Thoughts on bringing leaked tank back online??????

[Battlecorals]

So I finally got the parts i need to fix my little display. click here if you want to read the story.



I am figuring that ill get it back online this weekend but have a concern that i wanted to bounce off anyone who wants to listen.


This tank is connected to my main, and the returns and drains total over 5o feet of PVC. Probably more considering the bean drain and were lined with the usual gunk and slime that builds up in piping over time. Having been dried out the last few weeks, all of that has died off and is caked to the insides for sure.Anone who's taken a system down or redone plumbing should know exactly what I'm talking about


Im kind of anal when it comes to stuff like this and I guess my real concern is, should I be concerned when I fire up the pumps again to get a big rush of dead slime in the water? Between the drain and return I'm looking at a considerable amount of die off and there is stench coming from all of the pipes for sure. Guessing once the water hits it, most of it will end up in the tank for sure in some way or another.


Any thoughts?

 

[loglan]

Hey Adam. I would definitely think that it's going to put nutrients in your system if all of it has dried and died. Any way you could flush the lines? Maybe with a water change in hand you could clean the lines with the water coming out of those lines. Just a thought bud.

 

[rovster]

Any way to put some socks on there to catch the mess? I can't imagine on a system as large as yours that fouled up piping would make a significant impact. That said there is s lot at stake so caution and s the prudent choice. Is it x huge deal to change the PVC? It is after all inexpensive but definitely s PITA.

 

[MikeyB]

Any way to put some socks on there to catch the mess? I can't imagine on a system as large as yours that fouled up piping would make a significant impact. That said there is s lot at stake so caution and s the prudent choice. Is it x huge deal to change the PVC? It is after all inexpensive but definitely s PITA.

That's what i was thinking, why not just slip a filter sock over your return line adam, id say use the smallest micron you have and let it catch all that crap.

 

[Battlecorals]

thats good call. a few socks at least to catch the crap. I also have the option to isolate it for a while at least as its running into a sort of semi sump lol just dawned on me that i could do that but a few runs of a few valves is all it would take

Daniel If you knew how terrible my crawl space was, which is where ether pipe is ran you'd understand that to redo it has never even been my my train of thought lol. its place i do not go unless i absolutely have to

 

[cb684]

Not sure if it is viable, but if you can isolate it, you could let it recirculate with RODI water for a while and change that water a few times. The socks would help to get rid of larger particles.
Good luck.

 

[Battlecorals]

Not sure if it is viable, but if you can isolate it, you could let it recirculate with RODI water for a while and change that water a few times. The socks would help to get rid of larger particles.
Good luck.

I couldn't do that as the tank still has fish in it but i was thinking the rock would help with any die off spikes. the sump its connected to has lots of rock in it. thinking it may just handle the load if there is any.

 

[a361c]

They sell brushes to clean inside pvc pipe. You need to by the soft bristled ones not the wire bristled. Plumbers use them to clean out clogged pipes. Disconnect the low end and flush out the pipes with water to get rid of the loose stuff and it will also loosen up the caked in stuff then use the brush. They have many lengths and I have one that I hook up to my drill. Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you need more info

 

[MikeyB]

do they make brushes that long though? figure if you cut it in half between drain/return you're looking at 25 ft each. I thought of something even better though. Why not just put your return pump in a couple buckets of new water, pump that up the return and have it come out into another empty bucket. That way you're flushing them out but dont have to worry about anything getting inside the tank.

 

[a361c]

The one I have is 75'. It's a snake that I can put different attachments on. The reason I would clean it with not only water but the brushes to is because all that gunk in the line is now dead decaying matter. Even the stuff that may have at one time been beneficial bacteria. If it's a 50' line that's ALOT of potential heartache.

 

[MikeyB]

Oh, that sounds like it would work really well for him

 

[Stephanie11]

I just cleaned the 3 drain pipes on my 125. The slime that builds up is amazing. I would defiantly clean out the pipes somehow before putting back online. If stability is key, this stuff is sure to throw it off!