded 1/2". On those I have locline w/o any actual lines, just the beginning one with threads and then the small sized fan output.
Right now I have only 4 of them with the locline outputs and 5 with ugly white pvc 45's and then a cap on those with a hole drilled in them. I went to GWA last night and scrummaged but they only had 4 that I could make outputs with and had to order from premium aquatics the other 5.
Here are the pics:
Showing the union coming through the wall on the left:
Shot from one end to show most the structure, the other end is the same:
Showing what sticks down into the water. Note the pic is close up and I only used the 1 1/4" fan to keep the amount sticking in the water to a minimum. On overall view of the tank you really don't see them.
One nice thing about bringing the return over the top is it free's up both bulkheads for returns. Thus having more drain available than I even send up there and less chance of clogging etc.
The drains are the standard aga 1 and 3/4" with the 3/4" not having a stand pipe and the 1" having a durso on it. By the 3/4" not having a stand pipe it "should" keep down debris etc. by having flow in the overflow box down low. If the return pump would be too weak then this would keep up with the pump and make noises but I overpower it and it comes up and runs on the durso.
This works great on closed loop systems too btw.
