Check Out My New Tank: Helen's 105 Rimless Build

Today was the big day! Plumbing through the wall into the garage. Over 12 hours of work (including 4 trips to the hardware store) but the results are well worth it. Pics tommorow!

 

The epic through-the-wall fish room project has come to fruition, thanks in no small part to 2 friends from the local club. (Please pay no attention to the garage itself. It's an old house and the garage needs a lot of attention... But not before I have kitchen countertops)

First came disassembling the entire tank so it could be moved. The living room filled with buckets, tubs and wet towels. With the help of another neigbor the tank slid "effortlessly" into its new home. Then to disassemble the old plumbing. And wouldn't you know a bulkhead broke! So fixing that came first. Notice everyone is still smiling.


Then we cut the hole in the wall and worked on going from tank to garage. Looks pretty sweet, huh? L.J. Is a perfectionist.


A dedicated circuit for the tank was installed by James. As you might have guessed he is an electrician. The water heater was tapped into for the RO line.


The sump was plumbed with main drain and an emergency drain. The main can be throttled back via gate valve, raising the water level in my overflow box to reduce noise. We all crossed our fingers as this was tested with the pump (upgraded to a mag 12) running full-on and the main drain closed. It worked! No catastrophic overflow.

The pump was teed off for an "automated" water change sytem. Pipe was laid along the garage floor, through the wall and into the driveway. Small water changes can now be performed by closing one gate valve and closing another.

A mixing tank was installed over the sump for easy refills. Here's how it looks:


And a close-up of the sump plumbing


The RO unit still needs to be installed, but the water source is at the ready. We were all done for the day! Look, we are still smiling.


The dog was the supervisor.

 

What a project day! You all must have had a good dinner after that. Looks great. I love the water change integration and the circuit install. That is cool.
What is the extra pipe and bends under the tank on the return line? It doesn't look like that was needed. Is that because you used a Mag 12?

(I believe it is the return based on the inline check valve)

Regardless, you have to be fired up.

 

There are a couple of things going on there. The drains and returns are drilled so closely together you have to get really creative with space constraints. Without the extra space the union would not fit because the pipes are so close. Also there are a lot extra fittings. I think what you see that looks like a check valve is actually a cludged together 3/4" reducer. With this caveat... Plumbing is the one area I let someone tell me what to do, and I do it whether I understand or not. Actualy pretty cool to do it yourself (with a ton of help and great advice)

 

EPIC! Just read every page. I wish I could go through a wall with my sump. Mine was a toss up between an island/walk around tank, or go through a wall.

 

Ha! I'm out of town and my jbj ATO seems to have checked into the Wooden Waldorf. Counting on a neighbor for daily top-offs. The irony is that the new ATO I won in the Meme contest (thanks three reef!) is waiting at the post office at home. Cross fingers that the return pump doesn't run dry (and that she remembers to close the chicken coop at night).

 

Yeah! Returned home and my neighbor took good care of the fish (and my pet chickens) and kept the water level in the sump relatively stable. I was able to retrieve my new Hydrofill at the post office yesterday, and just got it installed. It sure kicks butt over the JBJ. (Especially because it works.) I'm glad the sump is in the garage now, as it is pretty noisy. If I were to redesign it, I'd put a hose-barb adaptor on the return assembly so you could run the tubing under the water line rather than hearing a 5" drop.

 

Great at least it doesn't leave the seat up.
Good neighbor!

 

Yes, good neighbor. But creepy. She folded my laundry....

 

Thought I'd update with a full tank shot. Ta da!