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View Full Version : scrubber for 550 Gallon system



dirk_brijs
03-07-2011, 07:22 PM
this is a design I came up with for a 500 gallon system
The scrubber will be fed straight from the drains with 2 x 2" drain pipes one going straight to the scrubber and one going into a separate Refugium so flow can be controlled to the scrubber. Tank is fed with a Reeflo Barracuda pump so should provide more then enough flow to the scrubber.
The screen or should I say 2 screens are 27"x10.5" (68.6cm x 26.7cm) each which gives a total screen size of 283SqI or 1832Sqcm times 2 is 566SqI or 3663Sqcm total screen which should be more then enough?
the way the water is fed is clear on the drawings attached coming from the middle feeding both screens.
The light I am not too sure about??? They will be built into a PVC box completely with reflector casing to direct all light directly onto the screens. Both screens will have 6 CFL 23W (120W) bulbs on each side.???
advise please I know T5 would be a better option but is almost unlikely here in Thailand due to availability issues.

SantaMonica
03-07-2011, 08:09 PM
How will you clean it? Each half is probably too big for a sink. Also you need to be able to remove the pipes for cleaning.

What if flow stops? I'd rather see at least two separate feeds, in case one stops.

dirk_brijs
03-08-2011, 01:49 AM
could work on placing 2 true unions between the T and the screens so each screen can be removed separate.
as for 2 separate feeds that would be hard to do as I now have 2 drains coming from the tank of 2" one leading to a fuge and one to this scrubber.
Doubt tough that a 2" drain would or could ever fail?
At one point it will go to a 1" PVC as that is the piping used to design the scrubber.
You had ever examples of 2" or even 1" drains fail?
what I could do maybe is install some sort of emergency feed coming from the sump connected to a sleeping pump where the scrubber is draining in right now so in case the return pump from the DT fails the scrubber will get its own closed loop system to keep it going? So in case of maintenance or failure of the DT return pump I can switch on the scrubber pump?
What about the lighting would that be suffice?
what would be the suggested flow rate to each screen?

SantaMonica
03-08-2011, 06:13 AM
Not that the overflow would fail, but you have to turn things off for cleaning and you might forget to turn them on. Having backup pumps in the sump may not help if you forget.

Screen flow is the same.

Lighting seems good, if you use mirrors on the outside.

Floyd R Turbo
03-08-2011, 09:15 AM
I think it would be better to make 2 or 3 separate boxes for multiple redundancy on such a large design. Say 3 boxes, each with 200 square inches of screen.

Why is T5HO hard to get in Thailand?

SantaMonica
03-08-2011, 11:03 AM
Good point; just order the bulbs from someone in the U.S.

dirk_brijs
03-08-2011, 11:42 AM
T5 are available but not in that variety and so;
as for ordering and have them imported if someone would like to sponsor me and pay the 50% import tax on almost everything that gets send to you sure I would love to.