Quote:
Originally Posted by sleepydoc
Yes, barbed fittings definitely add significantly to head pressure and therefore reduce flow. I was plumbing a Fluval SP4 and tried it with a section of vinyl tubing and then a section of flex PVC. The tubing had about a 15% drop in flow IIRC. Best way to see this is to look at the size of the hole on a ¾" barbed connector. It's closer to ½"
Can you use spa flex or ultra flex PVC? They will give you the flexibility of vinyl tubing without the drawbacks.
Regarding the return plumbing, plumbing resistance is additive, so even though your bulkhead is 3/5", there is likely some benefit to upsizing the pipe. I'd play around with some headless calculators to try and get an ide how big of a difference it will make.
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+1
I'm trying to squeeze a little more flow from my return pump and am thinking of replacing the dual barb/vinyl tube with ultra flex.
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Simon
Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones!
Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs
Last edited by ca1ore; 03/22/2016 at 07:05 PM.
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