Plumbing -- Check My Plan Please

[NatD]

HI folks!

I can admit it -- plumbing is my very least favorite thing about reefing. As such, I'm rather remedial with it.

Would anyone be willing to take a little look at this plan before I hand it over to my husband to make the supply list?

Some background: the tank is already drilled, the sump is in the basement, directly below the tank.

I looked at BRS to make sure I had the size of pipes right for the size of holes (I think, please confirm).
Do I have my unions in the right places? Do I have enough of them?
I am planning to have the wye check valve about a foot under the tank, in the stand (it's empty down there since the sump is downstairs).
Thoughts on supporting the weight of the pipe so it doesn't pull on the bottom of my
tank?
Was planning to use some clamps and attach to a little platform to support the weight of the pipe.
Anything else you see?

 

[JoshH]

Any particular reason you went with a Durso drain? Is it possible to drill for a Herbie setup? I would probably skip the check valve or at a minimum assume it will fail and plan for it accordingly. What size tank is this? And how far are you pumping the water up?

 

[BigHildy53]

In the diagram the wye check valve is in the wrong place. It should be on the return line to the display tank to prevent a siphon when the pump is off. However, my recommendation is to ditch the wye valve and drill a hold in the return line (if it bends over the back of the tank) to break the siphon.

 

[NatD]

It’s already drilled and there’s not space to add another hole/standpipe.
It’s 180 gallons, and 13 feet from sump to tank.

 

[NatD]

In the diagram the wye check valve is in the wrong place. It should be on the return line to the display tank to prevent a siphon when the pump is off. However, my recommendation is to ditch the wye valve and drill a hold in the return line (if it bends over the back of the tank) to break the siphon.

It doesn’t come up over the side, comes up through the bottom. But, I can skip the wye— my sump can handle the water.

 

[JoshH]

It’s already drilled and there’s not space to add another hole/standpipe.
It’s 180 gallons, and 13 feet from sump to tank.

So in this case I would ensure that if your Durso fails, your tank can handle the extra water your return pump will pump into the aquarium (what ever the size of your return pump area of your sump is volume wise). Is there a way to increase the return line atleast? What type of flow are you looking for through your sump? Going with a 3/4" return line is seriously choking off that Barracuda (Which has a 1 1/2" outlet).

 

[NatD]

Maybe?
Am I right that I want the return line to be smaller than the drain line?

I could have it drilled again with larger holes....

 

[JoshH]

Maybe?
Am I right that I want the return line to be smaller than the drain line?

I could have it drilled again with larger holes....

What kind of flow rate are you hoping for from your return?

And your not wrong to want the return smaller than the drain outlet but you don't have to have it that much smaller. You could look at maybe a smaller return pump as well, lots of routes to go.

The reason I ask about the Display being able to handle the water from the return section of your sump is if your drain does fail, your return pump will pump whatever water is in that section up to your display. If this is a significant amount of water and your display can't handle the extra it will end up on your floor. Same principle as making sure your sump can handle any water siphoning down from the return when you shut the pump off.

 

[TaylorPilot]

3/4" drain for a barracuda is extremely undersized. It would be like trying to breathe through a coffee straw. I don't know if it is 13' horizontally or vertically, but even at 13' of head, that pump is making almost 3000 GPH. I would be shooting for more like 1200-1500 for a tank that size. If you run a barracuda, you would need one 1.5" return, and atleast two 1.5" drains. One being a full siphon line, and the other being an open channel/emergency. This is commonly known as a Herbie. I personally would run a bean animal with three 1.5" drains and one 1.5" return if you are aiming for the numbers that pump will produce. A yellowtail pump might be more in-line with what you are looking for if you are pumping vertically 13 feet, and the tank is a 180. I would still run the above drain configuration. 2300-2500 GPH doesn't sound like much but that is a lot of water to move, and you want it to be silent. I don't think it is possible to get that much water flowing silently through a durso of any size, much less 1". I don't think the drain could physically handle it even in a full siphon.

 

[NatD]

What kind of flow rate are you hoping for from your return?

And your not wrong to want the return smaller than the drain outlet but you don't have to have it that much smaller. You could look at maybe a smaller return pump as well, lots of routes to go.

The reason I ask about the Display being able to handle the water from the return section of your sump is if your drain does fail, your return pump will pump whatever water is in that section up to your display. If this is a significant amount of water and your display can't handle the extra it will end up on your floor. Same principle as making sure your sump can handle any water siphoning down from the return when you shut the pump off.

The display can hold quite a bit — 2 more inches across a 48”x48” footprint. I’ll do that math and confirm. Thank you.

I would like to have as much flow as I can up there. I got that pump because there will be significant loss due to the height.

 

[TaylorPilot]

The display can hold quite a bit — 2 more inches across a 48”x48” footprint. I’ll do that math and confirm. Thank you.

I would like to have as much flow as I can up there. I got that pump because there will be significant loss due to the height.

That is right under 20 gallons.

 

[NatD]

So it sounds like my best plan right now is to have it drilled with larger holes.

Realistically, I could cut out the overflow box completely and have it drilled correctly with a bean animal. I did just have Octo Aquatics make me a beautiful new overflow, but I could certainly ask Matt to make a different bigger one.

 

[TaylorPilot]

That would be my suggestion. I know plumbing isn't as sexy as a fancy expensive controller or coral, but it is the circulatory system of the tank, and if it isn't setup right, will make a lot of noise and just not work properly.

 

[NatD]

I think you’re right. And I totally agree.

Tomorrow morning I’ll remove the overflow box and shoot a photo of what I currently have so I can get some more input on where and how big the holes should be.

 

[JoshH]

I think you’re right. And I totally agree.

Tomorrow morning I’ll remove the overflow box and shoot a photo of what I currently have so I can get some more input on where and how big the holes should be.

Solid advice above from @TaylorPilot and points I was trying to touch on, although more vaguely. Is it an overflow with an external box? You can stick with one hole in the tank itself but increasing the size of it in the 2+" range then have a custom overflow box designed for the one hole through the tank plan. Once through the hole in the tank an external box will give you the freedom to plumb a Herbie or Bean animal setup.

 

[anew2thereef]

Hey I was looking to plumbing up and drilling the 75 gallon I have.. two quick questions, where I would be adding the overflow box.. should I drill the return line right near it?.. or should I drill it on the other end of the tank blowing to the overflow box..

 

[anew2thereef]

I feel if I go with the blue return line and a gyre 330 blowing all to the overflow box it would be just overkill! I think having the white return blowing to the gyre with a VGA return nozzle, I’ll more water movement.. what you guys think?.

 

[NatD]

For context, this is my tank. I like it.

What if I use both of the existing 1.5" and 1.75" holes (they are in the floor of the tank, back corner, behind that overflow box of course) as returns? I can split the lines at the manifold in the basement. I can do 2 1" returns that way. That'll be great because I can point them in different directions.

Then, for drainage, I'll choose one of those back sides and add 3 more holes to install a Bean Animal overflow. How big do those 3 need to be? 2"? (note, I can't drill the back of the tank and do a box because I can't move it away from the wall any further)

Then, I'll have another overflow made to conceal them. Aesthetically, if I do this, I think I'll do the entire back left wall in the black plexi overflow.

THoughts?

 

[NatD]

Okay. More thoughts.

With the smaller kit on the pump, at a 13' head, it'll give about 2700 gph.

If I do 3x 2" drains, each can handle 2200 gph gravity fed.

At some point I'll plumb in the 92 gal refugium, which will divert say 600-700 gph (or however I tune it).

But before that, do I use a gate or ball valve and dial back the pump to more like 2000 gph, or do I let it go at 2700 gph and let the 2nd drain in the bean animal handle the remaining 700 or so? Does that defeat the purpose of having the fail safe of the bean animal?

 

[NatD]

Next set of questions—

My sump has 2x 1” drains:

This will definitely not handle the flow I need it to, but, if I modify the back left blue plate by drilling it to add a 2” bulkhead to drain the primary (full siphon) drain, then I can split the secondary drain pipe to use the drains built into the sump.

Then, I’ll run my emergency third drain over the refugium section, several inches over water level so I can hear it splash if the emergency drain is ever in use. Yes??