Modular Marine Plumbing

[Tuffloud1]

I’m in the process of plumbing for a modular marine overflow. How do you typically plumb a bean animal style overflows?

Should I get a gate valve a ball valve and then leave one channel open for the emergency?

I see some people plumb a gate valve on 1 drain, a ball valve on the other and keep the other open.

Why a ball valve and not 2 gate valves?

 

[Caravanshaka]

I’m in the process of plumbing for a modular marine overflow. How do you typically plumb a bean animal style overflows?

Should I get a gate valve a ball valve and then leave one channel open for the emergency?

I usually do one lower in the box with a strainer, which has a gate valve for creating a siphon. Another higher one in the box, also with a strainer, to set the water height inside your box...this will just have a trickle after setting your siphon line correctly. The 3rd is an emergency drain, above your water line and leave enough clearance for water to flow into it.

 

[Tuffloud1]

I usually do one lower in the box with a strainer, which has a gate valve for creating a siphon. Another higher one in the box, also with a strainer, to set the water height inside your box...this will just have a trickle after setting your siphon line correctly. The 3rd is an emergency drain, above your water line and leave enough clearance for water to flow into it.

So do I need a ball valve in addition to the gate valve or just a gate valve?

 

[Caravanshaka]

So do I need a ball valve in addition to the gate valve or just a gate valve?

I only ever run 1 gate valve on the main siphon drain. The other 2 you can leave clear of any valves

 

[Tuffloud1]

I only ever run 1 gate valve on the main siphon drain. The other 2 you can leave clear of any valves

What reason would there be to run more valves than just 1 gate valve?

 

[Caravanshaka]

What reason would there be to run more valves than just 1 gate valve?

I can't think of anything. Possibly Maintenance? close the ball valve and check that the emergency is running correctly?

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Following along. I spoke with Trent from Crystal Dynamic Aquarium builder in Oceanside, he stated that the main drain has a ball valve and the secondary has the gate valve, he tunes it with the gate valve. I have to put my Modular Marine overflow on my tank.

 

[Tuffloud1]

Following along. I spoke with Trent from Crystal Dynamic Aquarium builder in Oceanside, he stated that the main drain has a ball valve and the secondary has the gate valve, he tunes it with the gate valve. I have to put my Modular Marine overflow on my tank.

That’s interesting. I’m trying to understand why you would need a ball valve on anything. It is my understanding now that for a Bean Animal (Modular Marine), you only need a gate valve on your main siphon and the other 2 with no valves.

I am getting ready to plumb my Modular Marine this weekend.

 

[JoshH]

Following along. I spoke with Trent from Crystal Dynamic Aquarium builder in Oceanside, he stated that the main drain has a ball valve and the secondary has the gate valve, he tunes it with the gate valve. I have to put my Modular Marine overflow on my tank.

That is an extremely unusual way of plumbing a drain setup... as mentioned above the usual way is gate valve for fine tuning on the main drain and no other valves are really needed. I did add ball valves on my BA setup so I could remove the plumbing if needed for cleaning purposes and to check to make sure the emergency features worked properly. But nothing related to the drain operation...

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

You could text Crystal Dynamic in Oceanside and they use the modular marine overflow in most of their tanks so they are very adapt to using. them.

 

[shookONES]

I’m a huge fan of soft plumbing. IME, it’s quieter and easier to mess with down the road, if the need arises. I’m also a fan of these MM overflows. The construction and design is leagues better than the competition. The only noise that comes from this setup is the subtle sound of water falling ~1” in the ‘in-tank’ overflow box. I’ll remedy this with a piece of coarse sponge when motivation strikes HAHA

 

[shookONES]

And inside the box. Main (siphon) drain has no stand pipe, just a strainer directly on the bulkhead. I found a durso for the secondary drain to be the quietest. The emergency is just a tall piece of PVC.

 

[nickkohrn]

And inside the box. Main (siphon) drain has no stand pipe, just a strainer directly on the bulkhead. I found a durso for the secondary drain to be the quietest. The emergency is just a tall piece of PVC.

I was thinking of doing exactly this. I’m not sure why I see so many Bean Animal overflow configurations with U-style plumbing on the main drain. It seems that a simple strainer would work well.

 

[ca1ore]

I’ve been running a 36” MM overflow for a couple of years. I had it modified to run multiple siphons, but the basic operation is not conceptually different than a standard bean. Main siphon has a screen in the bulkhead at the bottom of the external box, but no pipe or U tube. It has a gate valve down at the sump to adjust flow. Secondary does have a U tube inside the external box so that I can set the water level. I did put a ball valve on the secondary right under the tank, because i initially found it useful as a way to test the emergency. I almost never use it though. I did oversize the stand pipe in the external box above the emergency bulkhead to ensure that the box could never overflow. No valve of any kind on the emergency.

 

[shookONES]

I was thinking of doing exactly this. I’m not sure why I see so many Bean Animal overflow configurations with U-style plumbing on the main drain. It seems that a simple strainer would work well.

It doesn’t make much sense to me either. Siphons work best with as straight flow as possible. Why purposely force the siphons to zig-zag down a U pipe under full siphon is beyond me.

 

[ca1ore]

The purpose of the U tube on the siphon is to help prevent an air vortex. In some cases that may be useful, not in others.

 

[Caravanshaka]

Keeping it simple. Left is the trickle, center is the emergency, right is the siphon. Gate valve to control the siphon with just a strainer in the box. Simple 45 degree elbow with a strainer on the trickle, and a coupler on the emergency near the top of the box.