Budgets for Plumbing

[hangurber]

Just a quick comparison between BRS, Formufit and Home Depot.... as you can see it's definitely worth it to shop around...

One 46" colored piece of 1" PVC is $12.99... or roughly $3.25 linear foot.

For TWO 60" Pieces you pay $17.99 or $8.99 a piece.... or $1.79 per Linear foot....

And before someone mentions it BRS offers "Free" shipping for there pipe. However at those costs, is it really free?

Home Depot on the other hand does have free shipping and even though it's the same Formufit pipe, it's even cheaper than Formufit offers it....

At $1.68 per Linear foot

Yeah my concern with home depot is the lead time, almost two weeks for the colored pipe to my area. Will probably go with the other site. The schedule 80 unions are where my cost is really going up. But I really don't like the white schedule 40 unions.

 

[laverda]

You can always paint them. There is no reason to have a union at every elbow. Your just adding expense, work, possible leaks and reduced flow. Every fitting is equal to at least one foot of head pressure. Elbows 2 feet.

 

[JoshH]

Every fitting is equal to at least one foot of head pressure.

I don't believe that's entirely accurate. A union will not add a foot of head pressure or frictional loss.

 

[laverda]

I don't believe that's entirely accurate. A union will not add a foot of head pressure or frictional loss.

Based on what do you say that? Have you ever done any flow testing or used a flow bench? While I have never flow tested a union specifically, I have done a lot of work on a flow bench, so I know what I am talking about. My guess is it will create more restriction than that. First they are smaller diameter than the ID of standard schedule 40 PVC, even schedule 80 in most cases. They are 3 disruptions to smooth flow in every union I have ever seen and I have used a lot of them. Schedule 80 has a smaller ID than schedule 40 so it flows less as well. You do not have to believe me, just do a little research. Any plumbing manual with head calculations will give you the answers. Just a simple slip/ slip union reduces flow, especially if you have angled cuts and poor a fitting joint.
How much different connections restrict flow also is relevant to the flow rate and pressure.

 

[Conovan]

point of pride, I guess. I am the kind of guy with LEDs in his computer if that gives you an idea haha

My coworkers asked me if my tank was RGB due to the same thing so I sent a pic of the diodes this is the pc I built. The aquarium is on my build thread.

 

[hangurber]

My coworkers asked me if my tank was RGB due to the same thing so I sent a pic of the diodes this is the pc I built. The aquarium is on my build thread.

nice build! Here’s mine. RAM sticks stuck on red because of crappy ASrock software but I’m fine with it. Heat dissipation is poor in this case though. Not proud enough of my 20G to do a build thread haha

 

[hangurber]

You can always paint them. There is no reason to have a union at every elbow. Your just adding expense, work, possible leaks and reduced flow. Every fitting is equal to at least one foot of head pressure. Elbows 2 feet.

Would there be worries about the paint causing issues with seals or leaking into the aquarium?

 

[JoshH]

First they are smaller diameter than the ID of standard schedule 40 PVC

They actually all aren't. My Lasco Schedule 40 unions are flush with the inside diameter of Schedule 40 pipe. Not sure on schedule 80 as I haven't used them personally.

Based on what do you say that?

Well, if every one of my unions and true union ball valves produced even half a foot of frictional head loss and my 90 and 45 degree elbows produced 1 foot, my closed loop system wouldn't function atall with its current pumps. So based on real world experience, I'd say that's not even remotely accurate.

Going off every online flow calculator out there at 600 gph through a 10 foot section of 1" schedule 40 PVC pipe a 90° elbow at the end adds 0.1 ft of frictional head loss compared to a 10ft straight section of pipe with no elbow. I don't generally argue against math, however maybe all these math based flow calculators are completely wrong. ;Bored

I do agree the amount of flow changes everything however using the example above, to create 1 foot of frictional head loss from a 1" 90° elbow you'd have to push 1980GPH through it. Not too many returns doing that.... but once again, these calculators are more than likely 100% wrong.

 

[laverda]

Would there be worries about the paint causing issues with seals or leaking into the aquarium?

You would not want to paint any surfaces to be glued. There are posts on R2R about which paints are reef safe once 100% cured. I believe most plastic comparable paints are safe when completely cured.