Sump plumbing question

[DaveG26]

He will likely be somewhat limited by the amount of flow the teeth of the overflow can handle, its very likely that will become the limiting factor not the drain size.

Dave if you weren't aware a good way to drill a previously drilled hole is to use a piece of wood. In your case, if you cut a piece of wood roughly the size of the floor in the overflow box you can then use a standard hole saw to drill into the wood, this will keep your holesaw from running all over since you don't have material for the guide drill bit to go through.

Also be sure to leave enough room between the holes for the flanges of a 1.5" bulkhead. You will likely need 2" between and 1" all around each hole. The box looks pretty tight to make that fit.

The larger bulkheads won't fit. I think What I'll do is use the synergy overflow for my drains. For my existing overflow I'll just leave it in place, it's welded in and I don't want to cut it out and risk damaging the tank. Since there are teeth on the overflow the water shouldn't get too stagnant, maybe I'll put a powerhead in there with my heater.

 

[T-5unsystem]

The larger bulkheads won't fit. I think What I'll do is use the synergy overflow for my drains. For my existing overflow I'll just leave it in place, it's welded in and I don't want to cut it out and risk damaging the tank. Since there are teeth on the overflow the water shouldn't get too stagnant, maybe I'll put a powerhead in there with my heater.

If you plug the holes on the bottom you could actually put a new bulkhead from the tank into the overflow box. Rig it up with a pump and make it into a reverse overflow refugium. Sucking water in from the bottom of the tank into the overflow box (with a strainer on it), and it would spill out the top of the overflow backwards back into the tank. You could put a freshwater AI Prime on top of it to grow cheato. With a tiny pump it would be perfect,, Pods could grow in that section and spill out into the tank without getting shredded by a pump.

I like this idea, wonder if anyone has ever done it?!

 

[DaveG26]

Any negative effects of putting the second drain (1.5") through the back of the tank in the overflow area - would having a 90 deg pipe cause any real decrease in flow? I can open up the 1" hole for a 1.5" bulkhead, plug the small hole, and then drill a new bulkhead on the back of the tank in the overflow area a few inches up from the bottom.

 

[T-5unsystem]

Any negative effects of putting the second drain (1.5") through the back of the tank in the overflow area - would having a 90 deg pipe cause any real decrease in flow? I can open up the 1" hole for a 1.5" bulkhead, plug the small hole, and then drill a new bulkhead on the back of the tank in the overflow area a few inches up from the bottom.

That would work but fitting all those plumbing parts in that small space is going to be tough. You likely won't be able to spin the elbow on the bulkhead so you would have to preinstall it before putting the bulkhead in the tank. Having clearance for it as well as the other pipe (which is nearly the middle of the box) would be a very tight squeeze.

Perhaps if your Herbie emergency drain was up high, it could work. You could actually leave both bulkheads without plumbing inside the box. Bottom running full siphon (with a gate valve in the stand) and another emergency drain just below the teeth as an emergency. No plumbing needed on either so it would be an easy fit.

 

[DaveG26]

That would work but fitting all those plumbing parts in that small space is going to be tough. You likely won't be able to spin the elbow on the bulkhead so you would have to preinstall it before putting the bulkhead in the tank. Having clearance for it as well as the other pipe (which is nearly the middle of the box) would be a very tight squeeze.

Perhaps if your Herbie emergency drain was up high, it could work. You could actually leave both bulkheads without plumbing inside the box. Bottom running full siphon (with a gate valve in the stand) and another emergency drain just below the teeth as an emergency. No plumbing needed on either so it would be an easy fit.

Ok, so put the emergency drain where the red circle is and just put the plumbing on the outside? That might be the easiest method. Thank you for the help!

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[dugthefish]

Ok, so put the emergency drain where the red circle is and just put the plumbing on the outside? That might be the easiest method. Thank you for the help!

?

Could work