I had a thread on tank drilling before and after all reading i've done I just won't one more final opinion from everyone before I make my purchases. I finished up construction on my tank stand last weekend just needs to be finished.(Will for sure post pics when completed):D I'm building my canopy this weekend so I'm ready to get things rolling. My tank is a 55g with 20g sump. With the info i've gathered up I'm think'n a mag7 will be perfect for pump. For drain from display to sump i'm thinking either a 1' or 1 1/2'. The drain i'm going to drill tank for so I'm getting ready to order bulkhead for whatever size recommended and whole saw bit. The return line I have no idea what size to go. I keep reading that the return line should be smaller than the drain. Should I drill return also or take it over the back of the tank like I see in right many tank shots?? Thanks much in advance for all the help...
Plumbing..
- Thread starter jmartin48
- Start date
yote
In Memoriam
For the drain,go with 1 and a 1/2".
If you drill for the return,go with 3/4"
And the Mag 7 will be just about perfect for the return pump.
If you drill for the return,go with 3/4"
And the Mag 7 will be just about perfect for the return pump.
KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
...here's an odd question, and I don't want this to sound rude at all, but...why?
What's the math? Is there a formula to figure that stuff out?
What's the math? Is there a formula to figure that stuff out?
yote
In Memoriam
I cant quote any math for the reasoning.But I know that 1 1/2" will handle the return from my Mag 12.And the bigger the drain,the less you have to worry about it not being able to handle the flow.
On the return,3/4 is what most of the pre-built plumbing kits come with.
Capt or Project may know the exact math behind it,but I dont.
On the return,3/4 is what most of the pre-built plumbing kits come with.
Capt or Project may know the exact math behind it,but I dont.
Great!! Thanks Yote!! I've got a bit coming for 1 and a 1/2" bulkhead. I think i'm going to just run return over the top of the tank. I'm kinda on a budget and I don't want to have to buy another bit to drill 3/4" for the return. How far from the top and corner should I place bulkhead?? Or should I place in another spot?? I've seen so many recommendations I'd like to get you guy'z expertise :bounce:
project5k
Reef enthusiast
well 1-1/2" will definately handle the flow rate, plus it will be less likely to draw a syphon and may make less slurping noises than say a 1' would.
assuming gravity flow, and no bends or restrictions....
1/2" - 420 gph
3/4" - 660 gph
1" - 960 gph
1.25" - 1,500 gph
1.5" - 2100 gph
the reason for going with a smaller return line than the drain side is simply $... the return side is under pressure, and thus you can use a smaller pipe to flow the same volume of water, and smaller pipe is cheaper...
as for where to drill, well, there are a couple trains of thought on that....
from what i have read so far, you dont want to try and drill a hole in glass any closer than the diameter of the bit from the edge, so if for example you are going to drill a 2inch hole, then you dont want any part of your finished hole any closer than 2 inches from any glass edge, this is supposed to help reduce the chances of breaking the glass. Now understand that this is just a theory as i havent actually drilled any holes of this size in glass, so i cant say from experience, but thats the "rule of thumb" that i was told... RC has recently drilled holes, so he may be able to help with that part more than i can, i just know keep it wet(cool) and dont let the slug fall out, tape over it and catch it that way or something....
the only other thing that i can think of for drilling the holes is this.. if you drill the hole "too low" you can allways raise its effective position by using some pvc inside the tank pointed up, but if you drill the hole "too high" your F'd.
assuming gravity flow, and no bends or restrictions....
1/2" - 420 gph
3/4" - 660 gph
1" - 960 gph
1.25" - 1,500 gph
1.5" - 2100 gph
the reason for going with a smaller return line than the drain side is simply $... the return side is under pressure, and thus you can use a smaller pipe to flow the same volume of water, and smaller pipe is cheaper...
as for where to drill, well, there are a couple trains of thought on that....
from what i have read so far, you dont want to try and drill a hole in glass any closer than the diameter of the bit from the edge, so if for example you are going to drill a 2inch hole, then you dont want any part of your finished hole any closer than 2 inches from any glass edge, this is supposed to help reduce the chances of breaking the glass. Now understand that this is just a theory as i havent actually drilled any holes of this size in glass, so i cant say from experience, but thats the "rule of thumb" that i was told... RC has recently drilled holes, so he may be able to help with that part more than i can, i just know keep it wet(cool) and dont let the slug fall out, tape over it and catch it that way or something....
the only other thing that i can think of for drilling the holes is this.. if you drill the hole "too low" you can allways raise its effective position by using some pvc inside the tank pointed up, but if you drill the hole "too high" your F'd.
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KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
Do you have a formula is that just a chart that you know? I'm totally curious now as I always loved physics but didn't want to do the the whole hydrodynamics thing. I'm assuming that it's related to volume inside the pipe falling at gravity over time, but rather than trying to do that work myself or looking it up I'm sure it's easier to buy you for the answer :mrgreen:
project5k
Reef enthusiast
i'll be honest, i just coppied that from flexpvc.com but depending on how much $$ you send me, i might get motivated to go get out my books and whup out some formulas....
actually, your pretty close, its actually more related to the cross sectional area of the pipe... and not the volume....
then there is the 32 feet/sec/sec of gravity's acceleration....
frictional losses, cause if you ever look in a piece of that pipe its not allways perfectly smoothe...
hydrodynamics, pumping theory, fluid flow, thermodynamics, heat energy and all that are just some of the things i studied before getting into quantum physics..
man, thats been years ago now...
actually, your pretty close, its actually more related to the cross sectional area of the pipe... and not the volume....
then there is the 32 feet/sec/sec of gravity's acceleration....
frictional losses, cause if you ever look in a piece of that pipe its not allways perfectly smoothe...
hydrodynamics, pumping theory, fluid flow, thermodynamics, heat energy and all that are just some of the things i studied before getting into quantum physics..
man, thats been years ago now...
KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
not worth money to me, just always nice to fulfill a curiousity :mrgreen:...I guess I'll just have to make some time to eventually start taking some more physics/engineering classes at the local community college (not that they really have ALL that much, but I think they do actually have a hydrodynamics course :bounce: )
Grassman
Reefing newb
Oh :pooh:!! I could be in trouble here. I just knocked a 1 3/4" hole 1 3/4" from the top of the glass. Just enough for the fitting to miss the trim. I'm not really sure if I want to use it or not now. I'll wait & see if RC responds to this to find out if I can use it or not.
Lots and lots of water, and drilling dust. Keep pushing the dust back towards the bit. Being careful not to get what you are using caught in the bit. I use a plastic soup spoon that way it just breaks if I get it too close. The easiest way to stop the slug from falling threw it to put a piece of scrap glass under the one you ware cutting. Hold it up with a couple pieces of wood or something. If you have too much pressure on the drill then you'll go right threw the tape.
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WOOT!! Got my whole saw bit in yesterday from ebay and got tank drilled today. Everything went smooth. Went way faster than I thought. Only took about 8 to 10 mins to finish. Now just gotta pick up my 20 gal from petsmart and get galss pieces cut for sump and run plumbing. Bulkhead should be in tomorrow. Any suggestions on some good sealent to use on bulkhead that can be picked up like at lowes' or something?? That's the most nervous i've ever been drilling. :shock:
dcantucson
Reef pro
Congrats on the successful drilling. Just use clear Silicone without the anti fungus chemicals in it and you'll be fine.
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
I drilled my 2 3/8 hole (1.5" Bulk head) at 4.5" from the top of the tank. That puts the top edge of the hole at least 2 3/8" from the top of the glass.
The rule of thumb:
For every inch of diameter, you need to be an inch away from the edge.
So if you were drilling a 3" hole, you'd want the top edge at least 3" away from the top of the tank. That puts the centerline of the hole at 4.5" from the top.
Drilling glass was a piece of cake. I was nervous as hell, but that bit went through the glass like a hot knife through butter. Pretty darn easy overall. Had my wife pouring water on the bit while I was drilling. I didn't raise up and take enough pressure off the bit and it actually blew out the back side a little bit. Thank god it didn't crack!! You don't need to push at all. Just let the weight of the drill do the work. When you get close, lift up on the drill and take some of the weight off. It'll slide down the rest of the way with very little pressure.
Here's some video:
Part 1:
You have to start the drill on an angle. Once you get an edge kinda started, you can slowly raise the drill up to a vertical position and drill straight down. As you can tell, I'm very nervous while doing this. I drilled down until a small hole appeared on one side. Thats when I started seeing water dripping inside the tank and stopped. Reset the camera, get more water ready and flood the area with water because a lot of it is going down the hole at this point.
I should have put tape on the back side or at the very least a sponge in the bottom of the tank to catch the falling glass core. Nope! Dumb redneck just puts his hand down there around all the glass and spinning drill bits to catch the core!!
Part 2:
Yes, I am aware that my tub is avocado green.
The rule of thumb:
For every inch of diameter, you need to be an inch away from the edge.
So if you were drilling a 3" hole, you'd want the top edge at least 3" away from the top of the tank. That puts the centerline of the hole at 4.5" from the top.
Drilling glass was a piece of cake. I was nervous as hell, but that bit went through the glass like a hot knife through butter. Pretty darn easy overall. Had my wife pouring water on the bit while I was drilling. I didn't raise up and take enough pressure off the bit and it actually blew out the back side a little bit. Thank god it didn't crack!! You don't need to push at all. Just let the weight of the drill do the work. When you get close, lift up on the drill and take some of the weight off. It'll slide down the rest of the way with very little pressure.
Here's some video:
Part 1:
You have to start the drill on an angle. Once you get an edge kinda started, you can slowly raise the drill up to a vertical position and drill straight down. As you can tell, I'm very nervous while doing this. I drilled down until a small hole appeared on one side. Thats when I started seeing water dripping inside the tank and stopped. Reset the camera, get more water ready and flood the area with water because a lot of it is going down the hole at this point.
I should have put tape on the back side or at the very least a sponge in the bottom of the tank to catch the falling glass core. Nope! Dumb redneck just puts his hand down there around all the glass and spinning drill bits to catch the core!!
Part 2:
Yes, I am aware that my tub is avocado green.
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I put drilled mine about 4 inches from the top of the tank. I figured I'd run a pvc elbow with a screen up to around water lvl for power outage saftey. I was going to get my wife to help me but I quickley changed my mind about that one as she is brain dead when it comes to tools and work. So I packed the tank up and took it to my dad's house and he poured the water on it while I drilled. I just took 2 old huge towel's and put them inside the tank where the piece of glass would fall out. Caught it like a charm. :bounce:
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Were you waiting for me to point that out? Because I was.
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
:oops:
It's a 30yr old apartment - what can I say? I've been painting it, fixed the furnace and charged the AC. The managers came in and re-did my kitchen cabinets, floors and appliances. Redid the bathroom cabinets. New carpet all the way through.
But I can't quite get 'em to redo the shower stall or the bathroom floor yet. The furnace will break down again this winter and I'll fix it. They'll be into me for a several hundred bucks of rent or a new shower and linoleum in the bathroom. :mrgreen:
project5k
Reef enthusiast
yea, my house was build in 72, and the tub that theyput in the hall bathroom is that green color, so is the stove, and so was the sink, till we swapped the sink out.... i think next is the stove, and then a bathroom remodel...
I'm glad to hear that the drilling went well... i'm really seriously thinking about ordering a bit and some bulkheads and doing my fuge... i just havent committed to it yet...
I'm glad to hear that the drilling went well... i'm really seriously thinking about ordering a bit and some bulkheads and doing my fuge... i just havent committed to it yet...
