Insides of stands????

[acroholic]

I think gate valves are fine......unions can be another story. If you ever use a union fitting, you should always size up and then use reducer bushings to go back to your needed size. If you have a 1" union, the actual ID of the union is more like 3/4" (needed to acommodate the O-rings), so if you install a 1" union on 1" PVC, you are actually cutting the flow down through it.

If you need to install a union on 1" pvc, buy a 1 1/4" union, use reducer bushings (1 1/4" x 1") to bring it back down to 1", and you keep the same ID in the union as in your 1" pipe.

 

[jgoal55]

good to know bout the unions. Thanks acro.

Oh and btw, didnt sound like a "smart arse," at all. Actually, you sounded pretty dumb...lol....j/k.

Actually, youre totally right Ive never measure flow rates and everything has always worked well for me but at the same time, Ive always used recommended pumps for skimmers and reactors.

I can see that on stuff like reactors flow rate is relative, however on a skimmer I would think that it has a more drastic effect when you change flow rates only because of the bubbles and stuff.....i hope im not talking out of my arse here. haha.

I do need to figure out my plumbing pretty soon. Im picking up the new tank this evening.

As of now, I run these pumps: skimmer (Sicce 30w pump for Octopus skimmer), 1 Rio 1200 for my reactor, a Mag12 return, and eventually I want to run a calcium reactor. I am also using a UV that I run inline but I am thinking of removing it from my system because I dont think it does anything.

I cant think of any other equipment Ill be adding that would require extra pumps so I guess the total isnt too bad. The Sicce pump is cool to the touch when its running so I if it puts out heat it cant be enough to make a diff. Same with the Rio. Not quite the same for the Mag12....lol

 

[jgoal55]

bumpity bump.....any more pics from any cabinet neat freaks?

 

[mojo]

Acroholic;385317 wrote: What is a "correct" flow rate, anyways? I don't mean that to sound like a smart arse, but most flow rates are pretty subjective. Example, I have just set up two chillers (one on each of my systems), and found that most people don't use the "manufacturer recommeded" flow rates thru them, simply because the head pressure created by the chiller itself makes it unrealistic. Ask anyone that owns a chiller if they have actually measured net flow thru them, meaning a stopwatch and a bucket. Most folks buy a pump and put it on and are done with it.

You would be amazed to see the actual sized pump you'd have to place on most chillers to get the manufacturer recommended flow rates (real flow rate) thru them.

I'm glad to see someone else recognizes this! My chiller calls for something like 2500gph flow rate - it'd require a huge pump to achieve that with head pressure. I have it running around 500gph now (a guess..).

 

[cjsparky]

Acroholic;385317 wrote: What is a "correct" flow rate, anyways? I don't mean that to sound like a smart arse, but most flow rates are pretty subjective. Example, I have just set up two chillers (one on each of my systems), and found that most people don't use the "manufacturer recommeded" flow rates thru them, simply because the head pressure created by the chiller itself makes it unrealistic. Ask anyone that owns a chiller if they have actually measured net flow thru them, meaning a stopwatch and a bucket. Most folks buy a pump and put it on and are done with it.

You would be amazed to see the actual sized pump you'd have to place on most chillers to get the manufacturer recommended flow rates (real flow rate) thru them. Most chillers 1/3 HP and under have 90 degree blarbs that acommodate 1/2"-3/4" tubing (different diameter plastic on same barb). You can place 3/4" tube on there, but you are only getting flow thru 1/2" ID max, simply because the barb is that diameter.

My 1/2HP chiller has 3/4" inlet/outlet, and with a dedicated Mag 12 and 3/4" ID tubing to and from the chiller, I was only getting actual 360 gallon/hr flow. I'd have had to size up to a mag 18 or 24 at least to get anywhere near the manufacturers recommended flow rates.

The flow rate thru my Calcium reactor is about 50-60 ml/min, which isn't a tax on any pump, IMO. My refugium is low flow, so I set it to a rate that looks decent, but I don't measure it. The valve that feeds a GFO reactor is set to a flow rate where the top of the GFO is moving.

If you run UV inline and need to dose something, just turn the bulb off and you don't need to do anything else. And I don't know anyone that runs a carbon reactor in line with the return. It is always a Tee. And if you need to shut off a reactor connected to the manifold, you just turn off the ball valve that feeds it.

I really have to get your advisement on futureproofing my system once my new DIY stand is done, and I am ready to re-plumb!!!