Guys will my plumbing design work.. Help needed

[Freenow54]

I agree with everything he said above ^

Maybe ball valve better. the salt tends to gum them all up however so " exercising " ie turning them on and off regular may help with that I gave up the things running well so I leave it alone. Just don't depend on the valve to work. Just shut off pump and let the water drain to the overflow level

 

[twentyleagues]

Maybe ball valve better. the salt tends to gum them all up however so " exercising " ie turning them on and off regular may help with that I gave up the things running well so I leave it alone. Just don't depend on the valve to work. Just shut off pump and let the water drain to the overflow level

Ball valve better then what? You do not want a ball valve on your siphon drain only a gate valve will work properly.

 

[Freenow54]

Ball valve better then what? You do not want a ball valve on your siphon drain only a gate valve will work properly.

Why? Agate is the worst valve for not closing. Maybe prejudice but worked in the piping industry in refineries and other mills for years . All the valves were gates. Now on shutdowns they are a total pain for isolating systems. Buildup gets in the groove for the gate disc and it will not close

 

[BZOFIQ]

The valve on the main siphon should be as close as possible to the sump and not under the box.

 

[GlassMunky]

Why? Agate is the worst valve for not closing. Maybe prejudice but worked in the piping industry in refineries and other mills for years . All the valves were gates. Now on shutdowns they are a total pain for isolating systems. Buildup gets in the groove for the gate disc and it will not close

You’re never fully closing your drain pipe so that doesn’t matter.
And what they do in piping industry doesn’t matter to what we do here in reefing either.
Every plumber would look at our systems and think we are crazy with how we have them setup.

A gate valve is the ideal choice over a ball valve because a gate valve allows you much finer tuning than a ball ever could, and that’s what you need to dial in and match the drain rate to the pump flow rate.

I’ve seen dozens of ball valves fail, some in less than a year. Meanwhile I’ve had gate valves on every system I’ve run for over a decade and never once had a single one have an issue.

 

[twentyleagues]

Why? Agate is the worst valve for not closing. Maybe prejudice but worked in the piping industry in refineries and other mills for years . All the valves were gates. Now on shutdowns they are a total pain for isolating systems. Buildup gets in the groove for the gate disc and it will not close

Better fine tuning of the siphon. You will never close the valve all the way so it doesnt matter how tight it seals. Tank plumbing and home/industry plumbing are two completely different things.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Oh man another plumber……. I just can’t

 

[BZOFIQ]

You’re never fully closing your drain pipe so that doesn’t matter.
And what they do in piping industry doesn’t matter to what we do here in reefing either.
Every plumber would look at our systems and think we are crazy with how we have them setup.

A gate valve is the ideal choice over a ball valve because a gate valve allows you much finer tuning than a ball ever could, and that’s what you need to dial in and match the drain rate to the pump flow rate.

I’ve seen dozens of ball valves fail, some in less than a year. Meanwhile I’ve had gate valves on every system I’ve run for over a decade and never once had a single one have an issue.

If you have an abyzz (or any pump that allows 1% incements) it doesnt matter, you can just bump the flow by 1% either way to get that perfect bubble-free siphon....using any kind of valve. I do this with two separate overflows without issues too when everyone said it would be hard or impossible.

...and if the rest was done correctly it will be 100% silent.

 

[reeftankdude]

To each his own, but why all the complicated plumbing. You can add what you want to this filter. Just top everything of with a mesh bag and few reef rocks to keep everything down. Here ya go https://www.seachem.com/tidal-110.php

 

[twentyleagues]

To each his own, but why all the complicated plumbing. You can add what you want to this filter. Just top everything of with a mesh bag and few reef rocks to keep everything down. Here ya go https://www.seachem.com/tidal-110.php

Can you run a reef tank with a hob filter, absolutely. I have that exact filter on my 30g cube. Is it as good as a sump IMO not even close. Any tank is better with an overflow and sump, better equipment, more options, larger water volume, less stuff in tank.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

To each his own, but why all the complicated plumbing. You can add what you want to this filter. Just top everything of with a mesh bag and few reef rocks to keep everything down. Here ya go https://www.seachem.com/tidal-110.php

Sure you can and work harder

I like working smarter.

More water volume less work!
(Well that’s what I told my boyfriend- and honestly overall it is)

I had a 16g bio cube - so an AIO - you know what I did- added a hang on the side refugium to gain water water volume- then 2 months later I was in a 75. And man things got easier- plumbing it was fun!. Right after I built a stand so I could have a 40 breeder for a sump underneath

 

[Freenow54]

You’re never fully closing your drain pipe so that doesn’t matter.
And what they do in piping industry doesn’t matter to what we do here in reefing either.
Every plumber would look at our systems and think we are crazy with how we have them setup.

A gate valve is the ideal choice over a ball valve because a gate valve allows you much finer tuning than a ball ever could, and that’s what you need to dial in and match the drain rate to the pump flow rate.

I’ve seen dozens of ball valves fail, some in less than a year. Meanwhile I’ve had gate valves on every system I’ve run for over a decade and never once had a single one have an issue.

to each his own just don't say your the majority. I really don't understand why the drain rate has to be matched with the pump rate. Unless maybe you are talking old school. My pump is DC and I can adjust its rate with a dial. I have never had to touch any of the valves, Especially with anti siphon tanks like mine,, a great idea. In reality there is no need for valves at all except when I have to do a pump change. A valve that is meant for rate control is a Globe valve it is neither like a ball or a gate. As I said if you have to fully close a valve for isolation a gate is the worst choice you will see. Salt is the enemy it freezes all of them. I went nuts with valves thinking of every conceivable scenario

. Could have saved a lot of money

 

[GlassMunky]

to each his own just don't say your the majority. I really don't understand why the drain rate has to be matched with the pump rate. Unless maybe you are talking old school. My pump is DC and I can adjust its rate with a dial. I have never had to touch any of the valves, Especially with anti siphon tanks like mine,, a great idea. In reality there is no need for valves at all except when I have to do a pump change. A valve that is meant for rate control is a Globe valve it is neither like a ball or a gate. As I said if you have to fully close a valve for isolation a gate is the worst choice you will see. Salt is the enemy it freezes all of them. I went nuts with valves thinking of every conceivable scenario

. Could have saved a lot of money

So you’re a professional plumber and know better than everyone here yet don’t understand the type of system being discussed (by your own admission) and then try and blame your leaking plumbing on the valves…. Ok bud, you have a good day I’m done with this silliness

 

[Freenow54]

Can you run a reef tank with a hob filter, absolutely. I have that exact filter on my 30g cube. Is it as good as a sump IMO not even close. Any tank is better with an overflow and sump, better equipment, more options, larger water volume, less stuff in tank.

You forgot they eventually overflow like mine did what a mess

 

[GlassMunky]

The drain rate and the pump rate have to match because it’s a full siphon drain.
If they don’t match the drain will run dry or it will not be pulling enough water and flood

 

[Freenow54]

So you’re a professional plumber and know better than everyone here yet don’t understand the type of system being discussed (by your own admission) and then try and blame your leaking plumbing on the valves…. Ok bud, you have a good day I’m done with this silliness

Did not say professional anything. The type of system was not mentioned by anyone. Only talking about valve function. Did not say I know better than anyone just experience but I have found there are people who are so stubborn they will never change. Ever had a gate break off in the closed position. Anyway your right about one thing

 

[Freenow54]

The drain rate and the pump rate have to match because it’s a full siphon drain.
If they don’t match the drain will run dry or it will not be pulling enough water and flood

I understand that but with a controllable pump it eliminates the control on the drain side at least for me. So I learned something new and loved it. Never had an older style system as you describe but understand what you mean again just talking about my prejudice about gates, and never said my piping was leaking either

 

[twentyleagues]

You forgot they eventually overflow like mine did what a mess

I could see it happening. Never had it happen to me I do weekly maintenance on that tank ( really all my tanks). Cleaning the sponge and changing the filter floss is part of it. I drain 7-8 gallons of water rinse the biomedia bag off in the bucket drop that in the other bucket of old tank water, pull sponge squeeze it out in the first bucket of old water quick rinse in other bucket and put it back together. I have a piece of filter floss on top of the biomedia that gets replaced every 3 days or so for polishing.

 

[Bxr126]

For the OP.

Your 3/4 inch drain for a 55 DT is fine. I use a 1 inch on my 180 and it is silent, safe and even with three 90 degree elbows it flows just fine.

In a herbie overflow it is desirable to have the primary (full syphon) drain at least 6 inches below the emergency drain. Don't sweat it if you can't pull this off. It just makes that initial tank start up quicker and quieter because the primary is able to obtain a full syphon faster.

You can use whatever kind of valve you want for the main drain. However, ball valves are not designed for flow regulation, whereas gate valves are. My personal recommendation is that you buy the best gate valve you can afford.

 

[Freenow54]

I could see it happening. Never had it happen to me I do weekly maintenance on that tank ( really all my tanks). Cleaning the sponge and changing the filter floss is part of it. I drain 7-8 gallons of water rinse the biomedia bag off in the bucket drop that in the other bucket of old tank water, pull sponge squeeze it out in the first bucket of old water quick rinse in other bucket and put it back together. I have a piece of filter floss on top of the biomedia that gets replaced every 3 days or so for polishing.

I do regular maintenance as well about every 2 weeks. I have no idea why it overflowed. It has been stated on this site that they all eventually do. It must have to do with the motor ie impeller speed. Anyway I came home to about half my 40 gallon on the floor. I had enough space behind the tank to put a garbage can with an oval shape and ran the cup overflow into it. Don't know if that little outlet will handle the flow. Maybe I should put another directly under it. What scares me if the in sump ones overflow what happens. One time I removed the cup on the 40 and spilled it into the tank. Immediate death of all fish except clown