72x30x18 DIY build thread

[tbrown]

Either an overflow box or a check valve, yes.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Either an overflow box or a check valve, yes.

Check valve?

 

[tbrown]

Check valve?

If it's on the return pump side. Is it a drain or return line?

 

[Nate Chalk]

Main return.

The concern is that it gurgles. And on a reset from below the drain it doesn't do the job. Only once I lift up the vinyl does it start to drain quick. Like an air bubble is stuck

 

[Nate Chalk]

It pretty much goes to the emergency and eventually will overflow

 

[Nate Chalk]

Sorry @tbrown it's the main drain. It has a gate goes to vinyl.

It's drilled lower than the emergency which is the same no gate.

Goes to sump.


No check valve needed.

The issue is on restart the drain gets an air bubble

 

[Nate Chalk]

The peel was slowly starting on momma again. Cut further.

Interesting it almost looks like a bit of brown jelly in the center near where it was peeling. Do acropora get brown jelly?

 

[Minifoot77]

Brown jelly is normally a mass of ciliates i thought and in that case yes they could get it

 

[Minifoot77]

The check valve idea won't work on a drain but it would on the return pump

 

[Nate Chalk]

Here's a better view.

I may try shortening the vinyl section to avoid bubbles

 

[tbrown]

The check valve idea won't work on a drain but it would on the return pump

Yep. I misunderstood and thought it was the pump starting meaning return pump.

@Nate Chalk sometimes adding a small section of 1/8" airline in the tube allows the trapped air to "pop" when water starts flowing if it's near the top. If it's getting trapped under the gate valve that's a different story.

If the vinyl is getting out of round and causing it (collapsing?) you can cut a small piece of PVC just larger inside diameter than the outside diameter of the vinyl and slide it over to about the middle of the out of round part and it should help keep it open.

 

[tbrown]

Nevermind. I see your video. It looks like it has a couple of dips in it. Eliminate those dips and the air won't get trapped there.

 

[tbrown]

Getting the end just above the water level in the sump will help some as well - no back pressure to keep the air in the line once the water starts. It'll allow some splashing though potentially.

 

[UncommonSense]

The vinyl tubing is also a mere 1/2”, and is BARELY hanging onto those 3/4” barbed fittings!

I think I saw that those barbed adapter fittings are NPT on the other side? If so, I’d recommend adding a 45 or 90 elbow right before each barbed adapter fitting, then switching to 3/4” vinyl tubing!

— This should make your tubing go in a more direct route to the sump, make it start higher up (no segments of vinyl angled “uphill”), and give you around 2x the flow rate through those drains!

 

[Nate Chalk]

I cut the hose shorter and it seems to be able to re-prime itself

 

[Nate Chalk]

The vinyl tubing is also a mere 1/2”, and is BARELY hanging onto those 3/4” barbed fittings!

I think I saw that those barbed adapter fittings are NPT on the other side? If so, I’d recommend adding a 45 or 90 elbow right before each barbed adapter fitting, then switching to 3/4” vinyl tubing!

— This should make your tubing go in a more direct route to the sump, make it start higher up (no segments of vinyl angled “uphill”), and give you around 2x the flow rate through those drains!

It's half inch to half inch, I do agree with you though. Maybe switching to 3/4 in

 

[tbrown]

I cut the hose shorter and it seems to be able to re-prime itself

Is it out of the water now?

 

[Nate Chalk]

Is it out of the water now?

Yeah I had it out of the water before, didn't seem to make a difference. It was more about the dip and the length I think trapping a bubble

I just did a test run of repriming and it seemed to work. Going to test again

 

[tbrown]

Yeah I had it out of the water before, didn't seem to make a difference. It was more about the dip and the length I think trapping a bubble

I just did a test run of repriming and it seemed to work. Going to test again

Simple fixes are always the best!

 

[UncommonSense]

It's half inch to half inch

I had a think about this…

Is there any chance that the vinyl is 1/2” outside diameter?

— this gets confused by more vendors than I’d like… for example, those sch.80 barbed adapter fittings are almost certainly for 1/2” ID (inside diameter) tubing, or they wouldn’t work at all on braided tube!