How to plumb a huge spraybar.

[Strangelove]

I've got all the pieces, except plumbing, for my 220.

I have a Lifereef 1600 gph overflow going to 2 25 gal refuge/sump plumbed in series. The first will be a refugium with low flow connected to the sump by a 1" bulknead. I have a 2" bulkhead from the second to my Dophin Aquasea 3600 which will feed my Bullet 2 skimmer, as well. I expect about 3' head and 6-8' of run and hope to have 2" PVC all the way to the tank.

I would like the return line to end at the middle of the tank and plan a spraybar along the top/back. Probably about 4' long with 1/4" hole drilled to spray at various angles.

Given the limitations of the overflow and the output of the pump should I have a 2" PVC spraybar or reduce it to 1" at the bar?


Thanks,

Gene

[thezookeeper]

Hi Gene. Don't have any personal experience with that, BUT scubadude, golfish, or Ltspd should be able to help. They seem to really have this plumbing thing down. Maybe PM them. Good luck with the setup!


Joanne

[scubadude]

Hi Gene

Hmmm...sounds interesting...Basically your limitations from what i see are the overflow 1600 GPH? Ok maybe im not reading sumthing right here....but you have a 1600 gph overflow and a 3600 GPH pump? WHOA :eek3: I dont think you need 2" pipe...i would use 1.5" at the most...and depending on how many GPH you want to push through this spraybar, from the looks of it you wont be able to push more than 1600 gph through the spraybar....I have a 220 tank too and I have a 1.5" bulkhead with a 2" Durso standpipe overflow and I have another 1.5" bulkhead at the other end of the tank plumbed with 1.5" PVC all the way up to the top and accross the lenght of the tank with the spraybar....another thing you will want to consider especially if you are doing a long spray bar is support....I was lucky enough to support the end of my spray bar with a notch in my overflow. here is a couple of pics of my spraybar. FWIW im pushing about 1900+ GPH through my overflow...and I have a 2100 AmpMaster as the sole feed through my spraybar return.

[Strangelove]

Thanks, Joanne.

I've been patiently buying equiptment since July. I now have everything to complete my setup. I hope to have everything running by this weekend so I can run up to Poseidon's for rock. They've had some baserock in tanks for weeks. I'm planning to get about 150-170# of that at $1/lb and add 50# of live and let it cook for awhile.

[Strangelove]

Your spraybar looks alot like what I'm shooting for SD. If I remember correctly, your running a closed loop with your 2100 gph.

My 3600 will be running the skimmer at 1000-1100 gph (I figure). I will also have at least 3 45 degree bends each of which adds 1 foot of head plus the 8-10 feet of run which is another foot of head. So, lets say at 7 feet of head I get 2400 gph (per Dolphin) - 1000 gph for the skimmer= 1400 gph.

I'm just a little worried that going down to 1.5 or 1" will drop me even further.

Have you noticed anything like that?

Thanks,
Gene

[scubadude]

Originally posted by Strangelove
Your spraybar looks alot like what I'm shooting for SD. If I remember correctly, your running a closed loop with your 2100 gph.

NO thats incorrect...im using a 2100gph for my return/spraybar. Im using a Dolphin AM3000 for my closed loop.

I will also have at least 3 45 degree bends each of which adds 1 foot of head

Not if you use long sweeps....its .5' i believe for long sweeps, also look into spa flex. But I see your plan now....are you gonna use a manifold to disperse the output of the pump to the skimmer and spraybar? I really think 2" is overkill but other than that I do think you are heading in the right direction and have a good plan set into motion Im sure the other guys will ring in here too. Do you have your tank already....are we talking about drilled holes in the tank for the spraybar? or you have to run the spraybar up/behind the tank? Some pics might explain better

[thezookeeper]

Wow! I thought I was good at math until I started in this hobby. If I ever set up a bigger tank, I'm calling you two to come over and do the plumbing.


Joanne

[scubadude]

hell yeah...im there girl....just make sure to have a few frags ready

[Strangelove]

The tank is on the stand. It's not drilled since I couldn't figure out a way to get it done. It's 3/4 inch glass without a center support and weighs at least 600#, maybe 700. It was a real.....pain to get home and then into the basement. I'm including picture of the tank and the next room where the equiptment will be. I plan a 1' x 2' hole in the wall for the plouming to pass. The return to the spraybar will come through the wall then up and over the top of the tank. I'm going to drill PVC for the spraybar and have it run along the top of the tank. The overflow will be on the side glass on the right to minimize distance to the sump.

[Strangelove]

Here is the tank with water.

[Strangelove]

Here is the tank and the ajoining room where the equiptment will be.

[wuelfman]

here are couple pics of my spray bar
im running a closed loop with it
i have a couple holes that will go down the back of the tank as well as a couple holes that go into the front corner of the tank

[JerryReef]

wuelfman, you do have an interesting setup. I was just wondering if placing your returns so close to, and at the same level as the overflow chambers, whether it would decrease the water circulation effect.

I mean being that the overflow is taking in water from the top, focusing the returns to flow out towards the lower potion of the tank may allow for better exchange. As you really do not want the water coming from your filtration to return directly back down the drain.

Strangelove, your tank resembles my tank....EMPTY.......

Just wondering out loud
Jerry
====

A mind that is stretched by new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.....

[wuelfman]

well its really not at the same level (the spraybars)
its about two inches below the overflow
what i really get is great flow out to the front of the tank and then down the sand
as well as nice flow along the back of the tank and corners
what i have found is that without rocks i really have very little "dead" areas in the tank (flowise)

[JerryReef]

Originally posted by wuelfman
what i have found is that without rocks i really have very little "dead" areas in the tank (flowise)

How did you test for that?

Can you also tell me how far down are the horizontal spray bars from the waterline?

Thanks
Jerry
====
It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are.

[Strangelove]

wuelfman,

I gave a lot of thought to doing a vertical spraybar but figured that the larger the bar, the lower the flow restriction given the same #/size of holes per inch. I also want to get flow over as much of the tank as I can as I would like a lot of SPS eventually.

Jerry,

I've had this tank since July and can't wait to get something in it. As soon as I complete the plumbing I'm going to get som rock in it and curing. Then I get to tackle the light setup. The reason it's taken so long is I've had to make stealth equiptment purchases. A little here, a little there like pulling a giant bandaid off of my wife veeerrryyy slowly over a 4 month period hoping she wouldn't notice .

[wuelfman]

the test is on sat jerry
man i have been hitting the books for the test j/k
when i put the southdown in there was alot of stuff floating around the tank
i pretty much watch the flow of the debris floating around the tank
strangelove
its actually the opposite with the ampmaster if i go from 1.5 inch pipe to a 1 inch pipe i lose over 40% of my flow from 3000 gph to around 1800-2000 gph
also with a closed loop you dont have to fight the head loss so im getting the full gph with the ampmaster
scubadude is running 1.5 inch pipe also
if you do a search im sure you can find more info on it

[scubadude]

Maybe I missed it in the thread but what about drain down during power outage have you checked that? Im curious as to where your end siphon break is.