First time plumbing, will it work?

deerhunter06

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Nothing is glued haven't tested anything yet wanted to run it by someone who knows what there doing because I dont. Is the drain going to have to be higher? And i don't really need a check valve as long as my sump is big enough to take what could be siphoned back right?
 

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It just now dawned on me that those clamps will probably rust on the return pump is there an alternative?
 
U can try zip ties not sure if it will work but worth a try
 
Without question the metal clamps need to go. They make plastic clamps. I know PA carries them.

 
Get rid of the 90 degree elbows on your return. All that is doing is killing flow rate. Use 2 45 degree elbows instead.
 
The 90's on the return aren't an issue since the PVC is already larger than the pumps discharge and it is being pushed through under pressure but the multiple 90's on the gravity overflow will be a problem since each one causes headloss. Always try to keep your overflow and straight and unrestricted as possible for best, laminar, smooth flow.
If nothing else use a single 1" or 1.5" barbed nipple, or whatever size the overflow bulkhead is, and a piece of braided reinforced or heavy wall black vinyl tubing and bend it into a gradual sweep or elbow so it falls into the sump unrestricted. Mine sweeps down in a gradual 90 degee shape over 20-24" and lays on the bottom next to my protein skimmer so its keeps detritus in suspension and the skimmer sucks it in and removes it. If that overflow bulkhead is slip I would also replace it with a thread x thread version so you can remove the PVC later for cleaning or modifications. Once you glue the PVC in you are stuck with what you have and there is no going back without cutting the bulkhead off. Looks like the return s already threaded and you are using a male adapter which is good. I see you are using a short piece of vinyl off the pump too which is very smart since it helps take the strain off the piping and pump from minor mis alignments which it appears you have. Good move!
 
I would not only pull the 90's out of the drain and use 2 45's but i would do the same on the return. Ea 90 adds 1' of head loss.
 
I think you may need a union in the drain. You have to imagine being able to take it all apart, to move it or modify for additions. If that pipe is glued to your bulkheads, it may be too late.
 
The 90's in the return will not each add 1 foot of head loss. The piping is oversized so the friction losses are minimal. Look at the size of the outlet of the pump. Where 90's and fittings come into play is when the piping is smaller or equal to the pumps discharge causing the velocity to increase and lead to friction losses due to the K factor of the pipe and fittings.
 
I always end the drain line about an inch below the normal water level when the systems is running. It makes it easier to clear the line of air.
 
The 90's on the return aren't an issue since the PVC is already larger than the pumps discharge and it is being pushed through under pressure but the multiple 90's on the gravity overflow will be a problem since each one causes headloss. Always try to keep your overflow and straight and unrestricted as possible for best, laminar, smooth flow.
If nothing else use a single 1" or 1.5" barbed nipple, or whatever size the overflow bulkhead is, and a piece of braided reinforced or heavy wall black vinyl tubing and bend it into a gradual sweep or elbow so it falls into the sump unrestricted. Mine sweeps down in a gradual 90 degee shape over 20-24" and lays on the bottom next to my protein skimmer so its keeps detritus in suspension and the skimmer sucks it in and removes it. If that overflow bulkhead is slip I would also replace it with a thread x thread version so you can remove the PVC later for cleaning or modifications. Once you glue the PVC in you are stuck with what you have and there is no going back without cutting the bulkhead off. Looks like the return s already threaded and you are using a male adapter which is good. I see you are using a short piece of vinyl off the pump too which is very smart since it helps take the strain off the piping and pump from minor mis alignments which it appears you have. Good move!

Are you sure the return pipe is larger than the outlet on the pump? I looked at the pic closer and it appears to be the same size. I do agree that if the pipe is a larger diameter than the pumps outlet then 90s shouldn't be a huge factor. But then again why make the pump work harder than it already has to because of the larger pipe? Friction is friction and having 2 45s as opposed to 1 90 would make a difference in the end flow rate coming out of the return.
 
Don't want a filter sock and I didn't want buy anymore pvc. I bought the new sump after alrdy had the drain made. Plus the outside thread on those bulk heads don't fit anything so it'd just be more gluing. Just didn't wanna mess with it.
 
The part that goes into the pump is 3/4 the part that goes into the vinyl tubing is 1 inch then another male 1 inch then back to 3/4 for the rest
 
The part that goes into the pump is 3/4 the part that goes into the vinyl tubing is 1 inch then another male 1 inch then back to 3/4 for the rest

Ok thanks for clearing that up. In that case I would recommend replacing the 90s to get more efficiency out of your return.
 

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