quite the predicament I'm in (bulkhead help)

[Prozium]

well the original owner used a bulk head that is being difficult. the nut part split on me (not all the way through) so I super glued it back together....it split again. so I have went to 3 hardware stores today and returned empty handed......er..... I mean they didn't have that part..(hehe) well it seems it has a higher thread count then normal plumbing, and to boot it's an odd size. this bulkhead is a 1 1/4" barbed bulkhead and the hole in my tank is just under 2" which the bulkhead barley passes trough with out having to use any force. that makes it HARD to just buy a new bulkhead. most say to have 2.5"+ hole. my tank is 3/4 full of water/sand and the hole is about 10"-11" from the wall.....which means no drilling a bigger hole with out draining the tank and taking it out side (I really, REALLY do not want to do all that.)

can any one point me in the right direction, please?

[Paulca916]

Well a 1" sch 40 bulk head requires a 1-3/4" to 1-7/8" hole.
A sch 80 bulk head requires a 1-7/8" to 2" hole so it looks like either one will work.
Just get a new bulkk head and re-plumb it with PVC.

[Ben_Im]

^ what Paul said.

Sch80 bulkhead would fit your hole nicely. Then just replace your current drain with 1''OD PVC

[Prozium]

I guess I should add that it's the only hole on my 150g and I have a mag 18 return pump.....will 1" be enough???

[Paulca916]

I guess I should add that it's the only hole on my 150g and I have a mag 18 return pump.....will 1" be enough???

With a 1" you should be able to drain 600 to 800 GPH.
A Mag 18 is a 1800 GPH pump at 0 head loss at 6" it pumps 1125 GPH aprox.
Here is a link to a flow chart for Mag pumps.
http://www.saltycritter.com/pumps/mag-drive.htm
If you hole in the tank is a little less than 2" I dont thinkk your bulk head is any bigger than a 1" to begin with

[Prozium]

well it's going to be about a 6' return line with 2 45 degrees, and a 90 degree....so I should be fine with the 1" bulkhead as long as I have a ball valve to control the flow? (which I already do)

BTW I measured the bulkhead and it is indeed a 1 1/4" opening.... could it be metric?

edit: so it seems that the barbed/hose bulk heads need a much smaller hole, heres a 1 1/2" that will fit on my tank (but wont work because it has a metal nut...that goes on the inside ....link here (http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/833/Bulkhead-Hose-Fitting))

[Paulca916]

[QUOTE=Prozium;17403873]well it's going to be about a 6' return line with 2 45 degrees, and a 90 degree....so I should be fine with the 1" bulkhead as long as I have a ball valve to control the flow? (which I already do)

BTW I measured the bulkhead and it is indeed a 1 1/4" opening.... could it be metric?

No thats a normal 1" bulk head the 1" is in reference to the inside demension of the PVC so using 1" PVC should be fine with your pump if thats the pump that was in there befor if it is not the pump that was in there befor I would look for a pump with around 1000 GPH @ Zero head loss even at 600 GPH you should be fine I know a guy running about 600 GPH on a 300 gallon tank if your shooting for high flow do it with power heads not your retrun pump you dont need a ton of flow going through your sump

[Prozium]

I FOUND MY BULKHEAD, my google skills show merit, lol........it is a 1".....it seems the original owner just bought an "All-Glass Aquariums MegaFlow Overflow Accessory Kit" and modified it....

IDK what pump he used. would it be bad just to restrict the flow from the mag 18?

[TAB]

its not great. a better option its to put a tee in the line, put the valve on that and have it return to the sump/chiller/ skimmer/ what ever.

[HV1990]

Once you get the bulkhead in there are expander and reducers that you can use to make the size bigger or smaller. In landscaping you are always making changes to go from bigger to smaller or smaller to bigger.

[shiveley]

I think the barbed fitting is a bad idea anyway, it would probably be best to just replace that with a slip fit bulkhead anyway.

[iriejp1]

I think the barbed fitting is a bad idea anyway, it would probably be best to just replace that with a slip fit bulkhead anyway.

+1. Barbed=asking for trouble

[Paulca916]

I agree with both TAB and Shively FWIW