How to leak test the plumbing?

[SallyWho]

To make a long and aggravating story short, I plumbed my first reef tank today. It's only my second time doing the whole PVC thing, so it can get a little frustrating. Anyway, what's the best way to test it for leaks (and the pessimist in me says there will be)? Do I really have to fill the whole tank to do so? Can I pour gallons of water into the overflow box to test the drains, and then pour into the return chamber of the sump to test the returns? I can close valves to keep water in certain sections. Or is it just better to fill the whole dang thing (120g with 40b sump) with the risk of having to drain it to fix any leaks? Not to mention that I've got the tank pushed away from the wall so I can get behind it to work on the plumbing, and if I fill the tank, I won't be able to push it back without draining all of it (has anyone ever been able to start a suction on a garden hose by sucking on it? That's the only way I can think of to drain the tank- out the front door with a garden hose...). And how long should the leak test last? I leak tested the tank itself for several days out on the porch. Thanks, from a new reefer who is both anxious to get her reef up and running, and anxious that she's screwed it up.

 

[Reefpuck]

You can take shortcuts... but I think your best off fully testing everything. Some leaks can be so slow it could take hours to notice. You can fill it with ro water so when everything checks out... you don't need to empty the tank.

Just my .02

 

[SallyWho]

You can take shortcuts... but I think your best off fully testing everything. Some leaks can be so slow it could take hours to notice. You can fill it with ro water so when everything checks out... you don't need to empty the tank.

Just my .02

I only have storage for 80g of RODI. And I'd still have to drain it to move the tank into position after I confirm the plumbing is good. :/ Looks like hose water to fill and test, and then drain out the front door before filling with RODI. sigh I was hoping to avoid having to fill the whole tank, but if that's the smartest way to leak test the plumbing, then that's the way I'll do it.

 

[Bill_Moorman]

Think about this in prospective. Leak test without $1k’s of livestock and hundreds of pounds of rock and sand vs with all of the above.

Trust me...if you find a leak, you’ll be glad it’s just tap water. Don’t use tap if you are putting any rocks in though. Only use tap if you’re keeping everything porous out.

When I tested mine, that’s what I did. Tap for a day or two, and then drained and filled with RODI (took me almost 8 hours - this was before I had the upgraded 150 gpd from BRS). Have all of your pumps running so the current will match what occurs when you run it for real.

 

[Billldg]

I didn't test anything but the bulkheads I had installed, I filled return areas up with enough water to leak check for a couple of days. After that I installed the rest of the plumbing, which is pretty straight forward and then filled tank up and turned return pump on. As long as u use a primer 1st and them pvc glue you shouldn't really have an issue. Just make sure you hold the pvc fittings together when using primer as it caused the pvc to swell slightly making the fittings push out a little. Good Luck!

I forgot, also, sand your pvc pipe after u cut as it can cause grooves in the glue as u push the fittings together which would create leaks longterm.

 

[Fritzhamer]

Same here, I test the bulkheads but after that I don't leak test. I've also plumbed and replumbed more times than I can remember so your mileage may very. Best practices with PVC are:

1. Chamfer the cuts. When you cut PVC it can cause a tiny lip to protrude out a bit. This can score and even slice a thin piece of the wall you're fitting it into and be a source of a leak. By chamfering (beveling) the tip you ensure that you've got a great fit. All bog box hardware stores have cheap hand held ones you can use.
2. Always Prime both ends before you add the cement. I like to let the primer have 30 seconds to a minute on the pipe to ensure good reaction time.
3. Don't go crazy with the cement and use gravity to ensure a good seal. I put a thin coat on both sides of the pipe and insert fully, slight turn and then I flip it upside down to make sure there is a thin bead of cement all the way around the joint. I leave it that way till it skins up and starts to dry.

If you follow the above three steps you'll never have a leak.

 

[KrisReef]

For inside plumbing, plumbers put caps on all the ends, and fill the line with air pressure. They monitor a pressure gauge and if it holds pressure for hours x=hours? then it passes inspection.
Air pressure falls, you have a leak. They don’t put water or gas into a line until it holds pressure.

I would think that line pressure on an aquarium return might be 10lbs, but that’s a swag at best, and most people can’t easily seal all the ends, but it’s another way, ..

 

[Reefcowboy]

Yes you can. In my case I got clear vinyl hoses from Home Depot that snug fit my loc-lines. Take apart a loc-line piece with you there and try fitting them until you have a nice snug fit.

I then routed the hoses to the overflow box(wherever your drain system might be). You have to keep enough water in your sump to allow flow at the intended pressure you want your flow back to the tank to be.

I filled the sump all the way so I could crank my return pump all the way to really test my plumbing.

Filling the whole tank is unnecessary. It would be needed if you want to leak test the tank as well, but to do plumbing only, they way described works no prob.

Good luck!

 

[SallyWho]

Yes you can. In my case I got clear vinyl hoses from Home Depot that snug fit my loc-lines. Take apart a loc-line piece with you there and try fitting them until you have a nice snug fit.

I then routed the hoses to the overflow box(wherever your drain system might be). You have to keep enough water in your sump to allow flow at the intended pressure you want your flow back to the tank to be.

I filled the sump all the way so I could crank my return pump all the way to really test my plumbing.

Filling the whole tank is unnecessary. It would be needed if you want to leak test the tank as well, but to do plumbing only, they way described works no prob.

Good luck!

Well, now there's an idea. I have a couple different diameters of vinyl tubing- I'll see if I can McGyver this thing together and try it this way! Thanks!