Saltwater Plumbing Help Needed!

[Freshnoob1]

I just need somebody's opinion as to whether or not I should put a ball valve into my 1 1/2" Overflow line. I do have a ball valve in my return line.

 

[carey]

I have a ball valve on my input on one tank because I had the room and on another I dont have one. It hasn't made any difference so far in my setups. I think if you have the space for it why not?

 

[spoonman]

I put one in both. But, if I were to do it over I would just put one in the return line. That way if the return pump is too strong you can throttle it back. If the overflow is too much, you need a stronger return pump.

 

[Freshnoob1]

Ok thanks guys, my setup is a 40 gallon breeder with Mag Drive 7 so 1/2" Return line. and the 700gph overflow kit from gl*******s.com in case anyone was wondering.

 

[mr_X]

You don't need ball valves on drains. Never restrict your drains.

 

[Freshnoob1]

Thank you everyone for your advice! I'll save $15 now.

 

[AquaRick]

I like running ball valves on my return lines. With running two drain lines, you can set one up as your master drain, and the other as your emergency drain. If you set it up so your one drain is higher than the other (emergency drain) you can restrict the flow of your master drain with a ball valve to lower the noise in your drain. If for whatever reason your master drain gets clogged you have your other drain (emergency drain) to fall back on. Very nice to have when noise is an issue.

 

[tonedogz]

If you really want a valve on the drain you can buy what they call a full port valve where the opening is not restricted.

 

[CaptainAhab]

I have valves coming and going. I like the idea of being able to shut it down in an emergency or maintenance situation. I'm not sure why you would 'never' restrict a drain. Every bend restricts the drain

 

[mr_X]

You would not want to restrict a drain because you don't want your DT to overflow. There is absolutely no need to put a ball valve on a drain when all you have to do is shut off the return pump to stop water from draining. It's a waste of time and money.

 

[CaptainAhab]

You're always welcome to your opinion. Of which I disagree.