If you don't fix these plumbing issues now, you'll hate yourself later! Top 29 Plumbing Mistakes.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- Did you even know you were making these plumbing mistakes? These are the most common reef tank plumbing mistakes reefers make. If you don't know how to plumb a saltwater tank or if you consider yourself pretty well educated on aquarium plumbing, there are still some mistakes to learn from!
You wouldn't believe all the mistakes we've made! Learn how NOT to reef, from our failures.
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Legal Stuff
The content contained in this video is general information on the topic and should not be relied upon as your sole source of information or safety advice for this project or topic. Each product or situation is different and has its own concerns related to successful completion and safety that must be fully researched by the individual considering the project or product. The purpose and content of this video is to provide general information regarding the products and their applications as presented in the video. Aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents disclaim all express or implied warranties, in any way, related to the products and their application as presented in this video, make no representation or warranty regarding the products and the application as presented in this video and shall not be liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any type, including but not limited to punitive damages, or from personal injury or death resulting from or in any manner related to the video, and the products in and contents of the video. The viewer expressly agrees that aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any damages or losses related to the products in and content of the video and hereby agrees to hold the foregoing harmless from any such losses or damages.
What was your WORST plumbing mistake you ever made? Were you able to fix it?
➡ brs.li/BRStv_TopReefing_Mistakes
Bulk Reef Supply not adding unions and then needing to move my sump
Drawing out the plumbing, to ensure enough fittings on hand. Sucks when having to make multiple orders back to back because your missing 1 or 2 items, also puts a stop to the build.
Recently, did not cement the join going to my algae scrubber but used silicone to loosely keep it in place. Luckily I was there when the join came open and the pump was rather weak. So very little water leaked.
Not knowing that when gluing PVC pipe that if you dont hold it in for a bit while it dries, it will push out just a little bit. That little bit compounds itself over multiple fittings.
Putting a 90 on backwards. Thankfully I realized it before it set and I was able to turn it. Another couple of seconds and I would have been out of luck
Thank you to BRS for cranking out all the content during this quarantine phase. Its nice to have something fun to watch so often.
Randy: *starts to speak*
Ryan: *8 hours of speech*
Randy: *smiles and nods with occasional 'yep'*
I was one of those dudes buying a 2 foot silicone piece from you guys recently! Of course, I did it based on advice from a previous video. Great work guys, love the site and the channel!
Just the best channel on line for the hobby. Your information is clear, simple and easy to digest. Fantastic information.
Perfect timing guys! I’m plumbing in a UV this weekend. Thank you R and R!
Man, I love these videos so much! Packed full of tips and I always learn a lot, please keep making them!!! Thank you so much!!
Fantastic Video. So much good information.
Figuring out how long to cut PVC pipes and getting the angles perfect is such a pain. I had to re-plump someone's whole pool pump house. The unions make a world of difference. I added at least 3 to his set-up.
Loved this video. Filled with tons of great information.
MANIFOLDS!!! Why did I not remember a friggin' manifold! Thanks, feller's. Watching for years and still learning new stuff!
I'm getting ready to begin my first hard plumbing job on a 40 gallon breeder. I plan on using cheap white 3/4 PVC to dry fit everything in place, then using those to cut the blue schedule 80 pipe. Thanks for the tip on clear primer! I had not thought of that!
Went through countless hob filters now have a fx5 and 6 canisters over a period of 10+ years and now have had my sump on my first saltwater tank and im so happy i plumbed my own filter this time...its fun if you keep the right mindset. I myself look at it like a Lego build but for adults 🍻 ill never not plumb a tank and this video is great just spot on yall 🍻
What an awesome video! I did my first plumbing job this weekend for my new 55 gallon tank. I'm super happy with how it came out!
Kinda wish I had seen this video though, because I did threaded bulkheads on the outer side, thinking it would be easier to take apart later because I live in an apartment. Hoping for no leaks!
Thanks for this! Video came just in time for a new build
Thanks for the information!!
Wow. Great video. Getting back into the hobby and this was helpful in refreshing my memory on some things I knew and learning some new (better) methods
wow. i learned a lot as a beginner into plumbing with this vid
If you get that eclipse overflow box and your tank is rimmed make sure you measure from the inside of the tank also to account for the rim. I have messed up on this before and it sucks.
Yes!!! I've been waiting for this one
This is the exact video I needed right now 🙂
awesome video! thanks for sharing!
Glad I watched this, I genuinely didn't know about #28 haha
very few videos are so informative from start to the end as your "top xx mistakes" are. 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Awesome information and based on experience at grounded home time for everyone 👍
Love you guys. Not top 10, not 20, not 30...29.
Well, good grief. Just like you mentioned, I thought I had all of my DIY sump set up ready to go in my head. But now, I guess I’m going to have to rethink it all. Hmm... 🤔
I’m just joking guys. Thank you so much for all the great info! You have really forced me to not only rethink how I want it to work but how I may want to or have to change the parts in the future too. One in particular was the ball valves. I was thinking of using the black pond hose instead of pvc because of the pressure you have to apply to turn the ball valves. Yes, I worry about popping a seal in my plumbing because of the excessive shifting.
Great video guys as usual. Only thing I think you missed is the value of pvc bulkheads and how much better and stronger they are.
One thing I would add is to take the time to chamfer all ends of the pipes you use. It is a little time consuming but I plumbed my tank that way and got it 100% watertight the first go. I'll always do that from now on
I'm plumbing my tank right now and figured I'd watch this video to make sure I'm doing everything right. I fell hook-line-and-sinker for #29... I bought so many threaded fittings trying to find one that fit until I finally realized it's just for the nut.
AWESOME VIDEO AS ALWAYS! These guys knocked it out of the park with these top 30 tips. Be sure to check out our wild plumbing job on the 1000 gallon saltwater series system were building now. I need to buy stock in BRS as orders keep coming in... LOL
When using those expensive unions, make sure you leave enough space on both sides of it so if you DO have to chop up all the plumbing for whatever reason you still have at least one more use out of them with couplers and so forth.
🍻 man agreed :)
100% this. Good solid advice. I do the same thing on pool plumbing.
Couldn't agree anymore, learned the hard way when putting on my bulk heads. I should of staggered the heights to make it easy to take on and off.
My first fail:
Not plumbing my tank in the first place.
love these videos. so helpful. i was hoping you could make a video regarding options for how to deal with power outages. the one thing i wish the apex was able to do was to handle backup. what are our options?
Backing up your entire system usually isn't realistic due to the amount of power required. That said, with flow being the most important thing during a power outage, many pumps like those from Icecap, Maxspect, and Ecotech have great batter backup options!
Great video again
Glad you enjoyed it
@@BRStv always enjoying! BRS rocks! 😀
Would love to see a video on loc line check valve. Great place to have a replaceable valve, but can't seem to find much info on those.
Moe Patel or sizes. BRS only has 1/2”. Ugh!! I need 3/4”. Can’t find one anywhere so might have to go with the Spears True Union CV. 🤷🏻♂️😫
#29 Was absolutely what destroyed me and prevented me from setting up my tank for about 6 months!
A plumbing mistake I just made.
Be sure to leave unions screwed together when gluing to piping. I had the two sides apart and some glue got on the flat non “O” ring mating surface and melted it.
Now I need to replace it along with the 8” section on my UV plumbing using couplers and more pipe. 😕
Hey guys, get a ratchet pipe cutter. Makes straight clean cut very easy. Hardly any pipe prepping needed.
One of the best investments I've ever made. Love a good ratcheting pipe cutter.
I'm getting ready to plumb my trigger platinum that I won for a tip about getting a camping washer for filter socks from walmart during you christmas giveaways. The connection above the returnpump, is that for the return pump or a spill through for a manifold
Pvc looks professional. It is essentially maintenance free and leak free. Tubing shows algae and crud. Pvc always looks great no matter that age.
Its important to let PVC glue set before running water through it, not only because of the head pressure against the freshly set pipes, but also the VOCs that glue gives off will set off a mass-spec like fireworks. Lots of nasty, carcinogenic VOCs in PVC glue that take hours if not days to fully off-gas.
how do i calculate the diameter and heigh of the overflow pipes in relation to the return pump flow and return pipe gauge?
You guys missed that there is a pipe liquid that doesnt require a primer, it's an all in one mix.
I've never even seen the type which requires a primer in the UK.
Hey, I’m not bashing you guys but I did want to make a point clear you can use schedule 80 elbows on that soft flexible lines it just has to be the right size and all purpose PVC so on and so on glue do you know what I mean a lot of people don’t realize that you can glue a hard PVC elbow to the soft, flexible lines. It is possible think of Jacuzzis.
Color coded plumbing is way easier to identify what’s what in a complex plumbing system.
I wish this video was out before I ordered the plumbing parts I just bought. A return is coming your way BRS... 😫
Hahahaha next time I have a new laborer that need some trainning on plumbing in order to assist my plumbing subcontractor I am going to have him watch the portion on cutting hahaha.
Nice video and tips guys!! Here is one topic that I can’t find on reeding communities. If you glue your pvp and you want to change it or make modifications to it you have to break it losing your unions, ball valves and some other connections that you may have glue your stuff. Is there any solutions to this??
Unfortunately no, but we do sell new connections for things like Cepex ball valves so that you don't have to purchase an entirely new valve!
www.bulkreefsupply.com/replacement-ball-valve-slip-connectors-cepex.html
My mistake is I used normal old white pipes and I really wish I bought red or blue pipes.
I recently bought a used tank with an internal overflow and tempered glass bottom. Its a durso style setup. I ended up using both holes for a herbie style and then running the return up the wall behind my tank. If you are on a budget you can turn a crappy durso overflow into a a good herbie by doing this. It seems obvious but I still see or hear people saying that the tank is only set up for a durso, and thats just not true. Anyway great video love your guys content! Keep it up
Very true, great tip!
How easy and safe to Re-do the bulk head that attached to the display tank? My tank is 3years old and bulk head has been silicone by the manufacture when I custom made it. My concern is I dun have a "clean surface" inside the tank
You will need a clean surface in order for the bulkhead gasket to seal properly, so make sure to remove as much of that silicone as you possibly can before re-installation.
Brstv check out MODULAR Marine overflows they are worth having in stock i love my 800gph O.F.
#8 - Dual Return Pumps: what if you’re considering a setup like waterbox or Red Sea that come with plumbing already? Any recommendations, please?
In that case, you're best off spending a little extra on a single, reliable return pump and having some sort of monitoring device like the Apex to send you an alert if something goes wrong. Running two pumps on one return line just doesn't work well.
What do you guys like better. The Spears True Union Check Valve or the BRS Check Valve ? Thinking spears cuz it’s a little less Transparent for the light.
Definitely like them both, but as Ryan mentions the swing check valve we source for BRS hasn't changed its form factor for years which makes them attractive options for swapping out when they go bad.
I use pool tubing on my tank
Just drilled my first tank yesterday and finished gluing all the plumbing a few hours ago. Luckily I didn’t make any of these mistakes so we’ll see how it goes in 24 hours👍
Nice work!
Would I have to upsize if I got a 1 inch pvc 40 schedule and a 1 inch fitting 80 schedule?
Nope! You can use 1" sch 40 PVC and 1" sch 80 fittings without issue. The schedule 40 and 80 PVC both have the same outer diameter.
I have a 120 with a single corner over flow. It only has a return and over flow. What would be a good solution?
You certainly could make it work, but I've seen some reefers take out the corner overflows and drill/install an external overflow in the upper middle of the tank, which allows them to also drill/install two return lines in the far corners of the tank.
Where did you buy your zoanthid canvas art? Love to know, thank you!
Just do a quick internet search for our friend "Joshporksandwich" and you'll find all his awesome prints and Zoas! :)
Bulk Reef Supply awesome! Thank you so much 🙌🏼
Do you have to buy ABS to PVC cement for all slip bulkhead connections, or can you just use the regular PVC glue?
We typically have just used PVC glue and haven't had issues. Since most of our plumbing is low pressure, the chances for a leak are ultra small.
riccam213 yes they make specific cement for this. Sometimes called transition cement. Specifically for gluing ABS to PVC. It’s ugly green though. I’ve always used Oatey all purpose cement. It cover just about everything. I would not use primer on ABS though. It can really make it really gooey. Most glues say not to use primer on ABS.
BRS family can you help me with a hard plumbing question? Want to hard plumb sump from display to adjacent fish room about 6ft away. can i just run a 90 degree angle parallel all the way to sump, or do i need to slope the pipe from tank to sump? sorry for the sully question but trying to find out of this is possible. thanks for any info.
We try to avoid long horizontal drain runs if you can, but for a 6' section, you're probably not going to run into any major issues. Just make sure that you install some unions so that you can remove that section and clean it out as needed.
@@BRStv thx a ton!
Ok guys... I'm looking to get back into the hobby... and hoping to set up a small, fairly simple and inexpensive system this time around. I will likely use a 40G Breeder or possibly smaller, and it will house a pair of clownfish, and possibly 1-3 other small fish. Only looking to keep hardy stuff like polyps, xenia, zoanthids, Nepthea, etc.
Is it OK to do a simple tank, woth HOB filters and skimmer, etc...and not do all the plumbing, not do a sump, and just do regular water changes....?
Any suggestions or videos on this kind of a setup? Also, where can I find some help choosing the 1-3 good fish to live alongside my Ocellaris pair? Considering a coral beauty angelfish, gramma or dottyback, or...?
Check out this series. Sounds like the 40 breeder that we set up in this video series is VERY similar to your goals
th-cam.com/play/PLBaMLrfToJyxJ1PuJZwhkxvvdFP14eV_t.html
Curious what success people have had with threaded pvc connections and the use of teflon tape, teflon paste, or silicone. I'm going to be plumbing a new tank this weekend and have used teflon tape in the past but I seem to recall reading that some prefer the paste version instead. Any benefit of one over the other?
Joe Gajda Look into la-co plasto-joint stik. Teflon is not made for pvc fittings. Yes, people use it all the time. The way pvc threads are designed are not made for tape. Paste like Rector seal is messy. After doing tons of reading on various forums, people seem to swear by this la-co plasto-joint stik. Hope this helps.
@@JCTReefer Thanks for the tip. It sounds promising and now my dilemma is whether to order it and delay plumbing the tank another week or go with the paste which I can pick up locally. I'd like to think I'm a patient man but maybe not :)
Anyone know how to dampen vibration if i have two return pumps inline? Could i stick the silicon tubing on return side and be fine or would i have to redo the plumbing on return and intake side?
Typically running two return pumps on one return line is an issue because both pumps are fighting each other. Regardless of the vibration issue, you might find it beneficial to run two separate return lines. While you're at it, use a little bit of silicone tubing to connect the pump to the hard plumbing to help with that vibration issue.
I drill tanks with the fish in them. The glass is more stable with water in the tank. Just lower the water level and drill away.
Very nice. I think many viewer's would benefit from a video on this. Maybe installing a BRS product or two.
I wouldn’t drill holes in a tank with water in it. There’s some awesome videos of this causing catastrophic tank failure. All the water goes out fast when the side cracks and blows open.
Silicone tubing a must.
Soft plumbing allows light inside which promotes algae growth in the plumbing. And once algae builds up in the plumbing you can imagine what kind of nightmare that becomes.
@Bulk Reef Supply, About the wait 24 hours, What if have to replumb an existing tank? Wife let me expand fish room into garage. I am going to relocate my sump into the garage so I can service it more consistently. Do I just run my tank with power heads for 24 hours?
They have fast setting variation of pvc cement. Specifically for plumbing repairs. Thwy cost a little more and you have to be on the ball and ready as the work time is next to none. But it would do the job and ensure a good seal.
Merxion you could, and just put a heater in the display. However if you absolutely needed to run your return pump, you can put it online immediately, although not recommended. Just keep an eye on that skimmer because it will go crazy.
Do you guys sell soft tubing ??????
We sure do! www.bulkreefsupply.com/pumps-plumbing/plumbing/pipe-tubing.html
I would recommend never using a miter saw and box. Use ratcheting PVC pipe cutters; they make perfect clean cuts precisely where you need them, are much faster, and you don’t have to clean up the pipe ends! 👍
I had the exact opposite experience. My rachet cutter would never cut straight, it always had a slight angle. I bought a plastic blade for miter saw and loved the results. I chamfered all my piping anyway so I didn't mind having to clean the PVC debris out of the pipes
Fast but often makes a raised ridge at the cut point
Why do you chamfer the pipe-Does it slip in easier that way? I’ll admit there can be a slight angle once in a while, but it doesn’t affect the fit so long as the angle goes back toward your length of pipe and the longest part of your pipe is where your cut line is. That way the pipe inserts into the fitting to the exact depth you require. But your comment gives the impression that you pride yourself on a very clean and precise install and possibly enjoy the process of putting the plumbing project together. In that case, you may balk at an uneven cut. I was unaware they made a plastic miter blade.
The chamfer makes sure that you don't scrape the pipe clean of glue and also provides a little area inside where the glue can really hold onto the pipe to make a good bond
Definitely love my unions! Thanks BRS for that tip it really helped me plumb my system @simplereefer
Im shocked this wasn't included..... Which side the gasket goes on for the bulkhead.... I see this question asked alllllll theeeeee timmeeeee
No doubt there are more than 29 of these things! I won't be surprised to see episode 2 or even 3 of this mistakes video! :)
So my tank is pre drilled at the bottom. If Durso is not the way to go then what?
Durso is really the only option if you have just one drain hole. Most "reef ready" style tanks have two holes, one for the drain and one for the return. If you wanted, you could use both for drains and set it up as a herbie style overflow. Only downside is that you'd have to either drill a third hole for the return or run it up and over the back of the tank.
when it comes to cutting PVC pipe. Get a PVC pipe cutter. It makes nice clean cuts really easily. Hacksaws are not the best option for cutting the pipe. For the 30$ for the tool its well worth it.
Thanks for the tip!
I do not suggest this at all, but PVC can be bent to any custom angle by filling it with sand, heated in the oven to 400F, bending it using a form, and letting to cool.
This is easy to do, it works better if you can find some soft tube to put into the tube your bending to keep it from crushing. They sell pipe bending tools im the electrical departments of big box stores.
The heated sand is put in the tube to heat, and keep the form, of the PVC. It's a really neat process. The link above show a guy doing it for backyard rollercoasters! I wish I would have know about this before plumbing my fish room! So many 90+90 corners that could have been eliminated with a custom angle and couplings.
Eliminating the 90+90 fitting corners is also import when trying to maintain elevation/height to prevent backflow siphons. All around win win.
i first got a dc pump 8 years ago or so "waveline dc 10000" and never had a problem with it till last year it stopped and i knew the second it stopped thanks to the 1" fisher check valve that makes a loud click when it locks up. i was about 30 min from leaving on vacation to FL for 3 weeks. So i would say that the fisher check valve saved my tank i have had since 2001 "150 gal 6 foot tank" So if your like me and push your luck spend the money it could save your tank to :
I found the whatnot guy and whatnot
Don't use a miter box to cut pipe. Instead, get yourself an 8$ PVC Pipe Cutter at HF. no more burrs.
seems like hard tubing is way more prone for errors.
There are definitely more opportunities to screw up hard plumbing, but way more options for customization and a neater looking build. If you're strictly looking at function over form, then soft tubing is much easier.
Hmm my Durso must be broken I never hear it.
Nice! Always good when it doesn't take a mountain of effort to dial in. :)
Don't over tighten bulkheads! Hand tight is right
Solid advice!
Almost 40 minutes?! Even at 1.5 speed it’s still too long, pass no matter how good the info may be.
Long videos can be amazing. Guess you wouldn't be a fan of Andrew Camarata. He is the king of long format TH-cam videos. A lot of his videos are 40 mins long. Some even go to an hour and a half. All of his subscribers love his long videos. th-cam.com/channels/UujfNBK9uv3cIW-P5PX7vA.html
bugnator
I would hate to be your wife if you think 40 minutes is too long.
LMAO, this video feels like a bad snl skit