hard plumbing vs soft plumbing

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Check this out...I've never seen a cleaner set-up than this right here for "LARGE" plumbing...
2 x 2" overflows - Excellent Drainage, No extra pipe, unions, etc etc...
Got a friggen set of ear plugs?!? you'll need them if you flow upwards of 2000gpm. 90's are the invitation of waterfalls! the water hitting them from above, and then creating another falls for the next drop...

1.5" return, Lots of flow, rubber mounted everything, no section that isn't isolated with rubber...
Got any idea what kind of gallonage you need to manage when you service the pump? Got any idea how many cuss words you'll express by time you finally get to the pump to clean it??!?With with all those joints, multiply the endless possibilities of places to get a leak...

With flexible hose you can still use o-ring "unions" and easily secure them up out of the way so they do not have to drain...what little bit of water is at the joints is nothing compared to the pipe fulls that you have to watch drain into the bucket/tote/rags/floor/pants /shirt/etc...feel me yet?

Oh and just in case you didn't notice...4" wide clearance between the wall and the pipe? And that's better than if the overflows were plumbed out of the bottom..you'll need some long ass arms to reach any of this...

Yeah it looks clean in a picture, but in reality, it isn't worth the hassles...Crap I want to look at fish not my therapist just to control the fits of rage this stuff will cause...

and what is this stuff about bumping the hose and knocking it loose? That's just BS...If you can't turn a screwdriver on a hose clamp, then cementing 2" PVC is gonna give you a bigger headache. It's not like doing tiny 1" PVC...there is alot of surface area in a 2" slip...and believe me, you'll screw up some plumbing before you get it right, if you can't tighten a hose clamp...happen to notice all the clamps on this hard plumbing???

All that stuff, could have been easily replaced with hose barb fittings and soft flexible hose that would flow better, loose less flow from friction loss and be 100x easier to service...
and a thousand times quieter...

I ain't talking out of the side of my neck here...I know 1st hand, and anybody that can't see that from the pix, isn't looking at it with an open mind...;):D IMHO

But go ahead, do what I did the first time around, spend a small fortune, get a few atta boys, then hate this with a passion till you do it right... ;)

gtgg, when you read this, no worries, I'll help you out when it is time to set-up the super sump...the easy, quiet way...~BenO

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zennzzo;4010979; said:
Check this out...I've never seen a cleaner set-up than this right here for "LARGE" plumbing...
2 x 2" overflows - Excellent Drainage, No extra pipe, unions, etc etc...
Got a friggen set of ear plugs?!? you'll need them if you flow upwards of 2000gpm. 90's are the invitation of waterfalls! the water hitting them from above, and then creating another falls for the next drop...

1.5" return, Lots of flow, rubber mounted everything, no section that isn't isolated with rubber...
Got any idea what kind of gallonage you need to manage when you service the pump? Got any idea how many cuss words you'll express by time you finally get to the pump to clean it??!?With with all those joints, multiply the endless possibilities of places to get a leak...

With flexible hose you can still use o-ring "unions" and easily secure them up out of the way so they do not have to drain...what little bit of water is at the joints is nothing compared to the pipe fulls that you have to watch drain into the bucket/tote/rags/floor/pants /shirt/etc...feel me yet?

Oh and just in case you didn't notice...4" wide clearance between the wall and the pipe? And that's better than if the overflows were plumbed out of the bottom..you'll need some long ass arms to reach any of this...

Yeah it looks clean in a picture, but in reality, it isn't worth the hassles...Crap I want to look at fish not my therapist just to control the fits of rage this stuff will cause...

and what is this stuff about bumping the hose and knocking it loose? That's just BS...If you can't turn a screwdriver on a hose clamp, then cementing 2" PVC is gonna give you a bigger headache. It's not like doing tiny 1" PVC...there is alot of surface area in a 2" slip...and believe me, you'll screw up some plumbing before you get it right, if you can't tighten a hose clamp...happen to notice all the clamps on this hard plumbing???

All that stuff, could have been easily replaced with hose barb fittings and soft flexible hose that would flow better, loose less flow from friction loss and be 100x easier to service...
and a thousand times quieter...

I ain't talking out of the side of my neck here...I know 1st hand, and anybody that can't see that from the pix, isn't looking at it with an open mind...;):D IMHO

But go ahead, do what I did the first time around, spend a small fortune, get a few atta boys, then hate this with a passion till you do it right... ;)

gtgg, when you read this, no worries, I'll help you out when it is time to set-up the super sump...the easy, quiet way...~BenO
Click to expand...

Spoken like Mel Gibson as William Wallace in Braveheart!
 
I prefer pvc over tubing because if someone calls me while I'm working on a fish project and asks what I'm doing, I can say I'm "laying the pipe".
 
i have 4 x 40mm drains and 4 x 35mm returns not as nice install as the picture but still works fine

and i run 20,000 lph

i changed from hard pipe to flex pipe to connect to my pumps
 
You can use sweep 90's and 45's to reduce flow noise in PVC. Eliminating straight drops will also solve a lot of the plumbing noise issues. There is no doubt that PVC is a cleaner look, if you take your time and don't run purple cleaner all down your pipe. But tubing is always going to be quieter, faster, cheaper and easier.
 
Great response zennzzo - very thorough. You've convinced me that hard plumbing isn't really worth the effort. When I eventually start working on my next setup I think I'm going to have a PVC ball valve manifold to manage flow to my returns, but I'll use hose barbs to plumb it into vinyl tubing.

I've heard people bring up the issue of knocking soft plumbing loose. That's never happened to me and I don't really see how it could if your tubing is fitted well and secured with a hose clamp.
 
the_deeb;4012112; said:
Great response zennzzo - very thorough. You've convinced me that hard plumbing isn't really worth the effort. When I eventually start working on my next setup I think I'm going to have a PVC ball valve manifold to manage flow to my returns, but I'll use hose barbs to plumb it into vinyl tubing.

I've heard people bring up the issue of knocking soft plumbing loose. That's never happened to me and I don't really see how it could if your tubing is fitted well and secured with a hose clamp.
Click to expand...
Now THAT is a worthwhile Idea!...a manifold, Geese I wish I would have thought of that earlier!!That would have made my life alot more simple...:thumbsup:
 
PVC for me. Tired of cleaning the algae build up from the clear and braided tubing. And the only thing that restricts flow more than a ball valve are barbs. Sorta like fast food, if you want it "now" go with barbs and tubing whatever floats yer boat. I still run a tank with tubing.

My last sump used 1-1/2 vinyl tubing and was as effecient as you could get it and my mag18 needed to be throttled just a tad. Moved the tank and went with 1-1/4 PVC and I needed to add a mag 7 to the mix and still could not satisify the drains. Just bought a Hy-Drive 3200 and the drains quieted up nicely, not sure why it flows better as the only thing I did was switch to PVC. I guess it was win win for me as I got more flow and less wattage pump(s).

I use spa flex where I need to make a gentle bend. Not sure why anyone would use a 90° bend when sweeps are available. If you gots some time to plan it right and a pool supply nearby for hard to find SCH40 fittings I would go PVC.
 
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