Plumbing/Overflow Advice

[SmallFry]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

a glass shop would take a 1/2" off that for about 20 bucks.. I also recomend a external overflow but if you don't have the extra 4" behind your tank then you can't.

as for 1" pipe.. it is to small for what you want using a durso. I would go two 1.5" with a durso and a durso is still loud. people have been having luck with the herbie set up using 3, 1" pipes. a herbie will handle more flow for the same size pipe as it is a syphon set up not a gravity feed setup.

Steve

After reading the article on wetwebmedia I've decided that 1.5" is the way to go - I am going for the Herbie, plus an extra emergency drain. I figure that should handle the 800(ish) GPH that I'm planning on even if there's a blockage in one pipe. I'm away form home most of the day, so I want it to be as disaster proof as possible!

I could arrange the extra 4" behind the tank, as I'm building my own cabinet to go underneath it. I'd have to accommodate the plumbing behind if the bulkheads were in the back of the tank, so if I put them in the bottom of an external overflow I should be no worse off for space that way.. The problem that I can see is that there's a trim around the top of the tank that I'd have to cut back a bit because I want to have the water level above the bottom of the trim at the front and sides so it's not visible. I'm not sure if the trim is structural or not. Having said that the overflow would act as a brace wouldn't it? Maybe if I can get away with shaving say 1/2" off the trim and whatever else off the glass.. ?

Rob.