Quick Plumbing Question

[Forsaken77]

I'm in the process of setting up a 180 and I prefer black vinyl tubng over pvc pipe.

It's a dual overflow tank, meaning dual 1 inch returns. I'm leaning towards the Reef Octopus VarioS-8 DC return pump (2,700 gph and 18 foot head pressure) that has a hosetail type of barb fitting of 1 inch to 1.25 inch. I'm using a 25 watt UV on each return so all aquarium water will flow through at the flow I need. The UV also has a hose tail barb that can accept 1.25 inch maximum or 1 inch and lower.

Would it be a problem for me to use 1.25 inch off the pump, go to a 1.25 inch wye (Y) fitting, then the inputs to the UV's use the 1.25 inch but on the output side use the 1 inch to connect to the tanks 1 inch? So basically the UV will act as a reducer to minimize head pressure instead of using 1 inch all the way through.

Would it cause any issues having a bigger input to the UV than the output would be?

Thanks...

 

[Brew12]

I'm in the process of setting up a 180 and I prefer black vinyl tubng over pvc pipe.

It's a dual overflow tank, meaning dual 1 inch returns. I'm leaning towards the Reef Octopus VarioS-8 DC return pump (2,700 gph and 18 foot head pressure) that has a hosetail type of barb fitting of 1 inch to 1.25 inch. I'm using a 25 watt UV on each return so all aquarium water will flow through at the flow I need. The UV also has a hose tail barb that can accept 1.25 inch maximum or 1 inch and lower.

Would it be a problem for me to use 1.25 inch off the pump, go to a 1.25 inch wye (Y) fitting, then the inputs to the UV's use the 1.25 inch but on the output side use the 1 inch to connect to the tanks 1 inch? So basically the UV will act as a reducer to minimize head pressure instead of using 1 inch all the way through.

Would it cause any issues having a bigger input to the UV than the output would be?

Thanks...

The change in plumbing size shouldn't be a problem.

Just keep in mind your end goal for what you want your UV system to do for you. You need to be careful to not have too much flow through the UV units or they will not work properly.

 

[Forsaken77]

The change in plumbing size shouldn't be a problem.

Just keep in mind your end goal for what you want your UV system to do for you. You need to be careful to not have too much flow through the UV units or they will not work properly.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I'm fully aware of the contact time. I'm pretty much going for Level 1 sterilization, algae, some bad bacteria and just better water quality.

I just wanted to make sure the pump will be able to handle the head loss and I'm not getting 200 gph out of each overflow. The UV's themselves are 20 inches long with a right angle in and a right angle out. That's 5 feet of loss right there between both units and why I'm using a Y fitting instead of a T fitting.

I rather have the pump be able to generate too much flow and dial it back, then have one with not enough. I'm even thinking that this pump might not have enough head pressure at the end of the day.

 

[moseley75]

You may be able to use this generic head loss calculator to figure out how much flow you will loose in the tubing and vertical lift of your system. you will probably have to estimate for the two uv fixtures.
I would suggest that you install a ball valve on each of the two return lines prior to the uv fixtures for flow control through each and balancing the system.

http://pentairaes.com/pump-calculator

Just my $.02.