Plumbing return, T orientation?

[dvybiral]

I think the whole idea when plumbing a tank that has dual returns is just plumb with the least amount of restrictions as possible. If you are going to add manifolds then you might need to go with a larger pump to achieve the flow you want.

 

[mcarroll]

Where can i fing a pvc wye?

If you have a good or larger HD or Lowes around they MAY have it. Check a plumbing supply house or pool supply otherwise.

Of course FlexPVCcom has choices:
PVC-Fittings-Wyes-Manifold-Wyes could be ideal, but these...
PVC-Fittings-Wyes-TrueWye are what I was thinking about.

 

[drtrash]

The red dragon has 1" outlet, reducing it to 3/4" at bulkhead should not be a concen but i prefer to be consevative so want to se lect the best flow that is doable

 

[Burrito]

So for the most part unless you are custom ordering a tank with a greater than 3/4 return hole. Aren’t you almost always going to have to reduce. Most reef ready or drilled tanks I’ve seen are 3/4”. My 100g is 3/4” drilled for a return. I looked for a good pump and nearly all are bigger than 3/4”. I’m using a cor 20 plumbed at 1.25 the. Reduced about half way.

 

[Art2249]

So for the most part unless you are custom ordering a tank with a greater than 3/4 return hole. Aren’t you almost always going to have to reduce. Most reef ready or drilled tanks I’ve seen are 3/4”. My 100g is 3/4” drilled for a return. I looked for a good pump and nearly all are bigger than 3/4”. I’m using a cor 20 plumbed at 1.25 the. Reduced about half way.[/QUOTE

I didnt spend a lot of time looking but i found this. https://www.hy-techroofdrains.com/water-flow-through-a-pipe. looks like 3/4 can carry about 35% of what 1 1/4 can. So 2 3/4 returns could handle about 70%. Still as I said earlier a pressure rated pump would hold up better in this scenario. It would be nice if tank builders started using bigger returns for dc pumps.

 

[mcarroll]

I didnt spend a lot of time looking but i found this. https://www.hy-techroofdrains.com/water-flow-through-a-pipe. looks like 3/4 can carry about 35% of what 1 1/4 can. So 2 3/4 returns could handle about 70%. Still as I said earlier a pressure rated pump would hold up better in this scenario. It would be nice if tank builders started using bigger returns for dc pumps.

Try this calculator instead..
http://www.freecalc.com/fric.htm

Plug in pipe-size, flow rate, specific gravity, temperature, total plumbing length and then select the appropriate fittings as best you can. It'll poop out a friction loss number to add on to your basic vertical head loss. Use the vertical head loss+friction loss to look up the predicted flow rate on your pump's flow chart.

 

[mcarroll]

The higher the flow rate, the more pipe size and length matter. Fittings don't seem to matter nearly as much as we worry about.

 

[KStatefan]

Try this calculator instead..
http://www.freecalc.com/fric.htm

Plug in pipe-size, flow rate, specific gravity, temperature, total plumbing length and then select the appropriate fittings as best you can. It'll poop out a friction loss number to add on to your basic vertical head loss. Use the vertical head loss+friction loss to look up the predicted flow rate on your pump's flow chart.

You might have to perform this a few times to get close to actual flow especially it you are starting with a high velocity flow.