Plumbing Parts HELP!

[carlos_fb]

Today I finally got my predrilled 60 gallon tank (48" x 15" x 20") with an internal overflow and 3 holes in it.

1 - 1" drain hole
2 - 1/2" return holes

The guy from the store was charging me around $160 for the tubing which to me sounded like too much money for plastic tubing so I need help with gettng everything that's neccesary to get it going.

Please advice!

[jenajet]

I need help myself with plumbing. I can tell you my lfs sells the tubing for 50 cents a foot. Most other parts can be pick up at lowes or home depot.

[Geoff]

ok that is a bit much for some PVC pipes.

can you post a pic of the holes? do you have the bulkheads that go into the holes, or do you need to find those also? could you post a pic of where the sump is going? what pump/pumps are you thinking for the system?

do not be surprised if you end up spending around $50 for everything. most of this has to do with the amount of unions and ball valves you will need.

G~

[seaham358]

What type of tank? is there a overflow box in the tank? The kits for them are not cheap 40-50.. Not sure what the LFS is charging for. if its just a few bulkheads and some pipe thats way too much..
Did he drill the holes? you say predrilled so I assume no.. if he drilled that thats not a bad price.

[carlos_fb]

Originally Posted by seaham358

What type of tank? is there a overflow box in the tank? The kits for them are not cheap 40-50.. Not sure what the LFS is charging for. if its just a few bulkheads and some pipe thats way too much..
Did he drill the holes? you say predrilled so I assume no.. if he drilled that thats not a bad price.

Hi, it's a 60 gallon tank (48" x 15" x 20") with an internal trapezoid overflow box. They did drill the 3 holes. 1" drain and 2, 1/2 returns on each side. They were charging me that price for the bulkheads and the internal plumbing of the overflow only.

[carlos_fb]

Originally Posted by Geoff

ok that is a bit much for some PVC pipes.

can you post a pic of the holes? do you have the bulkheads that go into the holes, or do you need to find those also? could you post a pic of where the sump is going? what pump/pumps are you thinking for the system?

do not be surprised if you end up spending around $50 for everything. most of this has to do with the amount of unions and ball valves you will need.

G~

Sorry I don't have pictures yet. My camera died recently but I will try to get some pics soon and yes I do need the bulkheads too. All I have is the overflow built in and the holes drilled.

[Geoff]

what is the diameter of the holes? be as exact as possible. normally for a 1" bulkhead a 1-3/4" hole is drilled.

G~

[carlos_fb]

Originally Posted by Geoff

what is the diameter of the holes? be as exact as possible. normally for a 1" bulkhead a 1-3/4" hole is drilled.

G~

The guy from the store said:

1) 1" drain
2) 1/2" returns

I will double check with him.

[jenajet]

http://www.savko.com/portal/flexibletubing.asp
This is were I got my plumbing. The man I bought my setup from recommended and he talked me through installation. The prices are good. They did send the wrong part first go round but sent out replacements right away along with some freebies I didn't realize I needed. Overall I was very happy. Good luck with it and wish I could help but your setup is nothing like mine.

[carlos_fb]

I finally got a chance to take some pictures of my tank and the holes drilled in the overflow box with the actual measurements. Please let me know what kind of bulkheads I should get for them.

[Geoff]

those sound like standard sch 40 bulkhead sizes.

MarineDepot carries bulkheads that will fit. the 1/2" is a touch small, but will work fine, just a bit more play than i like, but nothing to really worry about.

are those exit holes up near the top of the internal overflow? i like to go over the top with my returns. if you use those holes for the returns than you have to make sure you have a big enough sump to handle the amount of water that will back flow when the pump is turned off. water will drain down to those holes unless you use some Loc-line to bring the returns up higher towards the waters surface.

G~

[carlos_fb]

Originally Posted by Geoff

those sound like standard sch 40 bulkhead sizes.

MarineDepot carries bulkheads that will fit. the 1/2" is a touch small, but will work fine, just a bit more play than i like, but nothing to really worry about.

are those exit holes up near the top of the internal overflow? i like to go over the top with my returns. if you use those holes for the returns than you have to make sure you have a big enough sump to handle the amount of water that will back flow when the pump is turned off. water will drain down to those holes unless you use some Loc-line to bring the returns up higher towards the waters surface.

G~

Got the bulkheads and ordered the loc-lines, and a durso pipe, should get them soon! and by the way I'm using bulkheads for those return holes drilled in the overflow. I will post some pics once I get the them installed. Hopefully I will finish all the plumbing soon!

One question, should I only use 1 hole as return or should I use both?

[Geoff]

since you have the two holes i would go ahead and use them both. if the are plumbed than you can change it later if you want. i can not think of anything interesting to do with the extra return anyway. 1/2" pipe is a bit small so having the extra one will help keep your flow up. i would use something like 1" pipe right up to the 1/2" bulkheads to keep the flow maximixed.

G~