How to size the drain/return lines on a sump

[dcforester1]

I have a 75gal tank and will be using a 20gal as a sump. Can I use the same size drain, and return lines? I have 1in bulkheads, but they look like they go into 3/4in elbows. I am not sure if I can use these.

 

[cujo6984]

i usually run a 1.5 in drain up to about 800gph i wont trust anything smaller


but this is just me i did have a 1" drain on a 20 but it was only being fed about 300gph



how much water are you planning on feeding it ???

 

[JayM]

you can't expect to max out a 1" return on a 1" drain. You need to think, like said above, about how much water you want to move.

 

[KJB]

From what I have read, been told, a 1" pipe can handle a max. volume of 600 Gal. per hour. I have been told that a 3/4" return is just right for a 1" drain. I guess you always have your return slightly smaller than your drain. The drain is gravity and needs more unrestricted space. The return being under pressure can go through a smaller area.

So on a 75 gal. you would turn over the tank a max. of 8 times per hour with a 1" drain, so long as your return is pumping that amount back in.

It would seem an 1 1/2" drain, and 1" return would allow for more "play", for your 75 gal.

I am sure others with much more experience can offer more help and info.

 

[jrmx635]

drain

yes 1" is 600gph as long as it's piped right.

 

[dcforester1]

Thanks for the help. I am going to use a Mag 9.5 for the return, Do you think that will do the trick?
TIA Derek

 

[Chuck Spyropulos]

Go as big as you can for the drain pipe diameter. Bigger is better .... if you have the room.
Larger diameter pipes will be quieter without the need for sound mitigation since the drain pipe will always have air in it. Also larger diameters will not get clogged by snails, etc, as easily as smaller diameter pipes.

 

[emabie]

i would not use that 3/4 hose fitting. it looks liek it can come off.

This thread will answer any darin and return questions u have.
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10444\

 

[snowmaker]

I tried a drain w/ elbow like that and it gurgled a lot, I think because it couldn't draw in enough air. I ended up going with this style - 1" bulkhead into 1.5" Y-T, 1/8" hole in cap (not glued):
Also, you can design sump and tank overflow level and figure out volume of return chamber such that if the drain gets completely clogged, the return chamber will run out of water before it floods the display tank.

 

[JayM]

I think a mag 9.5 is going to over-run a 1" drain if it's just to a sump beneath

 

[cakemanPA]

I ran a Mag 9.5 with a 3/4" return with a 1" megaflow drain and I had no issues at all. If you are in doubt about overpowering you drains, put a ball valve on all return lines. On a side note, drain line size is not the only issue as far as drain amounts go. You also have to take into account overflow size and gap size between teeth on the overflow. I discovered this the hard way on my new install. Thankfully I have ball valves on all my returns

 

[snowmaker]

Right.
Don't think of the size of the return plumbing - meaningless, like plumbing an MJ 1200 to a 2" return line is still only going to give you a few gph, as it would plumbed to a 1/2" line. It is the volume of water being pushed that matters. The 9.5 supposedly will push 800gph @ 4'. If you're dead set on using that pump, I would want at least 2, 1" drains.
You're also talking about almost 100 watts running 24/7 - whether or not you throttle back flow with a valve, and those watts (work) is creating heat that is transferred directly to the water. If you need this kind of flow through the sump, well, that's what it'll cost you. If you have to valve and throttle the flow back, you would be smart to get a smaller, less power consuming pump. If you were planning on using this flow in DT for creating current, then there are much less costly ways to do that (propeller pumps) - For instance, a Koralia 3 should move 850 gph and use 6.5 watts to do it.
Hope this makes sense.