my upgrade journal/journey

[Imrahilwjz]

im wondering if i should take a razor blade to where those go thru the tank and scrape this stupid paint they used off?

I would

 

[fishface NJ]

ok. think a plumbing store would be a better pick?

Yes!

 

[fishface NJ]

im wondering if i should take a razor blade to where those go thru the tank and scrape this stupid paint they used off?

Yes remove any that would come in contact with the gaskets

 

[smitten with ocean life]

hi ho hi ho its of to town i go!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

did i just hear the guys at the plumbing store groan??

 

[fishface NJ]

The guys at my local Ferguson Plumbing know me by name lol... I ask too many questions.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

well that was a wash. 3 different stores and no luck. now to try brs

 

[smitten with ocean life]

ok i am going to whisper this because who knows how long itll last. but- NOTHING IS LEAKING AT THE MOMENT!!! ahhhh!!!
i scrapped away the paint and carefully wiped all surfaces down with alcohol. so far so good!

 

[UncommonSense]

ok. think a plumbing store would be a better pick?

A plumbing store might have them… they might only have full bulkhead fittings though!

 

[UncommonSense]

ok i am going to whisper this because who knows how long itll last. but- NOTHING IS LEAKING AT THE MOMENT!!! ahhhh!!!
i scrapped away the paint and carefully wiped all surfaces down with alcohol. so far so good!

Awesome! Do you happen to recall the dimensions of the rubber gaskets?

BRS honestly sells trash for bulkhead parts these days… I recently left a 1 star review after having 12 in a row with oversized/leaky fittings… — I just don’t shop for those parts there anymore out of principle.

There are brands out there who actually stand behind and care about the products they sell, such as Hayward, Lifegard, etc for bulkhead gaskets!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

not off hand. but thats good to know. i might just order some to have on hand! for some reason i was thinking 1 1/2

 

[UncommonSense]

not off hand. but thats good to know. i might just order some to have on hand! for some reason i was thinking 1 1/2

It’s always smart to check! — the threaded sections the nuts go over in the exterior box will give you the critical dimension you need; gasket ID!

The OD of the threaded “bulkhead body” is the minimum ID of your new gaskets!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

still running like a champ. but wow is it loud. lol

 

[UncommonSense]

still running like a champ. but wow is it loud. lol

Have you tuned the gate valve on the primary drain(s) to a full siphon?

 

[smitten with ocean life]

ummm... you mean up in each corner?

 

[UncommonSense]

ummm... you mean up in each corner?

oh these would be your DT returns; likely segmented LocLine, to a nozzle or nozzles! — different subject, we may revisit them later!

What I’m referring to is the red handled valve behind your skimmer, in the stand! — this SHOULD be your primary drain (technically called “siphon channel”)… this pipe should have the shortest of the standpipes inside your external overflow box!

You want to slowly close this valve, not all the way… just enough to restrict the drain until it isn’t sucking any air from the overflow box (aka full siphon)!

—I usually go by ear and feel more than anything… you can feel the valve vibrating as air goes through it, and hear the gurgling from air being sucked down the plumbing, discharging into the sump… continue slowly closing the valve until air gurgling vibrations felt through the valve become intermittent, then start “fine tuning”; small increment adjustment followed by a few minutes of waiting between subsequent adjustment; to let the plumbing burp out any residual air!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

ahhh ok!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

sometime @WalkerLovesTheOcean , i want you to tell me about your fish food you made! that really interests me.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

trying to plan out the flow on this new system. i have 2 mp 40s to put on either side and 1 wavemaker i can use for the back. will that be enough? i also have a tunze wavebox that i would like to try out. but i got scared after i bought it because someone mentioned that they are hard on the tank seams with all that water movement. thoughts?

 

[UncommonSense]

trying to plan out the flow on this new system. i have 2 mp 40s to put on either side and 1 wavemaker i can use for the back. will that be enough? i also have a tunze wavebox that i would like to try out. but i got scared after i bought it because someone mentioned that they are hard on the tank seams with all that water movement. thoughts?

The wave box is a positive displacement wave generator, and can indeed be hard on seams if you really let it get huge standing waves going!

Two mp40s and a rear wave maker seems sufficient for now… wave box can be played with too, just don’t go nuts trying to make tall standing waves!