BeanAnimal and plumbing

[Jivatma]

Looking to drill and plumb my first tank. So far, glue everything! Only need true unions after overflow box for maintenance, correct?

But my question is this,

If I have to glue my standpipes to the overflow box bulkheads, how do I set up the water height and pipe heights?

I plan on using downward u-shape for primary and secondary pipes also. This is okay as long as secondary has a small hole drilled in top, correct?

 

[mrlavalamp]

I don't glue my standpipes inside the overflow box, just friction fit has always held them in place, and I can pop them off to drain out the overflow box during water changes.

Setting the heights takes experimentation.

Set everything up and fill it with tap water to test it out, pull the pipes and cut some off, turn pump on and try again. Watch out for overflows, don't want to make a mess.

 

[Jivatma]

I don't glue my standpipes inside the overflow box, just friction fit has always held them in place, and I can pop them off to drain out the overflow box during water changes.

Setting the heights takes experimentation.

Set everything up and fill it with tap water to test it out, pull the pipes and cut some off, turn pump on and try again. Watch out for overflows, don't want to make a mess.

This is where I've begun to get confused. Friction/tightness is enough to prevent leaks from the bulkheads? I've also read other posts of people gluing the pvc to the bulkheads. Hence the confusion.

I also plan to do 2 returns through the backglass and so i worry about leaks there as well.

 

[malacoda]

Same here. Just friction for the 3 pipes inside the overflow box. Makes it easier to remove them for occasional cleaning of the overflow box.

As for leaks at the bulkheads, the internal pipes have nothing to do with the bulkheads leaking or not leaking. If you look at the bulkhead from the side it is shaped like the letter 'T' ... with the threaded portion being the leg of the T.

Before you install the bulkhead, you slide the rubber ring seal that comes with it up the thread leg of the T until it is against the bottom surface of the top of the T...

You then put the threaded portion of the bulkhead down through the hole of the overflow box ... so that the rubber ring is between the top of the T and the overflow box.

Then, from outside, beneath the overflow box, you thread the nut up the bulkhead until it is just a little more than hand tight. This slightly compresses the rubber ring and creates a seal between the underside of the top of the T and the glass of the overflow box.

That means that water can flow down the inside of the bulkhead into the pipe that is glued (or threaded) into the bottom of the bulkhead that leads down to the sump ... but, can't seep under the rim of the bulkhead and down between the glass and the outside surface of the bulkhead.

Think of it like a bathroom sink drain. The plumber put some putty in-between the rim of the hole in the sink and underside of the drain rim that touches the sink. That way water can't seep between the drain and the sink and drip down into the cabinet underneath ... it can only go down the 'inside' of the drain where it's supposed to go.

 

[CMMorgan]

You can glue or screw the pipes under the overflow box. The ones inside are friction fit. You don't need to worry about them "leaking".... anything that would slip by goes to the sump. These are drain pipes. My emergency has this one little drip every few minutes. It's not even enough that I can hear it, I just see it. No biggie, it drips into my sump.

 

[jandlms]

Similar issue. I have three drain pipes exiting the wall over my sump. Of course they are not positioned where I want them to be so I need some elbows and a little creative plumbing.
My question is whether I need to glue the pipe and elbows to the three exit pipes. The schedule 80 I am using is a tight fit and if I can just pull the pipe off for mods in the future it might be beneficial. They are just drains without much pressure in them so I should not need to glue them right??????

 

[Reef - Tripp]

The tubing outside the box is glued, the internal tubing is pressurized or bolted like mine.

 

[mrlavalamp]

Similar issue. I have three drain pipes exiting the wall over my sump. Of course they are not positioned where I want them to be so I need some elbows and a little creative plumbing.
My question is whether I need to glue the pipe and elbows to the three exit pipes. The schedule 80 I am using is a tight fit and if I can just pull the pipe off for mods in the future it might be beneficial. They are just drains without much pressure in them so I should not need to glue them right??????

I would glue all fittings outside the tank. It would be really really bad if one of those slipped off and started draining all your water into whatever random direction that joint happened to be pointing. The risk for damage and loss is just too high to leave it to chance with slip together.

Finagles corollary to Murphy's law: "What can go wrong, will go wrong, and at the worst possible time".

In case of future mods, just cut and remove what is needed, and fix the cuts unions so next time it will be removable.

Or just make your plumbing cheap schedule 40 and simply replace it each time you mod it.