rough idea on plumbing new tank

[justDIY]

this is my current rough-draft for plumbing the new tank, which I now hope to get by late august

thoughts and comments are welcomed

specifics like heating and filtration are left out right now.

this is for a freshwater setup, but I'd like to keep it saltwater ready as well.

the pump is either gonna be a DP2000 or mag 24 ... the dp2000 looks like a great deal, but if it sounds like a chainsaw, then it's no good ... I'd like to go with an external pump to avoid extra heat, but the mag seems to have mixed reviews on internal vs external ... and a "true" external pump is out of my budget

[loganj]

That looks good to me. I wouldn't bother with the check valve though. Plumb the tank inlets so that the siphon will break before much water runs back down through the pump. I don't trust check valves and if you have a siphon break, you eliminate the need for one. Also, as I'm sure you already know, the valve between the sump and the pump shouldn't be used for flow control...it'll cause the impeller to cavitate and send bubbles up to the tank.
I service a tank that has had a Mag 12 running external for at least three years with no problems. A guy I know runs a Berlin skimmer with a Mag 5 that is running externally. It started to leak a little after several years (he couldn't remember when he bought it). About $8.00 worth of parts fixed it and I expect it will run for several more years...I think you'll be fine using one of them external.

[justDIY]

hehe ... thanks for the reminder!

i had planned on using that valve only during pump maintence ... and using the valve afterword to throttle the pump

the more I research the subject, the less recommendations the check valve gets

I guess it'll save money not having it in there, a common union is only like $4 compared to the $20 for that check

[justDIY]

I spoke with someone at Dolphin regarding their pump ... according to him the pump is a lot quieter then comparble external models because it is water cooled and has no fan.

he suggested that I use a short piece of tubing to isolate the pump from ridged plumbing to help cut down on vibration transfer.

also, some sort of accustic pad that the pump sits on helps as well.


here's an updated diagram, sans the checkvalve

what do you all think about my manifold idea ... is it going to fail miserably??

[BillyZ]

I think it looks good. You dont really have to wory too much about a siphon break really if your using a spray bar for water return... the only water that will flow back to the sump will be whats in the plumbing itself.

For your "accustic pad" check out the gardening section of home depot... they have kneeling pad that are basically 6"x12" foam rubber pads about 1" thick... should be the perfect size... and quite cheap... a couple bucks if I remember rightly.

[r95rdstr]

I just picked up a Mag 24 and will be running it externally, too. I've heard that running a bead of silicone between the pump housing and impeller cover will prevent any leaking.

I also like the idea of using 45 elbows instead of 90 elbows. That's my plan, too, to hopefully cut down on resistance.

[fishfreek]

I think it looks good. You dont really have to wory too much about a siphon break really if your using a spray bar for water return... the only water that will flow back to the sump will be whats in the plumbing itself.

That would be if your spray bar is above water at the outlets. If the outlets are below the water line water will flow back down into the sump until air can enter the plumbing. What I do is drill a few small holes just below water line as syphon breaks on the return lines. Water will drain down the returnlines till the air gets in thru the holes and breaks the syphon.

[justDIY]

the item that I hope will save me the most flow is the 90° sweep ... I found it in the electrical isle, but it is plain 1" schedule 40 pvc, just gray instead of white ... It does a complete 90 degree bend over about 8", which I'll use to transition from the vertical pipe coming up from the pump to the horizontal manifold for the spray bars.

although it takes a lot more space than a 90 or even 2 45s, it's perfectly smooth on the inside, no obstructions

also in piping from 1.5" to 3" they had something called a long 90 elbow, which looked similar to the sweep on the inside, but was more compact ... I could not find one in 1" piping however.