wrfreeman
Wade
I've decide to convert my QT into a frag tank (with the ability to isolate it if I need to QT something) and pipe it into my main system. The QT currently sits in the basement below the DT next to my water mixing station. There's no room to add an additional tank upstairs. I currently have my chiller in the basement on a high shelf just under the floor and below the DT so plumbing through the floor already exists. The QT tank is a standard 20 gallon rectangular tank. I can place it on an elevated counter 4 or 5 high under the chiller. This would result in an additional 36 inch drop and rise of the current plumbing to the chiller. Since I changed over to LEDs I don't think the chiller ever comes anymore so I may remove it from the system but plumb in an option to put it back in. Also, with a tank in the basement, which I'm having to heat a bit, I don't think the chiller will be needed anymore. If anything, I may need to add a heater in the winter.
So my question is: how would you plumb in a tank that's downstairs? I'm thinking that I would need to move the return pump downstairs and have it either sitting in or next to the tank downstairs. Or would it be better to draw the water up from downstairs and leave the pump upstairs? Either way, that would lead to a total rise of about 3.1 meters to the top of the DT where the return flows back into the DT. I have an Eheim Universal 3400 that has a max 3.6 meter head. I've never measured what my flow rate is with the current set up, but I can say that it doesn't jet out of the return. It's a steady flow that starts to droop about an inch or so out of the pipe. Not sure if that means much. I'm concerned that adding another 3 foot to the rise and getting very close to max head would result in virtually no return flow to speak of even with removing the restriction caused by the chiller. I may need to upgrade the return pump to a pond pump. I currently use a Pondmaster Model 18 (1800 GPH) to pump the water from my mixing station to the DT upstairs. The flow rate on it to the sump which is about 3 feet below the top of the DT is approximately 216 GPH, but the pond pump sits on the basement floor so it has about a 15 foot rise, maybe more. Is there a target GPH flow rate to achieve the ideal water circulation in a sw tank?
So how would you handle this complicated mess? I believe it's doable. All suggestions and opinions are welcome as always
So my question is: how would you plumb in a tank that's downstairs? I'm thinking that I would need to move the return pump downstairs and have it either sitting in or next to the tank downstairs. Or would it be better to draw the water up from downstairs and leave the pump upstairs? Either way, that would lead to a total rise of about 3.1 meters to the top of the DT where the return flows back into the DT. I have an Eheim Universal 3400 that has a max 3.6 meter head. I've never measured what my flow rate is with the current set up, but I can say that it doesn't jet out of the return. It's a steady flow that starts to droop about an inch or so out of the pipe. Not sure if that means much. I'm concerned that adding another 3 foot to the rise and getting very close to max head would result in virtually no return flow to speak of even with removing the restriction caused by the chiller. I may need to upgrade the return pump to a pond pump. I currently use a Pondmaster Model 18 (1800 GPH) to pump the water from my mixing station to the DT upstairs. The flow rate on it to the sump which is about 3 feet below the top of the DT is approximately 216 GPH, but the pond pump sits on the basement floor so it has about a 15 foot rise, maybe more. Is there a target GPH flow rate to achieve the ideal water circulation in a sw tank?
So how would you handle this complicated mess? I believe it's doable. All suggestions and opinions are welcome as always
