Ok maybe a revelation over a question.
I did not know that over time that drains will slow down.
Don't get me wrong here, I know that obstructions like hair, soap, and dirt build up will occur in our household drains. But there is none of that stuff in our reef tank drains.
Over the past six eight weeks I have had slower and slower draining issues.
My tanks water level was rising ever so slightly. I had to open my second gate valve to 100%
Then yesterday I had to knock my return pump down a notch, and it was at or slightly above the normal level today. So I dropped a full 150Gph.
Today I shut the system down and took apart my two drain lines thinking that there was a clog in one or both. Found absolutely no such clog of any sort, wide open throughout.
No ball of algae, shell, or who knows what.
The only thing I found was the typical slime buildup on the inside of the pipes.
Less than the thickness of a fingernail maybe a 1/6th of an inch.
Well I cleaned the interior with a bottle brush as I had everything apart, then reassembled the drains.
Turned the system back on thinking of what am I going to do now, because I found no clog.
To my surprise the drains were back to full flow actually more as the second gate valve was wide open.
Turned my pump back up to full and the drains still were going faster than what the pump could produce. So I closed my second gate valve and tuned everything back in.
So the friction theory with plumbing I have been told about long ago and forgotten I found to be true.
This minor slime build up inside the drain lines caused enough friction over time to slow the flow.
So I guess my question for the plumbing pros is this the friction loss I briefly learned about long ago? To me cavitation is more the issue, due to the fact that the slime was not smooth like glass but had hills and valleys?
Again the slimy film was very thin, maybe a 1/6th at the thickest parts. I am not talking about a closed artery situation here.
Thoughts?
In any case I did learn something today.
If your drains are slowing down its time to clean them.
So my advice is build your drain system like I did and have it able to be disassembled for periodic cleaning.
I did not know that over time that drains will slow down.
Don't get me wrong here, I know that obstructions like hair, soap, and dirt build up will occur in our household drains. But there is none of that stuff in our reef tank drains.
Over the past six eight weeks I have had slower and slower draining issues.
My tanks water level was rising ever so slightly. I had to open my second gate valve to 100%
Then yesterday I had to knock my return pump down a notch, and it was at or slightly above the normal level today. So I dropped a full 150Gph.
Today I shut the system down and took apart my two drain lines thinking that there was a clog in one or both. Found absolutely no such clog of any sort, wide open throughout.
No ball of algae, shell, or who knows what.
The only thing I found was the typical slime buildup on the inside of the pipes.
Less than the thickness of a fingernail maybe a 1/6th of an inch.
Well I cleaned the interior with a bottle brush as I had everything apart, then reassembled the drains.
Turned the system back on thinking of what am I going to do now, because I found no clog.
To my surprise the drains were back to full flow actually more as the second gate valve was wide open.
Turned my pump back up to full and the drains still were going faster than what the pump could produce. So I closed my second gate valve and tuned everything back in.
So the friction theory with plumbing I have been told about long ago and forgotten I found to be true.
This minor slime build up inside the drain lines caused enough friction over time to slow the flow.
So I guess my question for the plumbing pros is this the friction loss I briefly learned about long ago? To me cavitation is more the issue, due to the fact that the slime was not smooth like glass but had hills and valleys?
Again the slimy film was very thin, maybe a 1/6th at the thickest parts. I am not talking about a closed artery situation here.
Thoughts?
In any case I did learn something today.
If your drains are slowing down its time to clean them.
So my advice is build your drain system like I did and have it able to be disassembled for periodic cleaning.
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