Plumbing

[Ryanrttu]

Was wondering if people use hard PVC type and flexible plumbing together? I was thinking of using hard plumbing on the water going into the sump then flexible plumbing on the return part. Is this done or does it even make sense?

[ChimolaFish]

Some people do, depends on what your goals are. I think most people do one or the other, but mixing them won't be the worst thing.

[xdestry]

I have a herbie overflow with both the main siphon drain and emergency hard plumbed, the return pump is connected to a flexible vinyl pvc which connects to another set of hard plumbed pipes going over the other side of the tank. If you are flexible plumbing the return whcih goes over the tank its hard to get it to bend over the top so you might have to do a combination of both there.

[Cuttles]

I use both on my setups, I like the clear vinyl tubing

[Ryanrttu]

Thanks, i'm about 6 weeks away from getting it set up but just starting to look into plumbing. Have def read a lot of good things about Herbie. I have a 75 gallon drilled tank and will have a 35 gallon sump. The tank came with 2 drilled holes.

[Donkeykong]

I like having some flexible vinyl on the return pump, it allows the pump to vibrate with out amplifying the noise like the hard pvc sometimes can do. But I like my drain lines to be hard pvc, because it looks cleaner and more organized to me, but that is personal preference.

[Ryanrttu]

Donkeykong, you have some flexible and some hard tubing on your return pump?

[swk]

Originally Posted by Ryanrttu

Thanks, i'm about 6 weeks away from getting it set up but just starting to look into plumbing. Have def read a lot of good things about Herbie. I have a 75 gallon drilled tank and will have a 35 gallon sump. The tank came with 2 drilled holes.

Have the same RR 75 gallon with holes for a 3/4 and 1" bulkhead. I used the 3/4 bulkhead for the full siphon line and the 1"er for the emergency line. Works great!

My drain line is hard plumbed, but my return is a combo of rigid and flex tubing. It serves its purpose and works great

[Rognin]

I use both. Here's a pic.

[billdogg]

I use a combination of hard pvc, (spa)flex pvc, and vinyl tubing.

As mentioned above - if you are going with an internal return pump, using ~12" of vinyl will help dampen vibration. If you are using an external pump, then go with ~12" on both ends.

Try to avoid using any 90 degree fittings. You are better off using 2 45's, or better yet, using flex pvc to make the turns. I try to avoid long runs ov vinyl because although it is easy to run, it will be prone to kinking in the future.

hth

just saw the above post - really, you should use little or no ribbed tubing - it creates turbulence that will slow the return, if used on it, and create noise on the drain. It will also collect gunk in the ridges and potentially aggravate nitrate issues.

[JMorris271]

Originally Posted by billdogg

I use a combination of hard pvc, (spa)flex pvc, and vinyl tubing.

As mentioned above - if you are going with an internal return pump, using ~12" of vinyl will help dampen vibration. If you are using an external pump, then go with ~12" on both ends.

Try to avoid using any 90 degree fittings. You are better off using 2 45's, or better yet, using flex pvc to make the turns. I try to avoid long runs ov vinyl because although it is easy to run, it will be prone to kinking in the future.

hth

just saw the above post - really, you should use little or no ribbed tubing - it creates turbulence that will slow the return, if used on it, and create noise on the drain. It will also collect gunk in the ridges and potentially aggravate nitrate issues.

What you are saying about ribbed tubing makes complete sense to me. But I have to wonder why several manufactures supply ribbed tubing with their units.

[Texas Paul]

Originally Posted by billdogg

I use a combination of hard pvc, (spa)flex pvc, and vinyl tubing.

As mentioned above - if you are going with an internal return pump, using ~12" of vinyl will help dampen vibration. If you are using an external pump, then go with ~12" on both ends.

Try to avoid using any 90 degree fittings. You are better off using 2 45's, or better yet, using flex pvc to make the turns. I try to avoid long runs ov vinyl because although it is easy to run, it will be prone to kinking in the future.

hth

This has worked well for me using this philosophy. I also hard PVC my returns, mainly because my returns from the DT are 1.5 inch PVC, and the 1.5 inch tubing i have looked at isn't very flexible. One other thing to consider is if several auxiliary components (reactors etc) are external to the sump, might consider utilizing a 1.5 inch hard piped manifold so that all those components have one common return line to the sump. Using 1-1/2 inch 90 degree fittings on the return side doesn't tend to restrict the returns because they can usually handle quite a bit of volume. A 1" manifold would probably work too depending on volume. Good luck!

[Rognin]

Originally Posted by billdogg

I use a combination of hard pvc, (spa)flex pvc, and vinyl tubing.

As mentioned above - if you are going with an internal return pump, using ~12" of vinyl will help dampen vibration. If you are using an external pump, then go with ~12" on both ends.

Try to avoid using any 90 degree fittings. You are better off using 2 45's, or better yet, using flex pvc to make the turns. I try to avoid long runs ov vinyl because although it is easy to run, it will be prone to kinking in the future.

hth

just saw the above post - really, you should use little or no ribbed tubing - it creates turbulence that will slow the return, if used on it, and create noise on the drain. It will also collect gunk in the ridges and potentially aggravate nitrate issues.

Originally Posted by JMorris271

What you are saying about ribbed tubing makes complete sense to me. But I have to wonder why several manufactures supply ribbed tubing with their units.

The inside of the tubing is smooth as a baby's bum. The outside is ribbed to prevent kinking. It's the laguna tubing for ponds and made specificly for aquaria use.

Also, The only thing I hear is my fans. The rest is dead silent with the panel closed.

[ViktorVaughn]

I use all flex pvc and for returns and drains outside of sump. Reactors, return pump, and drain from display tank (all inside sump) are plumbed with 1" lees black pond hose. The pond hose was more flexible and easier to direct where I wanted it.