Uv plumbing direction

[roggy23]

Please take a look at my possible sump setup with my pentair uv sterilizer 40 watt big unit… is it ok to run the flow this way?
Water drains to chamber 1 uv pump takes flow through and bypasses skinner chamber and into the return chamber… does this effect sump flow or skimmer output? See diagram

 

[Freenow54]

Please take a look at my possible sump setup with my pentair uv sterilizer 40 watt big unit… is it ok to run the flow this way?
Water drains to chamber 1 uv pump takes flow through and bypasses skinner chamber and into the return chamber… does this effect sump flow or skimmer output? See diagram

To me it looks good considering you know that you have to control the flow to get the correct dose . That said you only show one pipe therefore without a PROVEN flow for both algae , and parasites you can only set up for one . Also consider a by pass for maintainance

 

[roggy23]

There will be a valve before the water enters the uv… my main question is will the skimmer be efficient with the water in that chamber?

 

[jmaneyapanda]

To me it looks good considering you know that you have to control the flow to get the correct dose . That said you only show one pipe therefore without a PROVEN flow for both algae , and parasites you can only set up for one . Also consider a by pass for maintainance

? No, he can set up to kill both algae and parasites. Exposure needed to kill parasites will also absoluetly kill algae. Although not vice versa.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

There will be a valve before the water enters the uv… my main question is will the skimmer be efficient with the water in that chamber?

Yes, it will be fine. Unless the UV feed pump is somehow pushing more water than the return pump, that skimmer chamber will fill to the baffle level.

 

[Piotrek]

I do a slight different setup - all of my pumps (return pumps and uv pump) are in the last chamber, where the water is cleanest (I hope so). And the return from uv is also to the last chamber. The return from uv can also be sent back to the previous section to create additional flow in that chamber, which is always beneficial. Perhaps you could cut down on one of the circulation pumps in that section, if you use it.

 

[Quietman]

When you turn off the return pump for maintenance or feeding your UV pump will drain the skimmer section. That might cause some tuning issues with the skimmer. Most operate best with constant water level. If you have to plumb the UV into the sump I would return it to the skimmer section. You'll have slightly less efficiency but only slightly.

Since you're still in design phase. I would recommend plumbing the skimmer on it's own line. Either directly to/from main tank or tapping off main drain and returning to tank. Put a variable speed pump for flow. That way you can adjust for either algae or pathogens as needed. Not all undesirable organisms respond to same flow.

A UV is a big expense not to use as effectively as possible.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

When you turn off the return pump for maintenance or feeding your UV pump will drain the skimmer section. That might cause some tuning issues with the skimmer. Most operate best with constant water level. If you have to plumb the UV into the sump I would return it to the skimmer section. You'll have slightly less efficiency but only slightly.

Since you're still in design phase. I would recommend plumbing the skimmer on it's own line. Either directly to/from main tank or tapping off main drain and returning to tank. Put a variable speed pump for flow. That way you can adjust for either algae or pathogens as needed. Not all undesirable organisms respond to same flow.

A UV is a big expense not to use as effectively as possible.

Theres baffles in the drawing. and if the return is turned off the water level of teh sump as a whole will raise above the baffles, making the UV pump net zero.

If the UV can set to kill pathogens, it will kill algae too. You dont have to choose one or the other.

 

[Tangdora]

Personally not a fan of plumbing in this matter. Depending on how much flow is going through the uv you could severely limit the amount of water being pulled through the skimmer section. And I’d flow is extreme can even create a back flow. I always return my line to the same chamber. It creates 0 change in direction of flow though the sump.

 

[Privateye]

I have plumbed a bunch of UVs this way, and others. Your proposed design is what I've done in my 90 gallon at home for about 8 years. It's generally considered better than running it in the opposite manner, which causes some of the water already processed by the UV to get processed again.

The only difference in mine is that my sump only has 2 chambers, so my skimmer is in the first chamber along with the UV pump. I think you'll just need to think about and monitor the flow rate through the UV. If your return pump is pushing more water than your UV pump then the difference between the two is the exchange rate your skimmer will see. If they are equal (in theory) then your skimmer won't have any water pass over it.

So...could you put the UV pump in the chamber with the skimmer? That might solve all of the concerns.

 

[Freenow54]

To me it looks like there are baffles separating the skimmer although I would shut it off problem solved

 

[Freenow54]

Checking with AI not experience it says you are correct but at a slower rate obviously therefore more passes to " polish the water

 

[roggy23]

I have plumbed a bunch of UVs this way, and others. Your proposed design is what I've done in my 90 gallon at home for about 8 years. It's generally considered better than running it in the opposite manner, which causes some of the water already processed by the UV to get processed again.

The only difference in mine is that my sump only has 2 chambers, so my skimmer is in the first chamber along with the UV pump. I think you'll just need to think about and monitor the flow rate through the UV. If your return pump is pushing more water than your UV pump then the difference between the two is the exchange rate your skimmer will see. If they are equal (in theory) then your skimmer won't have any water pass over it.

So...could you put the UV pump in the chamber with the skimmer? That might solve all of the concerns.

I can put the uv pump in the first chamber with the skimmer since it’s the largest. I just liked the look and space available by having skimmer in mid chamber

 

[roggy23]

Is there any issues with me going from return chamber to the right taking uv pump flow from right to left then up into the valve that I am pointing to that is attached to the return lines or will this create any weird flow issues? The water flows in the uv from right to left

 

[Privateye]

Sorry for the delay. It could be totally fine, but you'd have to dial-in your valve settings. It also depends on the capabilities of the pumps you're using. For instance, I assume your return pump is stronger than the pump for the UV. This won't be a problem if the return line runs with little restriction, as not much pressure will build in the pipe and the UV pump (which I assume is weaker) will likely be able to pump water into the same pipe. In theory though, if the pipe had no outlet (or was severely restricted) then the pumps would be fighting each other, and the stronger pump would push water through the weaker pump.

I think the main drawback to plumbing it that way would be that it's tough to estimate the flow rate through the UV unless you install a flow meter. If it's just supplied by a dedicated pump and the plumbing has minimal head pressure, you can pretty much assume the flow rate will be equivalent to what the pump would put out at a given vertical lift. Even if you had lots of restrictive plumbing, if you had a way to collect flow coming from the UV (e.g. a dedicated, unshared outlet) you could measure the flow rate with a pitcher and a stopwatch. Without the ability to measure flow you'd kind of be winging it.

 

[Freenow54]

Sorry for the delay. It could be totally fine, but you'd have to dial-in your valve settings. It also depends on the capabilities of the pumps you're using. For instance, I assume your return pump is stronger than the pump for the UV. This won't be a problem if the return line runs with little restriction, as not much pressure will build in the pipe and the UV pump (which I assume is weaker) will likely be able to pump water into the same pipe. In theory though, if the pipe had no outlet (or was severely restricted) then the pumps would be fighting each other, and the stronger pump would push water through the weaker pump.

I think the main drawback to plumbing it that way would be that it's tough to estimate the flow rate through the UV unless you install a flow meter. If it's just supplied by a dedicated pump and the plumbing has minimal head pressure, you can pretty much assume the flow rate will be equivalent to what the pump would put out at a given vertical lift. Even if you had lots of restrictive plumbing, if you had a way to collect flow coming from the UV (e.g. a dedicated, unshared outlet) you could measure the flow rate with a pitcher and a stopwatch. Without the ability to measure flow you'd kind of be winging it.

On that note it seems much simpler to pipe it separately. Then you don't need a flow meter just dial it in using a measured container . and leave it be , as pointed out to me using the parasite flow / dose setting will still do algae just more time which makes sense. Myself I think I am going to install an algae scrubber , to feed the fish with.