Sump Drain Design Check / Comments

[optimusprime86]

Hello, I'm in the process of sketching out (or over engineering? lol) a 40G sump layout for a 125G tank with a Bean Animal overflow system. My intention is to do a freshwater planted tank, but my research the past few months has led me to this forum and other reef websites. I am looking to employ some of the methods of the reef community.

I'm in between (2) layouts for the drain plumbing and I was looking for some feedback, please.

Design #1 has the main drain coming down from the overflow, turning 60* and through a gate valve (Spears' tech support says that the valve stem CAN be configured downward in this manner), down to a double 90* elbow, and finally to two 90* long sweep elbows and down into filter socks. The two emergency drains both come down to 90* elbows, and through another 90* elbow down into the tank. My logic for the main piping is to have the water flow as smooth as possible down to the sump and reduce noise. As for the emergencies, there should be little to no water flowing through the first emergency, and nothing flowing through the second; if they were moving water, they would make a lot of noise, which would be the "alarm" that something is wrong. My only concern is the cross of the one emergency pipe over the main pipe (under the main tank) is messy and may be a pain if I were to have to repair something in the future.

Design #2 has the two emergencies coming down and over to their respective sump entry points without crossing over any other piping. The main on the other hand has the gate valve just below the overflow, and then after the 60* elbow, the piping runs through two 45* elbows before hitting the double 90*. I like how this design looks under the main tank, despite the gate valve no longer being concealed. However, my concern here is the two 45* elbows. Will this cause more noise than Design #1, or is it negligible?

Any comments, insight, or tales from experience are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[KrisReef]

Comment 1: This is the nicest schematic post on here this year! (Really good)

I like your manifold for the drain, I wonder if you couldn't simplify some of your emergency drain route by adding a T connection (instead of the long sweeps) so that those extra lengths of drain are going to empty into the socks if they start flowing? I don't know why you have valves on the drain (unless they are for maintenance operations? I'm not a bean animal expert, so forgive me if the question about valves is "stoopid>" I'm offering discussion, support for your consideration, and mostly focused upon drawing one configuration but it might also apply to 2.

 

[optimusprime86]

Thank you!

...simplify some of your emergency drain route by adding a T connection (instead of the long sweeps) so that those extra lengths of drain are going to empty into the socks if they start flowing?

That's funny, that was actually my initial design, to have the emergencies tie directly into the main piping and into the socks. After I drew it out and thought about it, I thought that the arrangement may partially defeat the purpose of having separate emergencies. Meaning, if there is a clog in the portions of pipe shared by both the main and emergency, then the emergency is effectively useless. But it's worth looking into again. Maybe the one emergency can tie into the main piping, and the second emergency nbe separate. Hmm. I'll draw it up.

I don't know why you have valves on the drain (unless they are for maintenance operations?

Yes, purely for maintenance and isolation if needed.

 

[KrisReef]

I bought a tank that has a complicated manifold and all those pipes are in the way of access into the sump, or placing roller mat, media containers, etc. They also put the drain/sock area in the back so I have to reach over and around the skimmer and gfo filter to get to/change the socks. The most common (access required) work I do is changing the socks. The skimmer is in the front which is nice when I pull the cup but the drains should have emptied into the other side of the sump so the pipes dont have to cross over. Or, the sump was on the left side of the stand and the overflow exits on the right. The sump could have been placed on the right side to minimize pipes.

Snails or floating stuff that blocks intakes usually is found in the intake or at the first bend in the pipe. A straight down drain has no places inside to get stopped up. Teeth or a screen at the top intake can minimize complete blockages, and it is excellent that you are having back up drains! Don't over think this forever, it will be perfect, or almost once you get it together. Quiet and reliable, you seem to have thought out most of the options. GL!

 

[optimusprime86]

@KrisReef: thanks for the info and input.

As mentione in my previous point, I did a rendering that ties the durso drain into the full siphon. However, I'm considering eliminating the double 90* and just having the full siphon and durso each have an independent entry point.

Also I think I'm going to move the dry emergency entry point back to the mechanical filtration section. That way, I don't have the return pumps sucking in debris should the dry emergency drain ever move water.

 

[MickeyCT]

How did this work out for you?

Your drawings are beautiful. What program did you use?

Mickey