My closed loop PICS wadya think?

[scubadude]

Here is my closed loop that is hooked up to 2 Seaswirls 1" models all plumbing is 1.5"...I have approximately 12' of head both units are driven by a Dolphin Ampmaster 3000....Help me out here guys....I thought I would get atleast 2000GPH for both of the SS's (1000 ea.) but after calculating I think im only gonna get about 1400 maybe a tad less even...all thoughts opinions, and tips appreciated....I havent glued it all together yet.

 

[wuelfman]

looks like a sweet setup
the pictures are giving me somwthings to try on mine

 

[Anonymous]

I think you should glue it!- Especially so before you run water through it...

I would also make sure you screw down the pump to lessen vibrations to the plumbing.

You might also want to put unions on the in/outs of the pump to make cleaning easier.
(also somewhere by the SSwirls,-but I have never seen how they hook up to the plumbing, so I may be barking up thje wrong tree.)

Looks great though (insert jealous face here...)

B

[ October 02, 2001: Message edited by: Bingo ]

 

[Scott Blackburn]

Excellent job, looks great. I would agree with the unions for ease of cleaning or pump problems.


Scott

 

[oohnoo]

Setup looks great, but if you want more gph take out all your "T" fitting and replace them with 45 degree elbows. Guarrented more gph. Also like Bingo said put unions in any place you think you might have to replace something.

 

[Anonymous]

If your pump goes out, won't the tank get siphoned onto the floor by the lower inputs? They will be submerged so this causes siphon?

Or will the top two break the siphon before too much water floods your floors?

 

[scubadude]

Thanx all

Pump has been bolted down! Dolphin Ampmaster pumps have an accesory they try to sell which is just like a mousepad (what i used) to put under the pump b4 u bolt it down (for vibration leeway) There are unions on both of my dolphin pumps (one for the return) and one for the closed loop they are b4 and after the pumps....I didnt do the unions on the SS's i should of though...I still may...we will see how it goes.

Ohnoo
I did want to get a Double El which is like what you are talking about....but they are very hard to find....I know they make them but its hard to find them in 1.5"

Dr. Reef
No it wont drain down....this is a Closed Loop which is all contained The only way it could be a problem is if the impeller housing cracks (that would SUCK!) but these pumps have a great reputation and an even better warranty!.... I do have a spraybar coming for my return (which i will discuss drain down on that)...thats another thread though

 

[scubadude]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dattack:
<STRONG>So if it's self contained, does that mean the water doesn't drained to the sump but to the ampmaster itself? Is your design just for water circulation and do you have a separate sump area for your skimmer/heaters and such?</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes it drains back to the ampmaster.Yes the closed loop is for circulation ONLY. Yes I do have a sump area for skimmers and such. The point for a closed loop is that I want more circulation in the tank for SPS, but at the same time I dont want that much flow running through my Sump/Refugium area. You will see....im gonna be posting more pics soon of my first test run on my plumbing

 

[dattack]

So if it's self contained, does that mean the water doesn't drained to the sump but to the ampmaster itself? Is your design just for water circulation and do you have a separate sump area for your skimmer/heaters and such?

 

[dattack]

Ah, I see. Well good luck and we will be waiting to see how it turns out.

 

[esmithiii]

What do the unions look like and where can I get some??

E

 

[tstone]

E
You can get them at Home Depot or at a plumbing supply house. ask for a PVC pipe union. Size depends on your pipe size i.e. 1 1/2" 2" etc.
Tstone

 

[wuelfman]

here is a pic for you
one apart
one togeather

 

[I14Green]

NICE SETUP !!!

Only thing I would have done different would have mounted pump higher so there was less head and more power. Also there is little room to remove pump for servicing, a higher installation would have made that job easier. Otherwise perfect ! AJReef.html

 

[Adam1]

I14Green and all,

The beauty of a closed loop is that you could mount the pump in the basement, and the net head is still zero.

Any head pressure on the outlet of the pump is balanced by the head pressure pushing down on the inlet. Plumbing losses still exist, but the couple of feet difference between the floor and a foot or two higher is negligible.

Scubadude,

If you based your flow calculations on head pressure from height difference, recalc using a zero height difference and see what you get.

Make sure you don't let those strainers clog up with algae or corraline (effectively restricting the inflow), and be aware that they will have alot of "suck" to them making them dangerous to anenomes etc. Personally I might consider adding one or two more to reduce the flow per strainer.

HTH

Adam

[ October 16, 2001: Message edited by: Adam ]

 

[Anonymous]

scubadude,

How will you screen your inlets? I am going to be building a similar system, but I am worried that the flow to the inlets at 3000gph will be very strong.

 

[scubadude]

Everyone thinks im gonna suck snails/fish etc into my inlets hehe....DONT worry I have personally stuck my hand right on the inlets while the thing was FULL throttle and there is NO mass suction....Remember Im using 2 intakes for one exhaust...with NO downsizing...and I have ball valves on both sides of the pump so I can control how much the pump flows

Adam you are correct I had to recalculate my head...as you do not count head that is below the intake grates...and Horizontal head is half what vertical head is...and Long Sweep elbows (which is what im using) is much less head then a regular 90 elbow

 

[M.E.Milz]

I like the concept and am looking into a similar set-up for my next tank.

I don't know much about Ampmaster pumps. Are they designed to handle much back pressure? If not, do you think that a pump like one of the Iwaki pressure rated pumps would do better? Something like a MD70RLT pump connected to a pair of 3/4" Sea Swirls?

 

[Katspaw]

Hey Scubadude,
Very sweet set-up. I am using an ampmaster as the return on my new tank and it will have three closed loop setups in the canopy. My ampmaster came with unions valves, so I was a little confused that you would have to buy any other ones. I was thinking to use the seaswirl on two of the closed loops I will be putting in the tank. Just wondering how the worked for you or anyone else.

thanks ,
Tracey

 

[platylover]

Adam made a good point. The head pressure is almost zero because of the closed loop design. Think back to those physics classes. However, there is still the friction from the walls of the pvc pipe and elbow fittings.

just looking at your setup, I'm pretty sure you'll get close to 3000 gph.