Plumbing through hardwood flooring....

[tiffyreefer]

I am sick of having my sump under my 90 gal sps reef! My husband and I want to have everything in the basement but not sure where to start with our floors. We have the solid hardwood tongue and groove Bruce Brand flooring. Our goal is to cut a heat register sized hole for the plumbing, so when we move it will easily covered with a false register. Can we just....cut it?! We are way over our heads with this process. Our only idea so far is to cut a register, and then put in a vent to act as support for the floorboards, and then cut out the metal slats inside to fit the piping. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm sure somebody did this before!

[createyourown]

it should be fine.

I would start from the basement and make sure to dont cut anything wires or plumbing.

find out where you want to put the sump in the basement, somewhat under the tank.

find out where the floor joists are, stud finder would work

cut the dry wall in the ceiling if there is any (this hole will be bigger than the one upstairs)

once the hole is cut out in the basement use a long drill bit and drill through the sub floor and the wood flooring, i would do it in 2 spots just so you know exactly where the cut out is in the ceiling in the basement

once you are ready to cut the flooring upstairs mark out the the floor and use a skillsaw set to the depth of your wood floor and the sub floor, which is prob about an 1"-1.5"

just remember drywall is a lot easier to fix than flooring

hope this helps

[createyourown]

o and when you get ready to draw the cut out upstairs put masking tape down over the spot that is to be cut out. and draw the cut out on the masking tape it will also help against chipping and scratching the flooring

[bikeguy1]

Another option would be to go inside the wall if the tank sits against a wall. My tank is plumbed to the basement and I cut a hole in the wall so I didn't have to mess up my hardwood floor. Like Createyourown said it is easier to fix drywall. Anyway, I used some spaflex tubing to run inside the wall and down into the basement. Mine is hidden fairly well so I didn't make it pretty but you could purchase a laundry room water supply box and cut holes in that to run the pipe through. When you mount that in the wall it will look very clean. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of that as I was doing it. Hope this helps.

[TAB]

i'd rather cut a hole in the wall then in the floor. a false register could come back to bite you in the butt when it comes time to sell. I've seen stranger things.

[tiffyreefer]

Cutting through the drywall would be a good idea, but I'm afraid we have an old house that still has horsehair and plaster cross pieces behind the drywall. I'm sure some of you know what I mean. Will a hole in the floor covered up with a register really that big of an issue when selling? We will be welling in the next 4 years, but we can't go that long dealing with our current setup. I have outgrown it with the addition of cal reactors zeovit, and larger skimmers!

[KafudaFish]

IF you made a false register for later how hard would it be to make one live later on if and when you moved?

[sjm817]

Our goal is to cut a heat register sized hole for the plumbing
I did just exactly that. Cut a rectangle hole that a register will drop into. I have 3 x 1" spa-flex lines run to the basement. One for the return and 2 for drains.

[createyourown]

no a hole in the floor is not going to be an issue, if they dont ask dont tell ;) its not like it is going to hurt anyone plus you might sell it to a reefer :bounce1:

[Pickupman66]

I just installed my 180 with the plumbing thru the floor. I didnt have hardwood here, but the process woudl ahve been the same. I measured about 5 times both inside and out. then once determined, I drilled a few holes to see exactly where I was. once satisified, I drilled the rest of the holes so I could get the sawzall in there and then cut my register sized hole. it worked out perfectly. once the pipes were installed, I reselaed the hole with the spray foam to make it air tight.

[tiffyreefer]

Great! Floor register it is. My ro Di unit is right below the tank as it is! I'm dreaming of dumping waste water right into the sewer.....and never getting yelled at again for getting salt on the hardwood! Hahaha!

[sfsuphysics]

Also note the pump you'll need to push against that extra head height might get a bit pricey on the electrical side of things.

[tiffyreefer]

I have a spare mag18. Won't worry about the noise when its in the basement!

[Pickupman66]

that 18 should work good enuf. they are strong little pumps but add in alot of heat. I prefer an external pump. you get more bang for your buck and dont get near the heat.

[Pickupman66]

Before the hole was cut. you can see the pilot holes.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g57/pickupman66/180%20Build/CIMG0981.jpg
From the bottom.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g57/pickupman66/180%20Build/CIMG0989.jpg

[tiffyreefer]

Looks great! That's just about what we are aiming for :) heat isn't an issue, it never climbs above 75, we have central air and it keeps the tank in check.

[josh1182]

post pics and updates to this project i would like to see how it goes. i am thinking of doing this my self!!!

thanks

[hllywd]

Cutting through the drywall would be a good idea, but I'm afraid we have an old house that still has horsehair and plaster cross pieces behind the drywall. I'm sure some of you know what I mean. Will a hole in the floor covered up with a register really that big of an issue when selling? We will be welling in the next 4 years, but we can't go that long dealing with our current setup. I have outgrown it with the addition of cal reactors zeovit, and larger skimmers!

Cutting a hole in a plaster and lathe wall isn't much different than doing the same in drywall. If you ever decided to remove the tank and plumbing the repair would be essentially the same since you would patch it with a piece of wall board anyway.

I don't think a false register would be a huge detriment when selling, but if you can avoid it, why not? If the wall is built such that the plumbing could be routed that way, I personally think it's the better choice. It's about an hour drywall repair job vs. a permanent hole in your hardwood.