plumbing question (BRS ULM tanks)

Trever · Apr 3, 2020

I'm just very curious. If you look at this page:

Ultra Low Maintenance Plumbing | BRStv Tank Trials EP5

This week on BRStv Investigates - Tank Trials, Ryan shares your thoughts on what goes into making your return pumps, plumbing and heater choices Ultra Low Maintenance! We'll discuss redundancy, control, and longevity as it pertains to each Tank Trials tank as well as show you what we did for our...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

You can see a video thumbnail showing the plumbing BRS did for the ULM tanks. From top to bottom in the "thumbnail", there is the synergy reef overflow drains (x3) coming down (they're black), then a tiny silver of blue PVC showing, then a grey fitting that goes into a grey union (x3 for the three drains in the center of the thumbnail). What is that first grey fitting before the union???

It almost looks like a reducer but I am not so sure- the difference between the diameter at the top section versus the bottom section of that fitting doesn't appear (to me) great enough.

After the union is just more blue PVC.

Anyone know? I'm about to plumb to my 16" shadow 2 synergy and I'm just curious what that mystery PVC piece is. They don't talk about in detail anywhere in the BRS video's that I have found.

Reef-junky · Apr 3, 2020

They look like some kind a slipxslip reducer.

Reef-junky · Apr 4, 2020

This is it

Trever · Apr 4, 2020

Yes I think so. The synergy reef drains are for 1.5" drains. The odd thing is that when I looked up 1.5" to 1" reducers like that used in the BRS video, they don't look like what is shown in the video (bottom is significantly more narrow than top). So it looks as if BRS is going 1.5" to 1.25", and I don't know why they would do that. Anyways. Regardless of what they are doing, it's obviously a reducer, and perhaps 1.5" to 1". In the photo you included, some of the pieces do look as shown in the video, so mystery solved.

Yet another question though is why BRS would plumb as they did since once done, you are forever going to have to use reduced drains (even if you move the overflow to another larger tank). In the synergy reef installation instructions, they recommend putting the reducer immediately after the union using one of these:

That's how I'm planning to plumb mine, I already bought that reducer at a local hardware store. If I later want to use 1.5" drains, I just need to replace the lower end of the union. Suppose I'll keep a few spare partly to make sure I have a matching replacement half of the union if the same union is no longer made in the future, but mostly because I don't want to bother returning the excess I bought!

In my case, I'll only be reducing the siphon drain, since I don't plan to use the bulkheads on my sump- will just go through the bulkhead holes in the sump. Easier and a perfect fit, it happens.

Well this is much ado about not much... but it glad to at least have one mystery solved. ;Playful

Thanks