Plumbing for a sump

[Donmarco]

I'm making my first major tank upgrade from a 50 G to a 120 G with a 30 G sump. I'm totally freaking out about how to properly plumb the sump. It's something I've never done before. I want to minimize the possibility of a sump overflow during a power outage so it looks like I'll need to use PVC pipe and fittings and a check valve instead of flexible tubing, am I right? I don't know anything at all about working with PVC pipe so I'm not certain how to choose the correct sizes for the drain fittings that came with my Oceanic tank and the fittings in my Zero Edge sump. When I started looking at some online retailers I noticed a few terms like FPT and MPT fittings. What are these? What do the acronyms mean? I know, this is a totally novice question but I never considered setting up a sump as potentially this difficult and confusing.

 

Somebody help!

[DaveS]

Post #1- congratulations! Where are you located? Some of this stuff is much easier to explain in person than type up. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find someone in WAMAS close enough to you to come by or have you over to lay all this stuff out for you. Maybe update your profile with a location and someone can help out.

[Lunker]

I can certainly relate to this issue. I also have a 120g. My solution and I'm very glad I did was to pay a visit to BRK and have a talk with John. John will ask you a number of questions of what your intentions are and provide you with some good sound advice. He also has many of the the plumbing fittings that you will need. Best of luck to you.

[Pat_13]

Welcome

 

Acronyms

 

Check out these links too

[fry_school101]

Welcome aboard!

 

Have no fear, a sump isn't too hard to plumb in. As far as working with pvc goes, it's difficult to do wrong. Slather the purple stuff on (primer/cleaner), slather the clear stuff on (glue) and press your fitting in with a 1/4 twist to make sure the glue seals all the way around the pipe.

 

The trick to preventing an overflow is making sure your water levels are balanced.

 

1. Fill the tank until water is flowing through the overflow. THEN add water to your sump. Now you know that if the power goes off and your tank drains as much as your overflow will let it, it won't be more than your sump can handle.

 

2. At that point you can make a guess for how much water is needed to get your tank to the level you want and add that to the sump. You can limit the amount of water going to your tank by adding a container, raising the return pump, or somesuch. If your overflow ever gets plugged, you don't want 20 gallons getting pumped into your tank when it will only hold 10. That = 10gallons on the floor

 

Although setups vary, you shouldn't need a check valve. The only place I've seen those used is when you have holes in the bottom of your tank where there would be pressure going the wrong way. Someone else can chime in if I missed something, but I would say not to worry about it. Flexible and rigid tubes are up to you. Some like one, some like another. You may want a combination. Flexible can be nice if you think you may be moving things around a bit (chances are you will to clean or tinker), but it is largely your preference.

 

The size of the pipes or tubes is going to be dictated by what your tank is set up with (it sounded like you have a reef-ready tank). If it's plumbed with a 1" tube then you can assume UP TO about 960 gph. In practice since you may or may not have a continuous siphon that is void of air (it depends on how yours is set up), I would probably figure something in the neighborhood of around 480. I think most overflows with one inch pipes are rated at 600gph, but this assumes that it is clean and there is no debris. If you want to guess to the higher end, just make sure you follow step 2 above

 

Here's a chart to give you a guideline: http://flexpvc.com/WaterFlowBasedOnPipeSize.shtml

 

Assuming that you have 480gph going to the sump, you just need a return pump rated for ~480ph @ whatever the distance the water has to travel vertically. IE if the sump is under your stand (at +0') and the water flows into the top of your tank which is at +4' you need a pump good for 480gph @ 4' (The term for this is head height. Each pump will be rated differently and you will need to consult the chart published by the manufacturer.)

 

That was a long post, but it's not too hard. To summarize:

_____________________________________________________

1. Make sure the sump will hold all the overflow from your tank.

2. Limit the amount of water that can be pumped back into your tank.

3. Determine how fast the water will flow from your tank.

4. Find a pump that will return water at that speed.

[jason the filter freak]

whats your location I'd be willing to give you a hand.