Replacing plumbing - active tank

[zromano]

So this might be a dumb question but I haven’t been able to specifically find any information on this on the forums. I have an existing RSR 250 that’s up and running with fish and coral in it. My tubing that goes from my pump in my tank to refill my display. This tubing is clear and I’d personally like to replace it and there’s also some rust starting on the internal piece of metal (clearly said it would rust but alas, here we are).
So how do you achieve this without water going literally where in your tank? Maybe I’m missing a trick but can’t conceptually figure this out. Only thought I have is that if I shut off all power in theory is my clear tubing then dry (assuming I release all the existing water in it)?

 

[Dragon52]

I would say yes but don't know how the RSR tanks are setup so lets if we can get some more knowledgeable people to help
#reefsquad
Any RSR 250 owners out there that can help.

 

[kstripp]

Well, I am not an RSR owner, but this is pretty much what I'm about to do on my tank.
In my case, the driving force is that my tank will back siphon and overflow the sump on power loss because the check valve is nearly useless.

I don't know how applicable this is for your tank, but my plan is basically this:

• come up with a _thorough_ design for the new plumbing (I did a pretty detailed cad model even)
• Pre-fit and glue as much as possible
• When re-plumb day(s) come, turn off the return, break the siphon, leave the power heads going. I'll probably supplement gas exchange with an air stone or two.
• Drain the overflows, use a wet/dry shopvac to get any remaining water out of them

Then I can rip out all the plumbing and insert the all of the pre-fit sections. I'm hoping to only have union joints to make when installing, as I definitely do not want pvc cement fumes around the already full tank.

I'm actually planning on doing that some time in the next week, and my goal is to only be ~1 day without the sump connected to the display.

 

[Flippers4pups]

You should be able to disconnect the tubing and replace it once the power has been turned off to the pump. You could use a large zip tie over the tubing to secure the tubing to the barbed fitting or even better would be these:

Plastic Hose Clamp, 0.5"

Plastic Hose Clamp, 0.5" Fits 0.5" ID Vinyl Tubing Plastic hose clamps used for securing standard hose for low-pressure aquarium devices such as canister filters, protein skimmers, etc.

www.aquacave.com

No more stainless steel clamps!

 

[Dragon52]

Well, I am not an RSR owner, but this is pretty much what I'm about to do on my tank.
In my case, the driving force is that my tank will back siphon and overflow the sump on power loss because the check valve is nearly useless.

I don't know how applicable this is for your tank, but my plan is basically this:

• come up with a _thorough_ design for the new plumbing (I did a pretty detailed cad model even)
• Pre-fit and glue as much as possible
• When re-plumb day(s) come, turn off the return, break the siphon, leave the power heads going. I'll probably supplement gas exchange with an air stone or two.
• Drain the overflows, use a wet/dry shopvac to get any remaining water out of them

Then I can rip out all the plumbing and insert the all of the pre-fit sections. I'm hoping to only have union joints to make when installing, as I definitely do not want pvc cement fumes around the already full tank.

I'm actually planning on doing that some time in the next week, and my goal is to only be ~1 day without the sump connected to the display.

One of the things I've done to prevent the backflow to the sump is drill a 1/8" hole in my return line 1" below the water level in the tank, no overflow issue because it brakes the siphon flow.

Edit: No check valve needed. which is what I had on a previous setup.

 

[kstripp]

One of the things I've done to prevent the backflow to the sump is drill a 1/8" hole in my return line 1" below the water level in the tank, no overflow issue because it brakes the siphon flow.

Edit: No check valve needed. which is what I had on a previous setup.

The 1/8" hole works pretty well until it gets plugged, which happend to the tank my family had while I was growing up.
My new plumbing definitely won't be relying on check valves - I'm putting the return just under the surface.

 

[Dragon52]

The 1/8" hole works pretty well until it gets plugged, which happend to the tank my family had while I was growing up.
My new plumbing definitely won't be relying on check valves - I'm putting the return just under the surface.

I keep an eye it to make sure that doesn't happen hopefully.

 

[Idoc]

The 1/8" hole works pretty well until it gets plugged, which happend to the tank my family had while I was growing up.
My new plumbing definitely won't be relying on check valves - I'm putting the return just under the surface.

Yep, gotta watch the hole and clear it out with a toothpick about once a year to make sure it is open. I've only used a "brush" on mine a couple of times per year and haven't had it clog yet in 3 years. But, it does need to be watched...

 

[kstripp]

True, though "it does need to be watched" kind of applies to pretty much any of the tank systems... and the inhabitants of course ;-)

But I didn't mean to cause @zromano's thread about an in place re-plumb job to go off on an anti-siphon tangent...
Were you able to get some ideas at least for how to tackle your plumbing issue?

 

[rkpetersen]

I have two Reefers. As long as you are just replacing the tubing from the return pump to the bulkhead, you can do this safely but just turning the return pump off and waiting for the water to back drain thoroughly. Although there will still be water in the overflow, it's not a concern if you aren't going to be messing with the bulkhead fittings themselves.

Then, unscrew the hose barb from the Reefer return pump under the tank. You may still get some mild dripping there, so be ready with a towel. Then unscrew the hose barb from the return pump. Take the hose off both barbs, put the new hose on and clamp it with plastic clamps (I use two of them on each end.) Then reattach it to the pump first, and then to the Reefer fitting. Note that the order of detaching and reattaching the hose to its connections is important. Never allow there to be bending force or torque on the hose when it's attached to the bulkhead; this can weaken the seal there and potentially lead to leaking.