Plumbing Advice

[Pete polyp]

I used Herbie style on my 40 and ran the plumbing 4" under the water line in the sump. The restricted drain draws no air and the emergency barely trickles. No bubbles in the sump at all!

 

[Gwitness]

Do you need the emergency drain to trickle?? So I don't use a dura pipe or whatever its called if I'm doing the Herbie method right? Just 2 open drain pipes...one higher than the other

 

[VicD81]

You need to have one way low which will be the one with the valve and the other slightly above water level. It will trickle when there is a slight surge. Does not have to be a durso, straight pipe will do.

 

[Gwitness]

OK thanks...gonna try this today!

 

[Pete polyp]

One drain low, one drain high

The emergency barely trickles so there's no sound with the water crashing in the overflow box

It is dead silent! No gurgle, no trickle noise, complete silence. If your still able to hear it make the turned up pvc longer until is silent.

 

[Gwitness]

That sounds amazing!!! Right now I have my durso pipe that came with my set up and I took of the elbow so its just a straight drain pipe now.....my pump is on full blast and still only fills up enough to drain down the pipe...not submerging it completely, so does this mean my return pump isnt strong enough to do the Herbie method? The main goal is to get the main drain line completely submerged correct?

 

[Pete polyp]

As stated, you have to put a valve on the bottom drain to adjust it allowing the water to rise in the overflow to the top drain. Here are both my drain lines, one with a ball valve and one with no restriction

 

[Gwitness]

Oh Crap yeah your right!!!!! Totally forgot about that and I have to restrict the flow a bit to make it cover the whole thing!!!! My bad!! Thank you!

 

[Pete polyp]

Here's a good picture that may help explain exactly what's going on. The low drain has a valve on it so it can be restricted allowing the water to rise up to the emergency drain.

 

[Pete polyp]

I forgot the picture lol

 

[brycntif]

You are going to get bubbles from the water in the fuge cascading down into the return section. You would prob need a bubble trap on each side.

No you will not, I have mine exactly set up like this unless you are blasting your fuge with flow, which you shouldnt be in the 1st place, I have a valve that controls the flow to the fuge off my return and i have it set to barely trickle water over the edge into the return section, further, after a few weeks to a month a slime builds up further dealing with any bubbles/micro bubbles....both drove me nuts when I 1st set up my tank but after a few weeks to a month after a slime builds up the all went away. I would not recoment any more bubble traps, the pictured design is fine and is exactly what I have with no bubble issues.