Sump and plumbing check

[donbongo]

Just wanted to see if anyone has input on plumbing for this tank? 54 gallon corner tank. I’m nervous about the permanence of bulkheads so put unions immediately below both. I plan to have soft tubing from the return pump until the start of the hard plumbing. Ball valve on the drain side.

It looks like the previous owner had the sump square to the front of the tank/door. Orienting this way gave more room for the ball valve and a more direct path from the return pump.

 

[shakacuz]

any particular reason you didn't include or go for a gate valve?

edit: from what i see it looks well done. but usually the ball valve is on the return, and gate valve on the drain. at least from what i've seen on other tanks or guides. and welcome aboard the r2r board!

 

[AlexG]

The unions are always a good idea to allow servicing. If you are trying to fine tune your overflow to be silent then a gate valve on the drain would be the way to go in place of the ball valve. Welcome to R2R.

 

[KStatefan]

Looks like it is a single drain line so no adjustment is needed.

 

[donbongo]

Looks like it is a single drain line so no adjustment is needed.

Why is this?

I had trouble finding a gate valve which is the main reason that I used the ball valve. After further reading it sounds like these are designed to be used in either the on or off position rather than to adjust flow.

Should I add a gate valve in this location? Or is it not necessary? I would like to be able to minimize noise if possible.

 

[KStatefan]

Why is this?

I had trouble finding a gate valve which is the main reason that I used the ball valve. After further reading it sounds like these are designed to be used in either the on or off position rather than to adjust flow.

Should I add a gate valve in this location? Or is it not necessary? I would like to be able to minimize noise if possible.

Creates a flood risk

 

[donbongo]

Creates a flood risk

Could you explain this a bit more? Is the risk that more water is being returned to the tank from the sump than is being drained due to the gate being closed too much?

 

[KStatefan]

When you only have one drain and you adjust the gate valve to balance the siphon flow what happens when something gets stuck and slows the drain down?

 

[donbongo]

When you only have one drain and you adjust the gate valve to balance the siphon flow what happens when something gets stuck and slows the drain down?

Ok that makes sense, thank you.

related to the return pump, is there any need for a check valve? I think the sump would have enough room to fit any water that drains back from the return line

 

[RocketEngineer]

Ok that makes sense, thank you.

related to the return pump, is there any need for a check valve? I think the sump would have enough room to fit any water that drains back from the return line

Check valves are a waste of time/effort/money as all it takes is one bit of grit, one strand of algae, or one tiny critter to make it fail. Instead, like you say, ensure the sump can hold the back flow and you never have to worry.

 

[mdb_talon]

I like check valves personally because even though my sump can hold all the water it does add enough that water level rises in my skimmer section as well which can cause the skimmer to overflow. I like to be able to turn off skimmer without impacting this water level.

So i would never rely on a check valve to prevent a flood, but still find them very useful. Depending on where your return to tank is positioned(or where you have anti-siphon holes) this may or may not make any difference so dependent on the setup.