Return line setup with UV

[brian222]

Hi all, I am currently working on the plumbing of my WB Peninsula 6025 system, I want to add a UV sterilizer to my return line, so I am thinking of modifying the original setup to add an additional line which go through the UV then back to the return pipe:

Blue arrows indicate the water flow direction, I want to put 3 valve gates in case if I need to take the UV out from the return line for maintenance, green valve means on/open and red means close, below is the diagram of the setup when the return water bypassing the UV:

I am new to plumbing setup, is there any potential problem of this design? Thanks a lot in advance

 

[theMeat]

Pump pressure from pump will meet at tee from two directions. From manifold, and from uv. Illuminate that tee by either having a uv that is big enough to handle all water going display, ie inline on return line, or have manifold feed the uv and return to sump near pump intake

 

[brian222]

Pump pressure from pump will meet at tee from two directions. From manifold, and from uv. Illuminate that tee by either having a uv that is big enough to handle all water going display, ie inline on return line, or have manifold feed the uv and return to sump near pump intake

Thanks for your help, a follow up question I have is that with the gate valve highlighted in red closed, the T joint is still going to get pump pressure from both UV and return pump?

 

[theMeat]

Thanks for your help, a follow up question I have is that with the gate valve highlighted in red closed, the T joint is still going to get pump pressure from both UV and return pump?

Good catch, no that will illuminate pressure from both sides. Yes, that will work. As long as the uv can process the gph of what your return pump is pumping to display

 

[Thor2j]

Your plumbing looks fine. Putting that valve there is good so you can service the uv. Better is to use union valves. Unions are your friend.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

You were on the right track, just needs a little fine tuning. As @theMeat mentioned, flow rate through the UV needs to be taken into consideration. Assuming the UV is the Pentair EU-40 (not the EU-40-2, although the same principle would still apply), you will need less flow than what the return pump is flowing (also an assumption on my part according to the specs of the Waterbox website).

At the risk of making an A** out of myself, I am again going to assume that the red handled valves in your drawing are actually ball valves instead of true "gate valves". If you were to plumb it as above, you can use the gate valve (which is easier to adjust than a ball valve) to fine tune the flow through the UV by allowing a certain amount to bypass it. Also with the ball valve as close as possible to the UV you will have less water to escape when servicing the UV if you had to remove it. Good luck.

 

[Shirak]

What do you intend the purpose of the UV? Flow and system volume matter depending on your goals for the UV.

 

[AJsReef]

Have you considered forgoing the manifold? Seems like running so many valves off the main return is going to be challenging. You may not even have sufficient output flow.

I have my UV on my return line with a bypass to allow greater return flow if I wanted to reduce my UV flow. I have found that most DC pumps don’t have adequate flow for this to even be a concern however.

 

[brian222]

What do you intend the purpose of the UV? Flow and system volume matter depending on your goals for the UV.

Mostly algae control, I will quarantine everything anyway so I don't need UV for ick management

 

[brian222]

Have you considered forgoing the manifold? Seems like running so many valves off the main return is going to be challenging. You may not even have sufficient output flow.

I have my UV on my return line with a bypass to allow greater return flow if I wanted to reduce my UV flow. I have found that most DC pumps don’t have adequate flow for this to even be a concern however.

I was originally going to have a dual return pumps setup but realize it won't make much sense with only a single return line, so I guess I may not be able to add the manifold. I am also thinking of adding a flow meter similar to your setup

 

[brian222]

You were on the right track, just needs a little fine tuning. As @theMeat mentioned, flow rate through the UV needs to be taken into consideration. Assuming the UV is the Pentair EU-40 (not the EU-40-2, although the same principle would still apply), you will need less flow than what the return pump is flowing (also an assumption on my part according to the specs of the Waterbox website).

At the risk of making an A** out of myself, I am again going to assume that the red handled valves in your drawing are actually ball valves instead of true "gate valves". If you were to plumb it as above, you can use the gate valve (which is easier to adjust than a ball valve) to fine tune the flow through the UV by allowing a certain amount to bypass it. Also with the ball valve as close as possible to the UV you will have less water to escape when servicing the UV if you had to remove it. Good luck.

Thanks for your help! I bought a EU-40 and its recommended flow rate for algae & bacteria is 943 GPH (max 1574 GPH). Do I need to use a gate valve to allow water bypassing the UV and go straight back to the tank if I don't need to restrict the flow rate into UV? (I am using Reef Octopus Vario S-6, max 1700 GPH)

 

[Reefer Reboot]

If your return flow rate is exactly what you need for the UV then no, you can just run the UV inline with the return. With the adjustable flow rate of your pump you could do that. But that might not be the case. I think you will be better off at least having the option of fine tuning the flow with the gate valve, but that's just my opinion. It's really up to you how you wish to accomplish your goals.

 

[brian222]

If your return flow rate is exactly what you need for the UV then no, you can just run the UV inline with the return. With the adjustable flow rate of your pump you could do that. But that might not be the case. I think you will be better off at least having the option of fine tuning the flow with the gate valve, but that's just my opinion. It's really up to you how you wish to accomplish your goals.

Yes I am definitely going to use a gate valve so I will have a way to fine-tune the flow to UV if I need to in the future, thanks for the advice!

 

[Shirak]

Yes I am definitely going to use a gate valve so I will have a way to fine-tune the flow to UV if I need to in the future, thanks for the advice!

You will need a gate valve on the non-uv line also. Without one the water will preferentially flow up that line instead of going through the UV. The nice thing with a flow meter you could always adjust the two gate valves and slow the UV side if you needed to do some fish parasite control down the road.

 

[brian222]

You will need a gate valve on the non-uv line also. Without one the water will preferentially flow up that line instead of going through the UV. The nice thing with a flow meter you could always adjust the two gate valves and slow the UV side if you needed to do some fish parasite control down the road.

so gate valve on both lines? I thought I can control the flow to UV line by restricting the flow on the main return line

 

[Shirak]

so gate valve on both lines? I thought I can control the flow to UV line by restricting the flow on the main return line

I think most of the time you will probably have the main line fully closed or nearly so for algae control but I would do both for better control through either pipe. Will also give you the ability to remove the UV and still run the main line if needed. There will be times when you will need to service the UV. I find that the ceramic glass needs a good cleaning a couple times a year and crud builds up in the bottom of the UV housing. Good to take the whole unit out and pull apart from time to time.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

It certainly wouldn't hurt, just change one of the ball valves at either the inlet or the outlet of the UV to a gate valve for better control.