Upgrading a tank - now the plumbing

A

acvthree

First I would like to thank everyone for the feedback on my lighting questions. That was a big help.

The lighting is here. The tank has been ordered.

Since this is a drilled tank, I was thinking of using hard plumbing instead of flexible hose. I've seen this on some of the tank pictures here and it looks like a much cleaner and less cluttered method of plumbing.

What I need is some type of tutorial on how to do this. PVC or CPVC? Shedule 40 or something else? Where do I need to put valves and unions? That sort of thing. If someone has a pointer to a tutorial, that would be great.

Al
 
Well, with some googling, I ran across quite a bit of these comment...

AVOID HARD PLUMBING IN THE PUMP RETURN LINE! We cannot stress this enough! Although (to an amateur) a filtration system plumbed with hard PVC may LOOK neater and more professional than one plumbed with flexible vinyl or (preferably) flexible PVC, hard PVC elbows and pipe provide more resistance than flexible tubing. This increases head pressure and makes the pump work considerably harder and operate at a hotter temperature. If you must use hard plumbing (like we do when a client insists in spite of our recommendations), use "sweep" elbows instead of tight 90 degree elbows and be prepared to purchase an aquarium chiller.


but I also ran across this article which really explained were some of the problem with hard plumbing could occur. This seems to be one place where size really does matter.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/featurejp.htm

Any practical "rules of thumb" from the experts here would be appreciated.

Al
 
Well, I plumbed my system before I "knew any better", but I still prefer regular PVC over flexible tubing, it just seems more "permanent"... (But I know, one shouldn't make design decisions on a feeling, but hey...) My whole system is plumbed with regular PVC, and has been since day one (Almost 7 years now)

As far as rules of thumb - If you go with regular PVC:

Unions!!!

Get and use PLENTY of unions! Around your pumps, at your drain where it comes down, etc... That way you can easily remove things like pumps for maintenance.

Don't bother with check valves. They WILL fail, and Murphy's Law states they'll fail right when you need them. Instead make sure you have proper anti-siphon holes drilled on the return line inside the tank.
 
If you size your pump properly, the elbows etc do not come into play but its important to choose your pumps wisely.

I have used both vinyl and pvc and actually have both in my tanks now. The only drawback to vinyl is its habit of growing algae on the insides. Since PVC is opaque you don't have that problem.

One bonus that they failed to mention about vinyl is its easier to adjust and tighten bulkheads with it over the pvc. If you happen to have a bulkhead connection come loose, flexibility makes it easier to tighten it back down.

So each is workable and comes with its own upside and downside, you just need to work with the material you are comfortable with.

I would also second Serks advice on unions and I would add that any connections to bulkheads should be done with threads and plumbers tape for sealing and not glued.
 
@acvthree wrote:
What criteria are used to size the pump correctly? What I have and hoped to reuse is an eheim 1260. Al said:
Here is a calculator that is good for this kind of thing, it has many of the commonly used pumps on it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php

What size tank do you have and what layout will you use, such as pump below the tank, along the side etc... you'll need that kind of information for the calculator.

If you have your tank drilled, you can use a bulkhead and then connect a union and ball valve right at the bulkhead (or shortly before) this will allow easy disconnect and adjustment (cleaning and tightening) if needed.
Click to expand...
 
Unfortunately, it only goes up to the Eheim 1250. The 1260 is much larger. A good site though. It was interesting to play with things like number of elbows and see what difference it made.

How many turns are people usually looking for?

Al
 
@acvthree wrote:
Unfortunately said:
According to Marine depot that puts out 635 max at 12ft...

Thats roughly the same as a Mag 7 (700 at 12ft) so you can probably get away with using that on that calculator allowing for a slightly lower number.

Turnover is generally 3-5x total volume with tank, sump etc factored in I believe... and is a starting point, but not the end all be all target. I like more turnover for example.. so my tank turns about 8x.

I did the calc with the Mag 7 at 4ft rise and 2 ft horizontal with 2 ball valves , 4 90's and 2 unions (rough estimate) and came up with 395.. figure approx 350 with your pump with a 3/4" pipe. If you go up to 1" that raised the figure around 400 or so.
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Since I'm starting fresh, it's easy to go with 1" piping.

The tank is a 120, drilled.

That's 3.3 turns per hour. Is that a good range?

Al
 
@acvthree wrote:
Since I'm starting fresh said:
Thats on the lower end, but might be enough.... if you don't want to get a new pump you can always try it and see if you like it. That's one of the nice things about the unions and ball valve setup, popping pumps in and out is a snap.. or twist as the case may be.
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Ok, that sounds good. The 1262 would fit in exactly the same spot and be significantly stronger. I can at least start with the one I have and it would be an easy upgrade, as you say, with the unions and ball valves in place. I also have a second smaller pump. I suppose I could put both in there. The second one would have to get plumbed over the back, but it would give additional cross flow.

Thanks for the help! This is going to be awsome.

Al
 
@acvthree wrote:
Ok said:
Sounds like a plan.. keep in mind the more pumps you add, the more heat you transfer. The Ehiems are low heat transfer from all accounts, but it something to keep an eye on, especially with summer rolling in.
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I tried to use more 45's than 90 degree with both my sumps..

smoother flow imo versus a tight 90 degree, but I do agree, if you must use a 90, use a wider radius bend..
 
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