How to plumb a sump :(

[Anubisxii]

I'm embarrassed to even ask this or admit it. But I have absolutely no idea how to plumb a sump. I know how to measure sizing, but what's the most basic way to plumb us some with PVC I'm currently using some reinforced tubing that's malleable but I don't like it as it bends and slows down flow and I just don't think it's the right way to go. I'm watching some YouTube videos now but I'm curious if anybody has any two cents on how to do this the right way. My sump is located directly under my tank which is using an overflow And I have a trigger system some.

I'm just curious if someone can share with me their two cents on how best to do this.

 

[jpnegrete14]

First off don't be embarrassed. We're all apart of this forum to learn.

Your plumbing will depend on a few different factors that being said soft plumbing is absolutely acceptable and IME is a great approach to plumb your first tank. you mentioned flow being a concern with soft tubing. Flow restrictions will still occur with hard plumbing. As a matter of fact you're more likely to end up with far sharper bends using hard plumbing than with soft tubing. The sharper the bend the more its going to slow down the flow. You can use 45° fittings to help with flow instead of 90° but with the proper pump 90° works fine.

some things to consider and helpful tips (just off the top of my head. others will chime in)

• Draw out the whole plan on a piece of paper. All of it. Where each fitting goes, sizes, label the fittings etc.
• Make a list of all the parts once you finalize your drawings
• What kind of overflow setup do you have ie. bean animal, herbie
• Sounds like you want hard plumbing but just know soft is perfectly fine and you can even have a hybrid setup (hard plumb overflow and soft tubbing for return)
• Def recommend braided tubing if going with soft
• Use a silicone soft tubing section from return pump to bulkhead on sump(this will greatly reduce noise)
• When choosing your return pump take into account head pressure and all the bends in your plumbing
• Schedule 40 or schedule 80 fittings (both fittings work with schedule 40 pvc)
• Use a lot of unions
• Get quality valves (cheap ones are easy to turn today but can become impossible to turn within a year)
• Sand down your PVC where you cut it. This is to get rid of the burrs and give you a clean surface to glue and create that watertight seal
• Consider using clear PVC glue as oppose to the typical purple
• Unions provide much more flexibility in aligning your PVC and fittings
• Dry fit everything before gluing it
• Do not run water through it for 24hrs after you're done gluing everything
• Where you do use barbs and soft tubing also use clamps
• Personally I always use check valves and recommend using them. It's better on the life of your return pump and will prevent a drastic water level increase in your sump when you turn off the return pump or lose power. That being said check valves do fail so you should know if your sump is big enough to contain all the water that will drain into it when the return pump is turned off.

Below is a good video of plumbing mistakes by BRS. It doesn't tell you how to plumb a tank step by step but will give you a broad overview of options and common pitfalls. As you brainstorm and start putting it down on paper it will come together. Let us know what you come up with and feel free to ask more questions. Good luck!

 

[Pkunk35]

The above answer is pretty dang good!

Being new to plumbing myself and having just finished some hard plumbing I have just a couple more suggestions:

1) buy a pvc cutter if you are using hard plumbing. Previously I was using a hacksaw and miter box and I pretty much couldn’t stand doing even more than a couple cuts or joints. After a $20 pvc cutter I was a little sad when the whole project was over because the pvc cutter had made it just that much easier and precise.

2). Buy extra fittings and practice or just have em just in case. It is really annoying when you can’t progress because of a particular fitting or pipe missing.

Once you get measuring and cutting down to a skill, it’s super easy! I’m sure you will be really happy when you finish! GL!

 

[Damion123]

I think that both of these posts have some great advice. One thing I would add is that when you put the solvent and glue on the the fittings and pipe, they will slide deeper than when you dry fit the pipes together. This can throw off some of your measurements. I had dry fitted one section of my plumbing, then I glued it together and it was half and inch short, because the pipe was 1/4 inch deeper into fitting than before.

Also buy extra fittings and pipe. I ran out of pipe when I was almost done. And then I had to order some more blue PVC and this brought progress on my tank to a temporary stand still.