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desertfish

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I'm going to use two 1 inch bulkheads just below the water line on my 80gal with no skimmer box, just strainers. If I increase the pipe to 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 pipe from my BH's to the sump, will this increase my water flow into my sump compared to just using 1 inch pipe?
thanks,
David
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SPC

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David, to answer your question I would say yes. Let me add if I may, that I also considered doing what you are doing and did, but added the overflow boxes. The reason I did this was for skimming the water surface. If you don't add this feature you will not get the skimming effect that the boxes give you, without alot of slurping and sucking noises.
Steve
 

DaktariEd

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I should think so...if you increased it to 4" it certainly would empty the tank in a hurry! So a change from 1" to 1-1/2" would increase flow significantly...right?
 

lawndoctor

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I'm going through the same decision process now on my new 75, except I am using an OF box to get the surface water. Flow is based on cross-sectional area of the pipe, which is equal to 3.14 x (square of the radius). Instead of using two 1" bulkheads, I'm using one 1 1/2" bulkhead. The cross-sectional area of a 1 1/2" diameter pipe is slightly more than double that of a 1", so the flow should be the same or slightly better.
 

2poor2reef

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Keep in mind than only maximum flow increases as you use larger pipe. The actual flow may be below the maximum and is determined by how much water you are pumping into the tank. For example, if a small pipe is capable of removing 2 gph from a tank, and the inflow to the tank is only 1 gph, then a larger pipe with twice the cross section will still only flow 1 gph, even though it has the capacity to flow 4gph.
 

SPC

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David, my 180 is custom made and looks just like a regular(if there is such a thing) reef ready tank with the exception of my tank having 1 1/2" bulkheads for drains, and the corner overflows being 9" x 6". I have about 2200 gph going to my sump and the corner boxes handle it with ease. I thought about not running them all the way to the bottom (don't think it is necessary if the tank is drilled in the back) but didn't see any real advantage to this. Having said all of that, if I were you I would try to see what size boxes people have on their 75s and 90s, and if it were me, I would go with the 90 size.
Steve
 

davelin315

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One thing about drilling your tank and bulkhead size is that the smaller the bulkhead, the more likely you are to create a siphon in your system where the water will be above the bulkhead and will level off above it and therefore reduce surface skimming. By increasing the pipe size behind the bulkhead, IMO, you will not aid your drainage, you will make it vary as you approach creating a siphon, and then lose it as the pipe behind the bulkhead is too large. The larger the bulkhead, the more surface skimming you will get, and the less likely you will be to create a siphon. In very simple terms, the bigger the hole, the easier the water will flow through it. Like the point made above, it will not necessarily change the amount you can handle, only the way in which it is handled. Example: if you drilled a 1 inch hole, the water would come shooting out, whereas a 4 inch hole would be more of a waterfall and the water would exit at less pressure. Another thing to keep in mind is that a siphon might suck your fish up because of the pressure it creates, while a larger bulkhead will allow the water to flow, instead of being pulled, down your overflows. By the way, I haven't seen anything bigger than a 1 1/2 inch bulkhead, but you can use shower floor bulkheads instead (good luck finding a suitable strainer though).
 

lawndoctor

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FYI in case anyone's interested: Champion Lighting sells up to 2" bulkheads and matching strainers. Also, whatever size bulkhead is used, I would suggest installing a gate (not ball) valve between the bulkhead and sump to control the flow.
 

myreef

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lawndoctor:
<STRONG>.... whatever size bulkhead is used, I would suggest installing a gate (not ball) valve between the bulkhead and sump to control the flow.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I humbly disagree with this. I would put a gate valve on the pump not the overflow. You never want to interfere with or restrict the water out of the tank. You are much better regulating the flow on the pump side. Algae build up in the overflow pipes could hinder the gate valves usefuleness. IME, It is better to control flow in, thus controlling the flow out.

[ August 07, 2001: Message edited by: myreef ]
 

SPC

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I agree with Andy, restricting the out flow from the tank is a problem waiting to happen.
Steve
 

lawndoctor

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You all may be right. I think that's why this board is so great. All I can offer is my experience that this configuration works well, is quiet, and takes very little space in the tank. I use one gate valve on the pump outflow to control the flow going into the tank. I use another gate valve on the sump input to control the noise level. With no restriction, my overflow box-to-sump line is really noisy. With a slight constriction using the gate valve, I can make it nearly silent. I don't constrict it to the point where it can overflow, just to the point where it doesn't gurgle excessively. I clean the inflow strainers weekly. No problems in two years. Hope this is helpful.
 

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