suggestions for plumbing parts

[engine]

Im getting ready to do the plumbing for my sump w/ spa flex and wanted to make sure I get all the accessories I need (ball valves, unions etc...).
I thinking I should have a ball valve on the way down from my overflow to my skimmer section. I will be using an external pump, so Im thinking of having a ball valve before and after the external pump.
Other than that, is there any thing else I need? Would putting a union in there someow help out? Thanks for any advice -eric

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

yes putting unions before and after possible failure componets is a good thing and putting a shut before and after the pump will allow you to shut off the water from the tank and the sump so it can be serviced. pm ben@bobbi he has the plumbing setup from hell

 

[ben&bobbi]

hey joe, it's not really that bad is it! JK

here's a shot of what it looks like under the tank. you can see several unions and valves so i can shut off and removed some pieces.

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

got to get me a cadd program like that

 

[flfirefighter13]

get true union ball valves, well worth the investment to be able to take everything apart from either end without haveing issues. Also most people avoid putting any vlaves on the drain side of the overflow, you want that to be wide open to avoid blackage of any sort that will lead to a flood on the ground. Give us some details of tank and sump setup and we can help out a bit more.

 

[engine]

wow! great picture Are the unions that you used before/after the pump, are they capable of stopping water like a ball valve? Sorry, im not very experienced w/ plumbing.
One more thing, should the hose bringing the water from the overflow to the sump be submerged in the skimmer section or should it stop short and let the water free fall for a couple inches into the skimmer section? I also plan on using a filter sock if that makes a difference. thanks eric

 

[flfirefighter13]

Eric,
I think Ben used true union ball valves, meaning they are ball valves that can be split from either side as needed. You can find cheaper ones that will only split on one side but you need to make sure you have a way of stopping flow the other direction in some instances. I generally have my overflow drain submerged at least an inch or two. Every tank Ive set up has been slightly different so be prepared to be flexible, once you get it piped in you will want to find a happy medium for sound dampening. You should be able to leave the last piece unglued to try different lengths out for a test. I would highly recomend getting a catalog form aquatic ecosytems in apopka. their catalog has all kinds of cool pictures to give you a plumbing lesson. Most items are availabe in hardware stores but I find it easier to order and pay a few extra bucks than to have to dig through home depot bins.

 

[engine]

It is a 75 gallon RR tank. The sump is a 30 gallon tank and will flow from skimmer (er cs6-1) section w/ three 9" baffles then to a refugium, then a 5" baffle w/ egg crate attached to it and then the return section. The last baffle is shorter so the return area can be larger, as it will share water with the refugium (the egg crate will be there just to keep stuff out of the return section. The return section has a 1" bulkhead for a external return pump (panworld 480gph)
I know its a little confusing, I can clarify anything if need be. This is the basic idea of what I plan on doing. Please, any suggestions are welcome. -eric

 

[ben&bobbi]

the union ball valves are used at the pump only.
the unions under the returns and drains are standard unions.

I figure the only water that will come from there (with return pump shut off of course) would be very minimum out of the overflow boxes. I will be able to remove the pump by shutting off the union valves. if i have to remove more than that, i have bigger issues anyway!

i am still playing with my drains. the last piece that dropping into the skimmer area is loose and won't be glued in. I have major bubbles right now, but i will get back to fixing it.

"They" say to have the return pipe 1-2" under the water level. "The Others" say to leave it out. So "I" say do what flfirefighter13 says and try the different ways and see what works best for you.

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

what works best for you. hey ben you took my phrase. i also dont recommend to use a shut off for the drain. just make sure you have enough drop from the tank to the sump so gravity will help you drain the water from the tank. it cost about the same to use a union and then a shut off valve than to just buy a true union shut off valve. if you use the true union with shut off you will save some room. also run the same size pump from the pump to the tank if possible so you won't loose as much gph. you are going to need as much gph with the pump that you are returning for he 75. jmo. and firefighter hit it on the nose, aquatic eco is the place to find the plumbing. i just was over there on saturday and bought a 1" true union check valve for 17.35. the one at lowes slows down the flow too much and is not instant. good luck

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

forgot to mention. i'm one of the others and say not to sumerge the drain into the sump's water column. it can cause back pressure issues. are you going to be using socks or a drip plate?

 

[flfirefighter13]

Sounds like you have a pretty easy setup going there, drain line into sump, if you use spaflex you can just add a little bend to it at least, if hard PVC I find it best to put at least 1 45 somewhere under the bulkhead to kind of slow the water down a little. Every setup is different but I find it quieter to slow the drop down and put the drain under water on 9 out of 10 setups. Ive ran that low of a flow pump though so you may find different results. Most overflows are rated for 600GPH, running 480 pump will put you under that so it may be best to let the water drop a bit out of the pipe. Let the pump run for a few hours then try experimenting to see what works best for you. (dont worry low flow through the sump is not bad thing, especially if your running a refugium in it, I generally run refugium remotely to sump when given the chance, works either way though).
another tip is if you get a flushing sound out of the standpipe run a air line down it a ways to introduce air inside the pipe, usually helps but you may need to mess with the length a bit.

 

[engine]

Ok thanks for all the help. My return pump is only 480gph b/c I didnt want too much flow going through my refugium.
skinnyjoe- yes, I will be using a sock