Quick Plumbing Question - Return Standpipes and Cement. . .

[Maritimer]

I'm going to spend some time this evening measuring and cutting PVC - my sump is in place!

Got a question about my drain & return before I start gluing things up, though -

The standpipes (drain and return) on this 220 were never glued into their respective bulkheads. With the drain, I get that - there's not a lot of pressure there, and what there is will tend to force the pipe _into_ its bulkead. Not gluing it means that you can lift it out periodically, and flush the weir of detritus - or errant clownfish. For the return, though, that worries me a bit. (I have no idea what kind of flow the previous owner - it was a fish-only sales tank - had going through these 3/4" pipes.) I've got a Fluval Sea SP6, rated at something like 3,000 GPH for my return, and I'm a bit worried that I'll blow the pipes out of the bulkheads - I don't really want "Old Faithful" in my living room!

Safe enough to continue with the previous friction-fit, or should I be using cement to seal the deal?

~Bruce

 

[Diesel]

Oh NO Bruce, got to use glue on the drains.
Too many risk if not glued.













Bump to #reefsquad

 

[DLHDesign]

Agreed; glue everything that is not threaded. If need be, add some unions to enable you to break things down.

Rational; Even slip fittings will not be perfectly smooth inside. Anything not smooth could catch debris, which could cause unexpected pressure to build up. No telling what it would take to burst a pipe...

 

[eatbreakfast]

Glue the returns, not the drain. Being able to pull the drain pipe when needed to catch out a fish(wrasses are frequent visitors to overflows) is invaluable.

Also, pressure is minimal, and it wants to travel down through the drain, so even if the standpipe for the drain is not glued, what's the worst case scenario? There isn't much of an issue.

 

[Diesel]

Glue the returns, not the drain. Being able to pull the drain pipe when needed to catch out a fish(wrasses are frequent visitors to overflows) is invaluable.

Also, pressure is minimal, and it wants to travel down through the drain, so even if the standpipe for the drain is not glued, what's the worst case scenario? There isn't much of an issue.

TJ is right.
I didn't read it correctly as we talking stand pipe in the overflow here correct?
Yes return is with pressure and that's a good thing to use maybe a treaded fitting on there so it won't pop off.
Your drain stand pipe can be just a slip.

 

[DLHDesign]

even if the standpipe for the drain is not glued, what's the worst case scenario? There isn't much of an issue.

GAAH!!! The entire system could fail, is what! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria!

Okay; no - not any of that at all. Yeah; I guess not gluing the standpipe sounds like a good plan. :-)

 

[Maritimer]

TJ is right.
I didn't read it correctly as we talking stand pipe in the overflow here correct?
Yes return is with pressure and that's a good thing to use maybe a treaded fitting on there so it won't pop off.
Your drain stand pipe can be just a slip.

Yes, the standpipes inside the overflow. The pipes that came with the kit are all slip ended, so I'm not sure whether I could convert them to threaded - of course, since the pipes are slip-fit, I bought slip bulkheads to match...

TJ's suggestion makes sense - glue the pressurized returns, (I just _know_ there's going to be a fish in one of those overflows one of these days!) but not the drain - and @DLHDesign made me LOL with the Ghostbusters reference! Part of what I love about this place.

Thanks for your input, everyone!

~Bruce