routing the overflow tube?

[guitarded]

i want to keep my tank in my office and my sump in another (actually, outside on the otherside of the wall. the sump will be going into a shelter that is already built. i have a HOB overflow. any recommendations about how to get the plumbing from the overflow to the sump on the other side of the wall. i was thinking about making a right angle through the wall, however, i am worried that would slow down the flow.

comments/suggestion?

[nyghtone]

I have four right angles in my plumbing, it supposedly slows down flow, but according to my fluid engineer best friend(aint it great to have friend), in a 1" tube flowing 500 gph each right angle would only account for around 5 gph loss with 3" of head pressure. So if you have your pump and overflow so close that 20 gph is going to put you over the edge, you need either a bigger overflow or a smaller pump

Someone correct me if I quoted the measurements wrong on this one, but I'm pretty sure that I've got them right

HTH, Joshua...

[fishfreek]

Indeed you want to be concerned about the efficenty of your plumbing from the overflow to the sump as this will affect the overall performance of your overflow. If you use a pair of 45's instead of a single 90 that will help to some degree. One thing that benifits us on our overflow lines is gravity.

[guitarded]

yes, since i am counting on gravity get my water to the sump, using anything but a straight section of pipe concerns me. however, it sounds like nyghtone is successfully using 90's. i like fishfreek's idea of using 2ea 45's. i wonder using 4ea 45's to complete the transition would be better.

at any rate, i would still like to hear from others that, either have ideas as to the best way to do this or those that have plumbed to a different room.

You can also consider using larger pipe. Even if you only have a 3/4" overflow, a 1" pipe with four 90 will restrict the flow less than 3/4" pipe with four 90's. HTH's

I just had a chance to look over my engineering books and I have found that two 45's will restrict the flow more than one 90.

[nyghtone]

Great idea using the bigger pipe, amazing how something so simple is something I NEVER would have thought of, bravo!!!

HTH, Joshua...

[sevise]

The difference between 1 90 and 2 45s is minimal, at least mathematically and in the middle of a pumps curve. However you also have to take into account pipe length. For example.


I need to have my overflow run down 3 feet and over 3 ft, I use 2 3ft sections of pipe and a 90bend. Total pipe length is 6ft. Or I can use 2 45s and run 4.2 feet of pipe. In this scenario the decreased length in pipe helps the flow.


If you need to use a 90 then by all means do so. If your flow isnt high enough you could always upgrade pumps. Every situation is different and there are alot of variables to take into account.

This calculator is fairly straight forward. Although no calculation like this is perfect it will give you a general idea fo what to expect.


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