Jaylivi1212
Active Member
My sump and overflow are literally underneath each other and flexi drain hoses only come in 2 feet+ which is probably too long. What other alternative is there?
plumbing question
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Jaylivi1212
Active Member
Add a 90 degree fitting at the top of the sump to eliminate that incline. With that, a 2’ house should work fine...
Jaylivi1212
Active Member
That would just go inside the bulkhead where the hose connects to correct?
recess62
Well-Known Member
Jaylivi1212
Active Member
I have a center overflow. What do you mean backwards?
recess62
Well-Known Member
I see you have 2 hoses. The flex hose and the garden hose. In general it is safer to have the larger hose as your emergency overflow. Do you know what type overflow you are using? Ie herbie, durso, bean animal?
Jaylivi1212
Active Member
I do not. Would a picture help? And does home depot sell the required pvc?
Jaylivi1212
Active Member
It looks similar to this except where the end cap is there’s a hole on top and next to it is the return pipe. I believe it’s durso.
Jaylivi1212
Active Member
Would it also be better to hard plumb my return also? How would I do that?
recess62
Well-Known Member
Hi. Looks like you may have purchased a setup second hand or someone set it up for you. Bulk Reef Supply has a series that will walk you through a tank set up. There is an episode on plumbing a sump. It will explain the various types of overflows and go over redundancies that can be used to avoid a catastrophe like a flood. Here is a link to the plumbing episode
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/video/view/week-5-plumbing-overflows-return-pumps/
Hard plumbing imo is always safer but more complicated to build. However there are tons of resources here and on YouTube to help you through the process. Fwiw it is also very rewarding and a lot of fun to put together.
If you decide to stay with the flex hose please address the leak in that bulkhead
I am surprised no one else has chimed in here
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/video/view/week-5-plumbing-overflows-return-pumps/
Hard plumbing imo is always safer but more complicated to build. However there are tons of resources here and on YouTube to help you through the process. Fwiw it is also very rewarding and a lot of fun to put together.
If you decide to stay with the flex hose please address the leak in that bulkhead
I am surprised no one else has chimed in here
Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
I think you nailed it offering those videos as a good source for the poster... best to watch those videos to get a basic understanding, and then he can ask questions for clarification and help.
Jaylivi1212
Active Member
I did purchase it from a close friend. I am using a durso style overflow. I could get the parts at home depot correct?
recess62
Well-Known Member
Yes you can. Watch the video. There are 2 types of PVC. Schedule 40 and schedule 80. Schedule 80 tends to be more widely used because it is beefier. Reefers tend to over engineer our systems. We try to avoid weak links that may result in a catastrophic failure. Don’t forget a major failure will result to damage to your home. It may cause a fire. It also may result in the death of animals that depend of you for their survival
So this is a long answer. Home deport sells schedule 40. You will need to purchase schedule 80 froma Plumbing supply, amazon, or a vender like BRS. I used BRS. They have a generous return policy. I bought way too much of everything and they happily took everything I did not use back
So this is a long answer. Home deport sells schedule 40. You will need to purchase schedule 80 froma Plumbing supply, amazon, or a vender like BRS. I used BRS. They have a generous return policy. I bought way too much of everything and they happily took everything I did not use back
Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
Yes, most PVC piping and fittings can be obtained from Home Depot and Lowes. I actually found Lowes to habe better selections and pricing than the HD in my area. My HD doesn't carry any Sch80 PVC pieces while my Lowes does. But, you can do all the plumbing in Sch40 PVC easily and cheaply. If you haven't used PVC before, go on YouTube and search for videos plumbing with PVC. There are many that will show you exactly how to use the primer and cement together. It's really simple... practice on a few pieces with some cheap Sch40 fittings so you get the hang of it before jumping into your project. When you pick out your PVC cement, just get an "all purpose" kind... most are made by Oates at HD/Lowe's. Also, make sure you have a lot of ventilation where putting together your pieces of PVC.... those solvents can make you loopy after awhile, lol. Also look on the primer and cement to make sure it will work with PVC and ABS. Most bulkheads are made out of ABS plastic. I would also stay away from threaded joints as well...it just allows for leaks and you have to use thread sealant on the threads.
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Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
FYI...Schedule 80 PVC will cost you about 2-4x the cost of Schedule 40 PVC. The difference between the 2 is color of piping...gray vs white...and, schedule 80 is for higher pressure system plumbing. There is nothing in a reef system that requires Schedule80 pressure tyoe fittings! If an aquarist uses Sch80, it's for look of the pipes only.
Plus, Sch80 "special" fittings are harder to come by and require you to order online. That's a big pain in the @%$# when you are in the middle of a project and need (or mis-measure) and need a new part... gotta wait a week for them to come in the mail. Best to use what's easily available at HD/Lowes....buy way extra of everything and return what you don't use! Just my .02 cents from someone who just went thru plumbing my system!
Plus, Sch80 "special" fittings are harder to come by and require you to order online. That's a big pain in the @%$# when you are in the middle of a project and need (or mis-measure) and need a new part... gotta wait a week for them to come in the mail. Best to use what's easily available at HD/Lowes....buy way extra of everything and return what you don't use! Just my .02 cents from someone who just went thru plumbing my system!
Jaylivi1212
Active Member
would I be purchasing thread x thread, thread x slip or slip x slip
Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
I personally used as many slip/slip connections as possible in my system. The one threaded connection I used leaked and had to be redone!
The bulkhead portion on the inside of the tank can be threaded or slip... doesn't matter since you won't permanently seal that anyhow and a leak there will only leak down to the inside of the pipe going to the sump! But i prefer a slip connection on the bulkhead under the tank.
Also, use unions often... makes taking pipes sections apart easily later. Plus, if you get so far along and make an error in pipe measurements or direction, you only have to back to the last union to re-do it, the entire length of your project won't have to be re-done.
The bulkhead portion on the inside of the tank can be threaded or slip... doesn't matter since you won't permanently seal that anyhow and a leak there will only leak down to the inside of the pipe going to the sump! But i prefer a slip connection on the bulkhead under the tank.
Also, use unions often... makes taking pipes sections apart easily later. Plus, if you get so far along and make an error in pipe measurements or direction, you only have to back to the last union to re-do it, the entire length of your project won't have to be re-done.
Yes, address that leak in the bulkhead. Just get a new bulkhead. Make sure the rubber washer goes inside the tank, and that the surface inside the tank where washer sits is clean and clear of sand.
Hard plumbing looks cool, but that's the only advantage. Tubing offers better flow because of more gradual bends, and easier to remove if need be.
From the pic would guess that grey flex hose you have now is longer than 2 feet, and would think a 2 foot hose would work fine.
If not, homecheapo has flexible, braided 1" and 1 1/4" inside diameter(ID) hose. This flexible hose/tubing can be bent, and if it's not bending enough can be manipulated further using heat from a hair drier or whatnot. The same heat can make getting it onto the 1" pvc nipple that you should glue into the bottom of bulkhead.
A 1" pvc street elbow might be a good idea on top of sump, but the less bends, and the more graduate they are, the better. So if you can get away without it, would be better
Hard plumbing looks cool, but that's the only advantage. Tubing offers better flow because of more gradual bends, and easier to remove if need be.
From the pic would guess that grey flex hose you have now is longer than 2 feet, and would think a 2 foot hose would work fine.
If not, homecheapo has flexible, braided 1" and 1 1/4" inside diameter(ID) hose. This flexible hose/tubing can be bent, and if it's not bending enough can be manipulated further using heat from a hair drier or whatnot. The same heat can make getting it onto the 1" pvc nipple that you should glue into the bottom of bulkhead.
A 1" pvc street elbow might be a good idea on top of sump, but the less bends, and the more graduate they are, the better. So if you can get away without it, would be better
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