UPDATE 9/16 - Gabby and Brian's 90g Reef

Ordered! Should get here on Wednesday. Until then I can use a 3500K bulb I have. Another issue with the sump lighting is the metal fixture. I replaced the fixture that I had on the sump for the 37g because it became very rusty. This probably happened because of splashing (as it was covered in salt creep). I figured I had to throw it away because if water was splashing on the rusty metal, then dripping back down, then toxic chemicals would be dripping into the sump... Is there any way I can prevent this from happening to the new fixture (which is also metal)? I could put egg crate over top to decrease the spashing, or even covering the part of the sump with a piece of glass to eliminate splashing (not over the entire sump, just part of it).

Next, here are some pictures of the overflow setup. First, here are the parts:



Overflow intake:

One common issue we read was that the grate on the intake falls out, leading to clogging of the pipe, so Brian threw a zip tie on there to prevent that from happening. Easy fix.

Bulkheads:


Basically the same for the overflow pipe and the return, just different sizes. The overflow kit came with two o-rings per bulkhead (one for each side of the glass). However, we decided to only use one per bulkhead after reading AZDesertrat's writeup:
http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/bulkhead-installation-tips-111422.html#post1368296
We followed all other advice, until we realized the bulkheads provided in this kit are pretty terrible. Others seem to have the same problems. The nuts are so thin that they are very difficult to tighten. We actually were able to install the return line leak-free because we used the nut from our old CPR overflow bulkhead. I think the drain line bulkhead is broken, as it wouldn't tighten fully. We will pickup a new one this afternoon.

 

it doesn't take much to over tighten bulkheads and crack them...been there. often the crack is so thin you can't see it.

 

Yup, us too. On our CPR overflow for the old 37g, Brian tightened the bulkhead too much. The odd part is that it was fine for at least a year. One day we noticed it leaking and found a crack... Scary right?

We followed AZDesertRat's advice to hand tighten it as much as we could, then use a wrench to go an extra quarter turn.

 

I don't think you used enough silicone. :LolLolLol:LolLolLol:LolLolLol I am kidding. Great job on the sump.

Be careful with that bulkhead. If its the same one I am thinking of, we hand tightened those on a 75 gallon setup and those bulkheads kept leaking because of the thin threading. Just wanna give you a heads up notice. Great build thus far.

 

yes that is scary! don't even put that in my head...lol i figured once it was done and there was no leaks all was good. the thought of one of those going while the tank is set up is not good.

 

So the sump is all set up and leak free! But, (you knew there'd be a "but" right?) the reverse durso is not working properly. I started another thread about this, no replies.. The issue is that there are still bubbles, it is still loud, and the bubbles splash all over the place..

Regarding the diagram,
grey = 1" pvc
blue = 2" pvc


Any suggestions?

 

Can you take a picture or two of it in action? We might be able to engineer solutions from there.

 

Yes, I think I may just post it in the other thread I started, to avoid chaos. For reference, here is the link:
http://www.3reef.com/forums/filters-pumps-etc/reverse-durso-issues-136922.html

 

Alright. One of the bulkheads is leaking. This is the second cheap bulkhead we have purchased. Time for an upgrade:

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?idproduct=FT1121&idCartRow=35828782&isKit=0&child=FT1123

Thoughts?

This time I will provide a detailed step by step breakdown of the installation process to see if there is somewhere we are going wrong.

We previously had a ball valve on there to make it easier to disconnect the plumbing for maintenance. We felt as though we were disturbing the bulkhead turning the ball valve, so we barely used it. Thus, we will be removing this component.

This is how we plan to install the bulkhead:

1) File any rough edges off the bulkhead
2) Clean (and dry) the glass around the hole and all components of the bulkhead using RO/DI.
3) Place the bulkhead into the hole, making certain that the bulkhead is centered and vertical.
5) Screw the nut about halfway on to the bulkhead, then screw the male adaptor into the FPT part of the bulkhead (by hand tightening).
6) Screw the nut onto the bulkhead the rest of the way. Last time I hand tightened the nut, and then went another quarter turn using a wrench. This time I may just hand tighten, as I am afraid that I may be cracking the bulkhead.
7) Attach the reverse durso at the union.
8) Leak test

One question. If I am using a threaded bulkhead, do I need to use PVC cement? Or can I just screw the PVC into the bulkhead?

For clarity, I drew up a diagram:

 

Good plan, I would make sure the glass edge is smooth also. Definitely only hand tighten the bulkhead in place. Only use the wrench if it is not.