Plumbing Questions

[kveille]

I am hoping to to begin ordering my new equipment and begin building out my 120g in the next few weeks. I have a few questions about plumbing my tank. The tank is used and comes with the return piece and bulkhead and the durso pipes come with a bulkhead. So all I need to do is run the plumbing from the bulkheads to the equipment/sump.

1. Should I be able to find all needed supplies at a Lowes or Home Depot?
2. Do you glue the pvc piping directly to the bulkhead or pumps or do you connect it with some flexible tubing?
3. Is there anything that I should be aware of or consider when running my pipes? This will be my first time doing something like this and I want to make sure I do it right.
4. Should the drain pipes be submerged in the sump or just above the water?

 

[stunreefer]

I am hoping to to begin ordering my new equipment and begin building out my 120g in the next few weeks. I have a few questions about plumbing my tank. The tank is used and comes with the return piece and bulkhead and the durso pipes come with a bulkhead. So all I need to do is run the plumbing from the bulkheads to the equipment/sump.

Make sure to inspect the bulkhead gaskets and ensure they're in very good condition. Personally I would replace at least the gaskets for safe measure.

1. Should I be able to find all needed supplies at a Lowes or Home Depot?

Depends on your local Lowes/HD Some are great, some have crap for selection, but most should be OK for your basic plumbing needs.

2. Do you glue the pvc piping directly to the bulkhead or pumps or do you connect it with some flexible tubing?

Some bulkheads are slip fit, some are threaded. Whichever they are, I would make sure that you can remove the bulkheads without having to cut any PVC (because it's glued) just in case. You can also use flexible tubing, it's personal preference. Flex tubing will cut down on vibration noise, but if it's hard plumbed correctly you'll be just fine as well.

3. Is there anything that I should be aware of or consider when running my pipes? This will be my first time doing something like this and I want to make sure I do it right.

Dry fit first to make sure the lengths are correct. I would check out plumbing jobs online, at LFS and local reefers if possible. Wouldn't hurt to have an experienced reefer (read: plumber) over to help as well

4. Should the drain pipes be submerged in the sump or just above the water?

I keep them above the water. Eliminates bubbling noise (and salt creep) and helps oxygenate the water.

 

[hawkinsrgk]

1. It really depends on if your going with flexible tubing or PVC. If your going with PVC then you can get everything you need and both Lowes and Home Depot. If your going with flexible tubing, then Lowes is your best bet. In terms of overall selection Lowes has a much wider selection that Home Depot.

2. I have done it both ways, but I have been much happier with the PVC approach. On my 125 I used all flexible tubing but use 1.25. It was a lot of work to connect a 1.25 flexible tubing to a .75 return. If you are going with PVC I would buy threaded bulkheads and scrap the ones that come with the overflow kit. You do not need to glue the durso pipe to the bulkhead. It will hold without it and if you need to modify it later on you have to get new bulkheads.

3. My best advice to give when running pipes is to mark your joints to get a close fit. I did not do this and had to redo some of the setup. Also try to run your plumbing as much out of the way as possible in case you have something unexpected and need to move things around.

4. I run my drain pipes as far down in the sump as possible. If you run them above the sump it will cause splashing and a lot of salt creap.

Thanks
Randy

 

[kveille]

Thanks for the feedback. It looks like I might be buying new bulkheads that are threaded. Is the certain brand of bulkhead that is considered better than other brands of bulkheads? Would I be better off buying them online?

 

[gpwdr]

Bean Animal

I have a ten foot drop from the Ghost Overflow to the sump in the basement.

Where is the best place to put the gate valve on the full siphon pipe with the Bean Animal plumbing configuration?

I've been told to put it up near the overflow. Will the full siphon still work with the gate valve nine feet up one the pipe? Would their be a considerable reduced flow with the gate valve so high up?

Gene

 

[redfishbluefish]

Good advice above....I'll just add these tidbits:


1. Use unions were you think it would help with taking plumping apart (certainly on things like pumps), for maintanence and cleaning.


2. If you've never worked with PVC, put adhesive on both the fitting and the pipe. Quickly push the pipe into the fitting all the way and twist 90 degrees. Hold for about 10-15 seconds until glue sticks well enough. If alignment is critical with the pipe and fitting, first use a Sharpie to put a line on the fitting and pipe that shows the proper alignment. Match this line up when glueing.


3. I run the two drain pipes into my sump and both are below the surface about ten inches. This last piece of pipe is not glued, but just friction fitted.


4. Flex versus rigid PVC. Either will work. I prefer rigid unless I know I can eliminate a fitting or two by using flex. You can combine them as well (i.e. flex on a long run where you can bend it to avoid putting in fittings, with rigid around the tank and sump.)


5. Work with a friend/fellow reefer who has plumbing experience and your two heads will help in solving issues.


Good luck.

 

[AZDesertRat]

This may answer some of your questions.
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...iltration/34973-installing-bulkhead-tips.html

I prefer thread x thread bulkheads and a mixture of PVC and reinforced vinyl tubing to break up any noise due to vibration and help with any misalignments that cause stress and possibly leaks. As redfish pointed out, unions are great in places where you need to clean or maintain something in the future. I prefer my drain extends under the sump water level to eliminate splashing an salt creep. When the standpipe is set up properly with the correct air/water mixture bubbles and gurgling are not an issue.

 

[swk]

+1 on unions. The more the merrier, but obviously within reason lol. They allow for easy breakdowns for cleaning or alterations down the road. However - this is my most important tip

When buying and using unions, buy extras for the future. If you make a change to a piece of pipe and have to discard half of the Union, there no guarantee that you will find the same type or brand of union that you used before. They are not universal and you will end up having to replace the whole thing all together. Buying a few extra the first time will eliminate this issue. Does that make sense?

 

[AZDesertRat]

So I don't have to buy extra unions or valves I buy threaded PVC fittings and use male adapters on the pipe so things can be disassembled. I try hard not to glue any fittings, only straight runs of pipe. Makes future modifications and maintenance easier.
I also minimize the use of sharp 90 degree elbows where possible, especially on gravity overflows and smaller diameter PVC. Two 45's or even a gradual sweep using vinyl tubing causes less headloss. On the pump discharge it is recommended to step up one size like if the pump is 3/4" use a bell or increaser bushing and go up to 1" for less resistance to flow due to both fitting losses and friction losses due to higher velocity.