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Help this weekend - plumbing

Discussion in 'Des Moines & Ames Region' started by Philby, Oct 31, 2007.

  1. Philby

    Philby Inactive User

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    This post if half test/half serious.

    I'm hopefully going to be plumbing my tank and doing a freshwater test this saturday and/or sunday.

    I don't think I'll need a lot of help - but this is the first time I've done this - so if anyone wants to help a newbie out with my plumbing (and some minimal construction, need to build a 3'x4" riser) respond to this thread and we'll get a time worked out.

    This is contingent on all my plumbing supplies arriving this week, but I ordered on Monday and Tuesday so I'm not too worried about stuff getting here by Friday...but you never know. And some stuff still needs to be picked up from Lowe's, but I think it will be easier to start plumbing and then determine what I still need to pick up.

    Also you'll be allowed to drink my beer and watch football on my gigantic TV /site/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/_default/emoticons/cool.gif
     
  2. Philby

    Philby Inactive User

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    I just tracked my shipments and my bulkheads will be here today, and the rest of my plumbing is scheduled to get to me on Friday!
     
  3. Philby

    Philby Inactive User

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    Well I was reminded this morning by my GF that we are going to watch her brother in his HS musical in northern iowa tomorrow night - so we might not be back in time on Saturday for me to actually do any work on my tank...

    So it looks like I'll be doing all my tank work on Sunday...
     
  4. IowaDiver Well-Known ReefKeeper

    536
    West Des Moines
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    Are you using PVC for all the plumbing? I would definitely do all the gluing outside or in the garage and wear a surgical mask and gloves. That glue and primer is super nasty. It will singe your noisehair.

    I used PVC to empty the water from my tank into my sump, but flexible tubing for the return. I think I have a ball valve on the pipe going into the sump. I don't recall right offhand my exact plumbing setup but I remember I used quite a few check valves.
     
  5. Philby

    Philby Inactive User

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    I'm using a combination of flex and rigid, but mostly flex (my CL will probably be entirely flex, my drains entirely flex, and the return from the sump to the tank will be mostly rigid as I have it planned in my head currently).

    I agree with you on gluing outside - we glued inside when we were plumbing brad's tank - and it got pretty nasty, we had to take breaks every hour or so...

    I have double union ball valves for the 3 CL bulkheads, and also for the input/output of my CL pump.

    I don't have any valves planned for my overflow drains - should I rethink? I was assuming if I need to do any maintenance I would just allow the overflow to completely drain by turning off the return pump...which would drop the water level in my tank a bit but not a big deal. I'm going to have both the bulkheads in my overflow as drains, the 1 1/2" the main and the 1" as a backup.
     
  6. IowaDiver Well-Known ReefKeeper

    536
    West Des Moines
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    I used to have a check valve on my return but I have enough room in my sump for the water to drain back down into it until the siphon breaks.
     
  7. Philby

    Philby Inactive User

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    Well I personally wouldn't rely on a check valve...regardless I plan on having enough space in my sump to handle the extra volume if my return pump quits.
     
  8. Guest

    Guest Guest

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    I will shure agree on the don't rely on a check valve. I have learned many time over and over
    it it can go wrong it will. unless you clean the checks regulary they will end up letting u down and it will be when you are gone or in the middle of the night.
    I don't know what every one else has done but i taped all my fittings and then i used a thin coat of silicone, it lubed the threads so it tightened easier
    and I had 0 leaks and I have 80 ft of pipe.
    just my opinion only draw back is if you break it loose you might have to compleatly re do the silicone, but my fittings tightened up so tight with the lubrisity of the silicone that they never have loosened
     
  9. Philby

    Philby Inactive User

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    So I'm doing some plumbing right now - and I think I've decided that I really should have someone here who knows what the hell they're doing...

    I don't think I've done anything wrong - but 1 bulkhead is already not gonna come out very easily (if at all - there's a 90 a couple inches behind it) and I just don't want to make any mistakes that would involve cutting existing things I've already glued...

    So I'm going to continue measuring and cutting, but I'm only gluing where I don't think it will hurt anything, and I'm gonna try and get someone over here this weekend to help me out. My dad is already coming over to finish somethings on my stand - so I'll be working on the tank anyway - my goal is to actually have water in it this weekend, at least doing a leak test if not leak test completed and filling with RO/DI.

    Brad, Ryan, JJ, anyone else in DM with plumbing experience - want to come watch/help me plumb this weekend??
     
  10. IowaDiver Well-Known ReefKeeper

    536
    West Des Moines
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    I've plumbed and then re-plumbed my tank but the bulkheads were already there. I am by no means an expert though. I think it is best to assemble all your plumbing that you can before gluing. Make sure it fits right and checks out and then take it apart and apply the primer and then the glue. Use plenty of those screw away joints too so you can easily detach pumps etc. from the system.
     
  11. Philby

    Philby Inactive User

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    Can I run water through before gluing?

    I think the assembly before gluing is probably a good idea - i'll definitely be doing that the rest of the way.

    and I have a double union for each hole of my CL, and 1 for each side of my CL pump.

    I also have 3 1" 'screw-away joints' (unions?) that will go various places on my return, and maybe on my drain/durso as well - still haven't decided yet.
     
  12. IowaDiver Well-Known ReefKeeper

    536
    West Des Moines
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    Unions are what I meant. I couldnt think of the right word at the time. You might be able to run water through it before gluing it. I never tried that.
     

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