Quote:
Originally Posted by FullBoreReefer
Plumb a tee and a valve into your return line, and also a valve going to your display. Then add a hose barb. Get a length of hose or tubing to reach out your window, to a sink, drain, whatever. Push your hose on, close the display valve and open your drain valve. Turn on your return pump and pump the water out.
|
I'm setting up my plumbing and I actually did this.
Just past my main drain bulkhead, I put in a tee and barb connection. The main line runs to the sump. Before it gets to the sump there is a gate valve to work the siphon for the return.
When I need to water change, I will close the gate valve. So water redirects through the hose (and into my bathroom).
Originally I wanted to tee right off of the return pump. But the plumbing just didn't work out for that. As long as I have the return pump running during a water change the effect is equivalent--water level will fall in the sump to a predetermined level.
The only downside is that I am gravity-draining instead of the pump doing the work directly.
Normally, I
must have gravity draining fast enough to keep up with the pump to prevent overflowing the DT. But I have an emergency drain that will make handle any flow in excess of the gravity draining.