Stock Tank plumbing

[Bill Stock]

I managed to find a local spot to buy Stock Tanks, so the next question is
plumbing.


I understand that the Rubbermaid tanks have a 1 1/4" drain plug, so my
options are:

1) Running a 3/4" hose to the filter with the appropriate adapters. But how
to safely return the filter output to the tank?

2) Returning the water through the drain plug, with the pump pushing the
water over the edge of the tank. But would the back pressure be too much
for the pump or filter seal?

3) Sucking the water back into the tank through the drain/filter.

I like option 3, but I understand that most pumps push better than they
suck? But wouldn't the water pressure through the filter alleviate this
problem.

[Pat]

I have 5 Rubbermaid tanks as part of my set up. Water trickles into the top
of each one and leaves through the drain. Muck would build up on the
bottoms and plug the drains so I added a elbow and 8 inches of pipe to the
inside of the drains. That way the water that leaves comes from the center
of the tank height rather than the bottom. I don't use a pump. My tanks
are stair stepped down a hillside. The water that comes from the bottom of
one tank trickles into the top of the next. I poured thin concrete slabs
for each tank to sit on. I found that the tanks would crack sitting on
dirt. Part of the tank would settle unevenly and a crack would form near
the top. Concrete slabs fixed the problems. My tanks are my filters
however they function as ponds too.

[Bill Stock]

"Pat" > wrote in message
...
>I have 5 Rubbermaid tanks as part of my set up. Water trickles into the
>top of each one and leaves through the drain. Muck would build up on the
>bottoms and plug the drains so I added a elbow and 8 inches of pipe to the
>inside of the drains. That way the water that leaves comes from the center
>of the tank height rather than the bottom. I don't use a pump. My tanks
>are stair stepped down a hillside. The water that comes from the bottom of
>one tank trickles into the top of the next. I poured thin concrete slabs
>for each tank to sit on. I found that the tanks would crack sitting on
>dirt. Part of the tank would settle unevenly and a crack would form near
>the top. Concrete slabs fixed the problems. My tanks are my filters
>however they function as ponds too.

Thanks Pat,

I did not realize that the drain plug was that close to the bottom of the
tank. I don't expect too much muck in my location, but an elbow may be a
good idea in the event of a hose leak. I won't drain the entire tank that
way. My tank will be going in a basement hallway near the floor drain. I'm
hoping the floor is flat enough, but it does slope towards the drain, so I
better check.

It looks like having the pump suck the water back into the pond may be my
best option. Would I be able to thread a pipe through the drain plug, so
that I could put an elbow on the inside and a reducer on the outside?

[Pat]

I used normal threaded pipe on the outside which needs to work well and not
leak. On the inside I used pvc pipe and filed the threads to a taper. I
then jammed this into the hole. Doesn't work all that well because
sometimes they get knocked loose by raccoons.

[Koitoy]

It looks like having the pump suck the water back into the pond be my
best option. Would I be able to thread a pipe through the drain plug,
so
that I could put an elbow on the inside and a reducer on the outside?

What type of filter are you building here? As for the PVC- you can use
Uniseals to connect your pipes to the tank. Here is a link- but might
want a different supplier as I believe there is a high cost to ship to
Canada.


http://tinyurl.com/dtuv2


--
Koitoy

[Bill Stock]

"Koitoy" > wrote in message
...
>
> It looks like having the pump suck the water back into the pond be my
> best option. Would I be able to thread a pipe through the drain plug,
> so
> that I could put an elbow on the inside and a reducer on the outside?
>
> What type of filter are you building here? As for the PVC- you can use
> Uniseals to connect your pipes to the tank. Here is a link- but might
> want a different supplier as I believe there is a high cost to ship to
> Canada.
>
>
> http://tinyurl.com/dtuv2
>
>
> --
> Koitoy

Thanks KT,

Not a filter, but a winter home for the GF and plants. My pond is a bit too
shallow, so I covered it last year. I'm planning on bringing them in this
year with some Water Hyacinths.

I plan on using the filter from the pond on my new indoor pond. It's looking
like I'll just run the tubing over the edge of the tank (delivered now) and
elevate the filter to lessen the chance of leaks. I'm not to sure how to
handle aeration or water return yet though. I was thinking of using the
pump/fountain from the pond and removing the spay head to give me a gentle
bubbling. I don't think this will shoot out if the fish tip it over. :)
Then I'll have to secure the water return pipe somehow.