what size pipes??

[wontonflip]

We're making our own sump out of acrylic (even though it's easier to just mod up a 20 gallon with baffles, my husband wants to try building one). then making it into a refugium. We got great designs from melevsreef.com, and we're attempting to use as little tubing as possible. We're going to run the water around via pvc.

Question is, how do we calculate the diameter of the piping for the intake, then the return correctly so that the water levels flow in and out of the sump without causing any flooding to the tank or the sump? Or should the sizes of the pipes just be uniform throughout?

 

[yote]

I'd use inch and a half PVC for the drain.Think my return is 3/4.

 

[Fastlight]

I agree with yote. I drilled my tank with two 1in drains and have a 3/4 return. I very highly recomend having valves on return line and drain lines. I would also recomend not to tight 90's I do on mine and im going to change out part of my return to flex line because i have both my drains shut a little to keep everything working in unison.

 

[wontonflip]

Ok, my husband's begun constructing my new cabinet, and the 20 long that I'm using for a sump is awaiting to have the baffles installed. The design that I picked to do was one on melevsreef.com -- refugium and intake on the sides, return in the middle. This will require me to split the intake 25% - 75%. which leads me back to my pipes question :)

Does anyone have a diagram of how this should be achieved? We're using pvc, and we already have the pieces to do the split...and I know there should be a valve to control the amount of flow above the refugium...since I'm splitting the intake (currently 1"), should I use smaller sized pvcs after it splits? See the diagram (very very rough sketch, not to scale)

 

[daugherty]

no do not make the return lines smaller it will restrict the flow to the sump and could cause a flod in the tank since the drain will not be able to drain as much water.

 

[yote]

Put a ball valve on each side of the tee thats coming off the drain.That way you can control how much water goes into the skimmer section and refugium but just opening or closing the valve.

 

[wontonflip]

Ok...so if my starting point at the pre-filter is 1", I should keep everything going into the sump 1", even with the split, is that correct? I'll just have to play with the configuration...trial and error, I guess!

 

[daugherty]

yess keep it all 1 in or make it bigger like an 1\2 and the return all the same prob 3\4

 

[d2mini]

My plumbing is all 3/4" and my overflow with durso standpipe can't drain the water out of the tank and into the sump nearly as quick as the pump can force it back up over 5' and back into the tank where it splits into a T. So i have a ball valve to control the flow from the pump. I think it would be really hard to calculate everything correctly to not need ball valves or some other way of making flow adjustments.