Plumbing question

wilfx · 11/20/2009, 07:50 AM

I have a 120 tank. It has been setup for about 10 months. I want to plumb the tank to my cellar. The tank has 2 overflows built in. They are rated at 600 gPH each. The drain is 1" and the return is 3/4". Where I want to plumb it to is one floor down and over. I have to go about 15 feet through a crawl space under an addition.
My questions are,
1. What size piping should I use?
2.What size pump would I need for a return?
3 Should I use 1 returm pump, or 1 for each return?
4. Being in New England should I wrap the pipes in the heat tape they use for exposed plumbing?
Right now my sump is in another room behind the tank and I am using 2 quiet 1 4000 for returns.
I have many more questions, but let's start with these.

der_wille_zur_macht · 11/20/2009, 07:56 AM

What's the total vertical head going to be?

For starters, I would upsize the drain plumbing (so, 1.5") and run a single, large (efficient) pump. You're going to have a lot of head pressure, which means a high pressure pump, which typically means lots of electricity, unless you spend for something efficient.

You mention insulating the plumbing. What sort of temperatures does that crawl space see?

Reeflo makes several really nice pumps that will work in this situation, but they're pricey. Pan World (or Iwaki) comes to mind, too.

wilfx · 11/20/2009, 08:13 AM

vertical height would be roughly 15'-20'.
I can't be sure what the temp would be. It's a cinder block foundation.12" block, only has 2 small vents on either side of the foundation. Temps here run in 20's and 30's in Jan and Feb sometimes warmer sometimes colder. The room itself is heated obviously.

der_wille_zur_macht · 11/20/2009, 11:14 AM

The Reeflo Tarpon UNO would be a really good fit. Or a Pan World 200PS, which is cheaper, but uses a lot more power.

11/20/2009, 07:50 AM	#1
wilfx Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MA Posts: 37	Plumbing question I have a 120 tank. It has been setup for about 10 months. I want to plumb the tank to my cellar. The tank has 2 overflows built in. They are rated at 600 gPH each. The drain is 1" and the return is 3/4". Where I want to plumb it to is one floor down and over. I have to go about 15 feet through a crawl space under an addition. My questions are, 1. What size piping should I use? 2.What size pump would I need for a return? 3 Should I use 1 returm pump, or 1 for each return? 4. Being in New England should I wrap the pipes in the heat tape they use for exposed plumbing? Right now my sump is in another room behind the tank and I am using 2 quiet 1 4000 for returns. I have many more questions, but let's start with these.

11/20/2009, 07:56 AM	#2
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	What's the total vertical head going to be? For starters, I would upsize the drain plumbing (so, 1.5") and run a single, large (efficient) pump. You're going to have a lot of head pressure, which means a high pressure pump, which typically means lots of electricity, unless you spend for something efficient. You mention insulating the plumbing. What sort of temperatures does that crawl space see? Reeflo makes several really nice pumps that will work in this situation, but they're pricey. Pan World (or Iwaki) comes to mind, too. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

11/20/2009, 11:14 AM	#4
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	The Reeflo Tarpon UNO would be a really good fit. Or a Pan World 200PS, which is cheaper, but uses a lot more power. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

11/20/2009, 08:13 AM	#3
wilfx Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MA Posts: 37	vertical height would be roughly 15'-20'. I can't be sure what the temp would be. It's a cinder block foundation.12" block, only has 2 small vents on either side of the foundation. Temps here run in 20's and 30's in Jan and Feb sometimes warmer sometimes colder. The room itself is heated obviously.