Multi-Tank System Drain Issues =-/

[KING]

Ive got a 10 x 10g tank system i built with a 55g sump. I drilled the backs of the tanks and installed 3/4 bulkheads with 3/4 ID tubing running down to the sump so they are flexible and they have 2 big filter socks all zip-tied in place. The ends of the drains are out of the water. When i cut my pumps on and the tanks fill up to "drain" level they barely trickle water and want to overflow. I squeeze the drain tube a few times and it creates a siphon and gushes out but starts to cavitate the drain tubing but it does drain and makes a terrible amount of noise. Once flowing i still have a couple randomly stop and start trickling again. This is very inefficient and if the power cut off or i wasnt available to squeeze these returns im looking at a flood. I have t-valves on the returns into the tank so i have them dialed down to even out the flow on every tank so i know im not putting too much water into them. They just dont want to drain properly. Anyone have any ideas? Id REALLY hate to drain all of this and pull it out and have to pay/spend the time to re-plumb all the drains with pvc. And everything is glued so it means new overflows if i have to change it also :cry:

 

[Troylee]

What kind of plumbing is on the back??? Sounds like you need a vent "air hole" on the top of the pipes... A standard durso would be the ticket... If you can post me some pix I would love to help.... I have done plenty of systems like that...

 

[adolfo425]

Plus one on troylee suggestion.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[KING]

at this point im not sure how i could go about "venting" the drains. unless i drilled a hole and ran a 1/4 airline out of the top of it and glued the crap out of it. all the overflows are glued to the drain pipes so i would have to drill into them or replace everyone of them which i reaaallly dont want to do. i was also thinking a vent of some kind but i hate to drill a hole in them and get any kind of water leaks. figured this was the place to ask. i can go try to grab a some pictures to help out. its just a standard bulkhead with a 90" barb fitting and 3/4" ID tubing going down. i worry about them keeping a siphon, even with a vent. this has to be fail safe, cant have a flood in that room..

 

[KING]

 

[thewackyreefer]

Yep, drill, airline and silicone or something to seal it up. That should do the trick, won't be as messy as you think.

 

[KING]

thats about the only option ive got right now. im still not sure its going to continually keep a siphon even with the vents but we'll see lol. with only a 1/4" it might not be enough. might find a bigger kind of tube to use. like 3/8" or so. i will try this stuff on ONE tank and see how it works then if its good i can move on. i have SO much time invested in this system already im so ready to be done finally LOL... i appreciate everyones advice..

 

[KING]

acans> i like acans pretty well too. i have godzillas, fruit punch, sour apple, black hole, emerald city, blah blah...

 

[Troylee]

Well a vent hole will help but might not cure it... Looks as if you used 1/2" or 3/8" vynil hoses for the drain... Mist likely undersized :sad: try the vent first if it don't work then your gonna have to make durso stand pipes for the drains... Hth

 

[macawmagic]

I would try taking off the screen to see what happens first. it honestly should drain the way its setup, just not as much as you would think it would. I ran 2x 1.5 bulkheads" on a tank almost exactly like this and it handled an almost full dart. It was pvc the whole way, but the setup was the same...if that makes sense. I bet if u turn the flow down it would work, but I think you'll need the airline on the drain in order for it to handle the flow you're looking to put through it.

as far as time into the system...trust me on this!!! spend the time now to set it up correctly because later down the road it WILL annoy you and it'll be much harder to change.

 

[thewackyreefer]

acans> i like acans pretty well too. i have godzillas, fruit punch, sour apple, black hole, emerald city, blah blah...

Awesome, I'm building my collection back up after being completely wiped out.

Hope this works for you, I'm sure you'll figure it out.

 

[KING]

i have a ton of time in this already but im not gonna stop messing with it. i will get it right.. even if i have to drain it all, pull it out, buy new overflows and plumb with all pvc and vents. im gonna try the drilling/venting idea first but if it doesnt help i will go back to the drawing board lol..

 

[macawmagic]

Don't forget...It looks like they're 1" bulkheads with 3/4" ID hosing on them. a 3/4" hole can only drain about 300 gph max which honestly isn't much at all. Not sure how much water you're trying to put through them, but hope that helps before you spend time drilling holes etc. I'd recommend hard piping with 1" the whole way because that'll give you about 600 gph and if thats not even enough I would drill another bulkhead in each of them and have 2x 1" drains hardpiped.

Hope that helps!

 

[mcarroll]

Ya, I think I buy what macaw is sayin...

You may be looking at 300 gph max on those drains....which means prolly more like 250 gph or even less. Depending on your plans this could be more than enough flow for 10 gallons.

I would turn down the main pump until the system is running stable without your intervention.....then measure* the output of one or two tanks at the drain hose to see what you're really putting through them.

If flow is crucial and you do have to replumb, I would use back to back 45° PVC elbows after the bulkhead rather than a single 90° one. Flow will be much smoother and therefor more silent and there will be more room in the pipe for more water. Vinyl tubing gets pretty pricey at the sizes you'll be wanting, so I would stick with hard PVC for the drains, and try to use a size larger than you really need - 1.25 instead of 1"...even if you keep the bulkhead at 1", for example.

Good luck!

-Matt

* Use the bucket test to measure. Time how long it takes one drain hose to fill up a five gallon bucket and compute up to gph.

 

[KING]

thanks. i do know that those bulkheads arent gonna be huge flow i just need the flow to WORK lol. i like the bucket test. once you squeeze them and they create siphon it rushes out pretty good but its not staying siphoned and you have to engage them every time you want to get it flowing. i dont need much gph on the tanks, 150 would be fine. just gonna house pairs of clowns.

 

[KING]

this was my first time both drilling tanks and setting up a multi-tank set up so its been experimentation from the start lol. even when you plan the hell out of something you still run into problems here and there so i knew it wasnt gonna be 100% flawless. i needed to know all of this so i just been reading and working on it in the evenings till i get it right. i appreciate everyone chiming in..