I need ball valves and plumbing parts

[MSB123]

Here is the plan:
Tank to sump, 3 drains, 3 ball valves.
each 1.5"

sump to return pump, 1.5"
ball valve after pump

pump tees off into two 1.5" lines from the 1.5" output
ball valve for each new tee 1.5" x2

each of the tees tees again so I have 4x 3/4" lines (Final return line sizes)
ball valve x4 2/4"

how does this sound?



Unions every 5 feet of plumbing and the ball valves have unions

Where should I buy these?

I would like the first 1.5" to be high quality, and the 4 valves at the return lines to be high quality as well. The rest don't matter as much.

 

[Hemmdog]

Your drains need gate valves not ball valves. The tallest drain also shouldn’t need any valve as it is a true emergency drain. I would also use gate valves on some of the return plumbing if your trying to control flow speed. Gate valves are great for varying water speed, ball valves are great for on/off such as a manifold application. You “can” use ball valves to regulate flow a little bit but it’s hard to dial in and that’s not what that style of valve is designed to do.
Spears makes great gate valves. They make ball valves to, but I usually get hydroseal ball valves due to them being fairly cheap on amazon and good quality.
I just plumbed my 3rd tank last week. So I’m not an expert by any means, but figured I’d share what I know. So excited to see this build.

 

[MSB123]

Your drains need gate valves not ball valves. The tallest drain also shouldn’t need any valve as it is a true emergency drain. I would also use gate valves on some of the return plumbing if your trying to control flow speed. Gate valves are great for varying water speed, ball valves are great for on/off such as a manifold application. You “can” use ball valves to regulate flow a little bit but it’s hard to dial in and that’s not what that style of valve is designed to do.
Spears makes great gate valves. They make ball valves to, but I usually get hydroseal ball valves due to them being fairly cheap on amazon and good quality.
I just plumbed my 3rd tank last week. So I’m not an expert by any means, but figured I’d share what I know. So excited to see this build.

There are 4 drains. 3 of them are regulated.
Should I use a gate valve on my return pump?
Reeflo Hammerhead AC 6000 GPH.

 

[MSB123]

There are 4 drains. 3 of them are regulated.
Should I use a gate valve on my return pump?
Reeflo Hammerhead AC 6000 GPH.

@Hemmdog
I want to be able to regulate it somewhat

 

[Hemmdog]

@saintsreturn @dantimdad
These guys are really good at plumbing and know what they are talking about. Hopefully they will chime in.

@MSB123 Not sure about that return. I know it’s good but its a much stronger return than I’m use to lol. Is there any controller with it or is it straight on or off?

 

[MSB123]

@saintsreturn @dantimdad
These guys are really good at plumbing and know what they are talking about. Hopefully they will chime in.

@MSB123 Not sure about that return. I know it’s good but its a much stronger return than I’m use to lol. Is there any controller with it or is it straight on or off?

on/off
I have about 8 feet of head and so it will be about 4000 GPH at the tank- I need about 3600 so I need very little restriction

 

[Hemmdog]

on/off
I have about 8 feet of head and so it will be about 4000 GPH at the tank- I need about 3600 so I need very little restriction

Sounds like a job for a gate valve.

 

[Hal3134]

I usually buy my hard to find pvc parts/valves from savko.com.

 

[ca1ore]

Assuming you are doing a typical bean animal drain, you only need a gate valve on the main siphon (given your flow goals, might want to upsize the open drains to 2”). Valves on the other two are unnecessary at best, counterproductive at worst. Isolate all external pumps with ball valves on both suction and pressure sides. Gate valve is unnecessary to choke a pump - that level of precision is not needed. You can put unions every five feet if you want, just seems excessively complex and each is an opportunity for a leak. Always buy quality ball (and gate) valves. More expensive initially but will save you in the long run. A while back, I bought a bunch of red flag valves - absolute crap, all ended up leaking. My personal preference are the spears valves that BRS sells. They also sell replacement flanges, which can come in useful since the valves will last forever.

 

[saintsreturn]

@saintsreturn @dantimdad
These guys are really good at plumbing and know what they are talking about. Hopefully they will chime in.

Thanks for the heads up, glad I made a positive impression

Here is the plan:
Tank to sump, 3 drains, 3 ball valves.
each 1.5"
sump to return pump, 1.5"
ball valve after pump
pump tees off into two 1.5" lines from the 1.5" output
ball valve for each new tee 1.5" x2
each of the tees tees again so I have 4x 3/4" lines (Final return line sizes)
ball valve x4 2/4"
how does this sound?
Unions every 5 feet of plumbing and the ball valves have unions
Where should I buy these?
I would like the first 1.5" to be high quality, and the 4 valves at the return lines to be high quality as well. The rest don't matter as much.

Keep in mind, these are opinions, but I will share mine. I love unions and valves. They offer a lot of mobility and reduced costs when you change, but they do add in up front costs... so with that...

First point i saw on the thread... guys on here LOVE gate valves. I do not. I will never tell anyone which to use, because we all have different opinions... so here is the pro vs con of each...

1) Gate valves: Pros - allow for smooth and easy micro adjustments. Cons- costs and color limitations. But for me, the largest con is if you need to open it fully, you lose your previous setting and need to count full rotations to keep track.

2) Ball valves: Pros - cost and color options. When you need to open it fully (say a snail finds its way there [fully preventable]), you can draw a small mark to show where it was prior to opening and quickly return it back to its "home position." Cons - especially in the very beginning, followed time in service; they do not offer true micro adjustments and can be difficult to turn. I avoid this with two steps, I first add garlic oil to loosen up the movement and setting it the first time. The second is i cover my pipes with guards so nothing gets in there that is not wanted.

Ok, on to the next round of comments. Restricting your return line is a common practice with non controlled pumps. There are pro's and con's, plus there are ways to mitigate the con's... not going down that road unless you ask

So, yes, offer the opportunity to restrict the return if you dont want to be required to run full power off your pump. I didnt, but some do.

On the drains... Add a valve to the main drain. You will use this valve to dial in the drain rate and get the system silent. I do not have three, so i am not sure if i would put one on the second. If you think the second will take on as much water as the first, treat it like the first. If you want this to be your first emergency drain, than do not restrict and have that pipe above the water line. This way, if it kicks in you will hear it and know to find out why it is being used. The true emergency... never offer silencing options... this is supposed to be loud if used so it gets your attention in the event of a problem.

Valves on drains are looked at as a point of failure. This is true, but can be nearly 100% mitigated if plumbed and tested properly. Valves on the main drains are used as silencers and are usually necessary to get silent.

Use as many unions as necessary. I always reverse my unions on a section of pipe. This way, if i want to remove a piece or add in a feature, i only buy one more union for the new pipe and the top and bottom are used on opposite sides. Also make sure you focus more on bends/restrictions instead of 5' distances. The reason for this is can you get the whole piece out at 5'? most of us do not have that kind of room...

I will stop talking now as i left a lot to read. If you need any details on what i said, let me know and i can focus on specific questions. Hope this helps

 

[doughboy]

another place that sells plumbing supply to check out is supplyhouse.com
that's where I last purchased from. savko was good like 10 years ago, but not when I last checked. always shop around, as what is good before may not be good now.