MikeTR Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 Picked up another 75lbs of dry rock.. for $125.. couldn't pass it up. Nice stuff. Gonna have to clean the heck out of it though. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Well the rain has delayed me a little bit on finishing up plumbing outside but it gave me a chance to finish up my chiller house. Took a Rubbermaid outdoor storage box and cut a few holes for ventilation. Was supposed to already be waterproof but I used up the rest of the silicone I had leftover from before and filled up all the seams. I also used some metal strapping to hold it together better. Once the silicone dries I'll remove the tie down strap. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Can you please come over and plumb the sump in casa Kat. Is that a proflex? It's and eshopps R-300 2nd gen. I think my plumbing career is going to be short lived. Link to comment
Lawnman Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Nice new build Mike. I haven't been on very much lately. How is everything with you? Hope all is well my friend. Send Indiana some of that rain. Link to comment
Lawnman Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Nice! Mine's a throwback pomeranian. He weighs about 17 pounds! His name is Goose I wish I could find another throwback but they are rare and considered bad genes by some snobs. I see that pool hiding back there. Link to comment
metrokat Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 It's and eshopps R-300 2nd gen. I think my plumbing career is going to be short lived. Why what happened? flooded your house? Have 2 pools now? Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 haha... i about fell off my bar stool kat.. no... haven't flooded it yet, but plumbing is not something I want as a day job. I'll just stop there lol.. hahah.. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Well let's see if we can't get this finished up today.. Stayed out toooo late on Fri which led into lazy Saturday. Weather looks like its gonna cooperate also. Time to get busy. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Well mostly done. Had to drill a couple holes in the bottom of the rubbermaid because it was a little too water tight. Also built a little stand for the chiller to sit on just in case. I mucked up and didn't read the instructions on the chiller as to which was the inlet so I get to redo a small section of piping. Neither was labeled so I assumed it didn't matter, started gluing and figured I'd better check online..well turns out it's the bottom fitting that's the inlet. Just need to add a coupling and redo the slip to 1" barb fitting. I'm going to need a hand lifting the canopy off so I can install the plumbing inside the overflows, but if it wasn't for that I could have water in it. Link to comment
metrokat Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 haha... i about fell off my bar stool kat.. no... haven't flooded it yet, but plumbing is not something I want as a day job. I'll just stop there lol.. hahah.. Well, your plumbing job sure looks much better than mine Mike: Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Looks alright to me. At least you primed the fittings .. I heard about the mess on the floor.. at least you dont have hairy legs though, not so fun picking out gobs of pvc glue. Yowzas.. I'm just praying for no leaks! This is by far the largest plumbing job I've ever had to do. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 So chiller box spent the night in the rain and was dry inside... success! Still waiting on someone to come help me lift the canopy off so I can install the lights and plumbing. I feel like this build is taking forever. At this rate the thing will be sitting in my living room for a year without water. Link to comment
fewskillz Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 They always feel like they're taking forever. Good luck getting it wrapped up. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Well, finally got someone to come over and help take the canopy off.. Thing is I'm leaving for a cruise on Monday and an unexpected business trip the following week so no more time to work on this for the next couple weeks. Bummer. I did however get a great deal on a super neon green torch and derasa clam today from a local reefer who is taking a break from the hobby. Into the frag tank they go. I'm going to have to take some pics of this setup.. Been a noisy part of my living room for about a year now.. Have quite a few nice pieces. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 Back after a few weeks of traveling and the tank is up and running for leak testing. So far so good.. I was certainly nervous about kickin it on for the first time. The pump can easily exceed the flow rate of the sump and can suck the 3rd chamber dry in a hurry but was really easy to dial it back. Definitely pays off to have good fittings. Sump level only rises about an inch when the pump is off which was another concern. Smooth sailing. I ended up not having to glue in the return pipes inside the weir either. They kind of snap into place. I do have to work on quieting the drains a bit tho, otherwise all that's left to do on the plumbing is to add the hose barb fittings to the manifold and connect the chiller lines outside. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 Gonna have to return the reeflo pump to manufacturer so they can fix it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to pay for the shipping. That's a pisser. Fired it up and motor has a noticeable hum to it. Reeflo had me take off the impeller housing to see if it was the motor making the hum and now after I put it all back together I hear the impeller scraping on one spot as well, so it seems like the shaft is just slightly warped. Too bad I can't just return it, I'd get another brand in a heartbeat. I bought it in May of this year so beyond the timeframe when I can return to LFS. The other bugger is my proof of purchase is a receipt that says, item 01 289.00. The warranty is 3 years, but not sure if I have valid proof of purchase so hopefully after it comes back I wont have anymore issues. Annoyed to say the least. I did figure out how to get the lighting installed in the canopy. Ended up getting some 3/4" stainless screws and drilled a few extra holes in each of the reflectors so I could put 3 screws in each instead of just 1 in the dead center. Added a couple extra washers which kept me from poking through the finished side. I had originally thought about drilling straight through and bolting them down through just the one eyelet, but I couldn't bring myself to mess up the furniture . Also added a black background. Leaving again on Monday for another trip to install more computer systems.. maybe, just maybe I'll have a working pump when I get back. Link to comment
metrokat Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Hurry back, and safe travels. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 Tank is up and running. Decided to just deal with the hum of the reeflo for now, get my backup pump fixed (needs a shaft), and then send the main pump in to get fixed. No need to delay the cycle any longer. Rock is just piled in to displace water. Many hours of aquascaping ahead. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 Tank is clear this morning. Gotta do a little shoppin and then can get started on the rock work. Link to comment
jerzsky Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 dude, just read through this thread, and wow, what a journey!!! looks awesome! great overall setup! cant wait to see more!!! Link to comment
MikeTR Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Well it's a start.. There are parts that I really like and parts that need a little more attention. Right Side Left Side Favorite part of the scape. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 dude, just read through this thread, and wow, what a journey!!! looks awesome! great overall setup! cant wait to see more!!! A journey is right.. we are pooped.. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 nothing exciting going on.. waiting for test kits to arrive in the mail so I can keep an eye on the cycle. I did have a bug crawl on the back glass and made me freak out for a minute, wth is in that live sand!! Need to get to sealin up the hole I drilled in the wall instead of the bubble wrap and towel method. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 Test kits are here!! Guess I'll find out when I get home if the cycle has started. Would be nice to see some ammonia starting to register. Rearranged the rock a little more and got the canopy back up.. holy Griswold is it bright. Gonna take a bit to get this rock colored up so it's not blinding the neighbors. Also got the replacement impeller shaft for my backup pump so I can start working on a plan to get that installed while I send the reeflo back. Link to comment
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