Plumbing

Large Strainer Basket

melev — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 15:15:31 +0000

Large Strainer Basket melev Mon, 02/03/2020 - 18:15

Going all the way back to 2005, I've always had a large strainer basket on the intake of my return pump. I have a few, so I can put them through a cleaning rotation. Originally, you could buy these at Savko, but these days that doesn't seem to be an option.

The benefit of a larger strainer is less change of restricting flow into the pump itself. This type of strainer would be great on a closed loop application if you could hide them from sight behind rockwork. Designed for 1.5" and 2" plumbing, the strainer is made of ABS plastic. If something were to get close such as a fish or anemone, the greater surface area reduces the risk that the animal will be sucked against the screen. Rather, they should be able to crawl across it unaffected and continue to live. A strainer also keeps smaller critters like snails out of the pump's impeller or intake area.

The primary use for me has always been in the sump rather than the display. I have two in my 400g's sump. One is on the Abyzz 200a return pump, and the other on the Vectra L1 pump that I use to feed the manifold and Anemone Cube. I have plenty of space intentionally. These strainers are 5" in diameter, and 3.5" thick. Plus you need a fitting to connect it to the bulkhead.

The strainer itself can be purchased on this website, and it costs about $10 each.

Depending on the bulkhead you use, you may need a slip fitting or a threaded fitting. I prefer threaded bulkheads in sumps specifcally so I can install a threaded strainer. Here are a couple of solutions depending on what you buy:

Threaded plastic nipple: You can purchase a short threaded/threaded nipple that will screw into the bulkhead, and the strainer screws onto the other side. You'll need to make sure you get the right size, like 1.5" to 1.5" to match the two parts together.

Threaded plastic pipe: If you have a slip bulkhead and an internally threaded strainer basket, you can cut the threaded pipe in half (or whatever length you need) to make a piece that has slip on one side, yet threaded on the opposite side. And if you get one that looks like this image below, you'd have two pieces to use for two different strainer baskets.

Here are a few close ups of the basket.

And here it is, installed. No need for teflon tape, silicone or glue; this is simply assembled and placed where desired:

It only needs to be screwed in a couple of twists so it stays in place. There is zero reason to screw it in tight, as that will make it harder to remove for cleaning. I never want the bulkhead to turn when removing a strainer as it might leak past the seal, so I only twist the basket about two rotations - that's good enough to keep anything out. It won't vibrate loose, if that's a concern.

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That project I've been wanting to do for six months? Done!

melev — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 22:59:12 +0000

That project I've been wanting to do for six months? Done! melev Sun, 11/26/2017 - 01:59

When I built my sump way back in 2010 for this 400g reef, I made a bigger bubble tower for the three drains. That seemed rather simple. Then later I added the 60g anemone cube that had to drain into the same spot. And I also added the biopellet reactor's output into that spot.

And essentially it made things louder. I tolerated it, but it was especially annoying after I fed the tank each night. Once food hits the water, the surface tension of the saltwater changes and the sound of it falling into the sump was louder. My work around was an acrylic lid with some holes drilled in it. This helped muffle the sound, but it still didn't really fix the situation.

About six months ago, I decided the cure was to make a better lid with bulkheads installed, then route the plumbing into each one. The bottom of each bulkhead has a very short piece of PVC to contain the water pouring out right at the surface of the water in the bubble tower. But as you know with anything this specific, it's not a quick task so it was put on hold indefinitely. For the past 40 days or so, it's been on my hit list. Do it, Marc, do it.

Tonight I decided I'd had enough. I made a quick prototype out of pink foam to double check my measurements, installed it and it worked. With that information at hand, I made a new lid out of black 3/8" scrap black acrylic, drilled five holes for five bulkheads and installed them all. They barely fit, but I wasn't about to give in at this point.

This is a very crowded spot, but I tried to capture a couple of pictures to show you.

I was more determined to see how it would work than I was to clean it all up like new, so that will have to wait until another day. The drain pipes were just inserted into the new bulkheads, that's why they look so cruddy.

Nice to finally have this job done and off my mind.

Reef Blog

No sucking sound?

melev — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 11:31:18 +0000

No sucking sound? melev Thu, 10/12/2017 - 14:31

Back in 2013, I built my return assembly for the 400g version 2.0, and when I did so I used a check valve installed backwards, which I refer to as the Reversed Check Valve. When the return pump flows, water pushes the valve shut, but as soon as the pump has been powered down (intentionally or unintentionally), the backsiphon of water sucks the check valve open. When this happens I hear a brief sucking sounds letting me know the siphon has broken.

Until last night, that is. I just got back from a multi-city trip. It was time to feed the reef yet I didn't hear the sucking sound. Instead over the next few minutes, I watched several inches of water quietly drain out of my reef, filling the sump significantly. That was new. lol I removed the check valve, and found that the flapper was sealed shut as if it has been glued. Forcing the flapper open with my finger, it was next cleaned out and then reinstalled. I'll keep an eye on it in the meantime, but it may be time to replace this important part that has run flawlessly until now.

Never let your guard down.

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Closed loop: German-style

melev — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:22:00 +0000

Closed loop: German-style melev Wed, 04/04/2007 - 09:22

Another page has been converted to German. The closed loop page.

German version

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Thu, 02/10/2005 - 20:56

melev — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 16:56:00 +0000

Thu, 02/10/2005 - 20:56 melev Thu, 02/10/2005 - 19:56

Two more sumps are features on my site: Model J & Model K

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Wed, 02/09/2005 - 05:45

melev — Tue, 08 Feb 2005 18:48:45 +0000

Wed, 02/09/2005 - 05:45 melev Tue, 02/08/2005 - 21:48

Here are a few pictures of a new sump I built. Sump: Model H

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