After seeing lots of great water table fluid management solutions on here, this is what I came up with. Its a cheap sump basin ($25) that you can get at lowes or home depot and it holds the perfect amount of fluid.
I used the cross fire to cut a lid out for it. The lid has all the ports cut out for piping and also holds a threaded rod down the middle into the basin. The threaded rod has plates mounted to it, that hold a pump to pump the water into the table, and also a small fish pump to circulate the fluid through a filter. I use Greecut fluid and it needs to be circulated every so often. So I plan on putting an automated timer on that pump so I dont have to worry about the fluid going bad.
The threaded rod allows me to adjust where the pumps sit in the basin. So after draining the table, the fine particles should fall to the bottom and collect there. Having the pump sit on a bracket elevated off the bottom should eliminate it sucking in those fine particles.
When you turn the pump on, it pumps through the lid into a check valve and up into the table. When you want to empty, you pull the handle on the blade valve and everything drains back in. The flex hoses off the side are attached using banjo fittings so they can be quickly disconnected to service the tank.
You will need to raise the whole table up 3-4 inches in order for everything to clear. Right now its sitting on wood blocks but I plan on putting casters on the bottom.
It just so happens the hoses coming off the side, line up perfectly with the drains in each side of the pain. So I may use an elbow and shorten the hoses so they go straight to the drain. Not 100% sure im going to yet though. The extra length allows me to slide out the tub.
that is a real cool set-up.
I like the filtration idea…but I put my filter on the return to tank line…it may be a bit slower being 3/4" water line…but it prevents any sediment going to my tank…but then my tank is not as “cleanable” as yours is.
Its 10GA P&O. I’ll throw them up on fileshare when I get the chance. You would want to double check the measurements for the mounting holes since I suspect they vary from basin to basin.
@icecactus - Interesting idea of circulating the fluid separately from the table fill/drain.
Also, thanks for showing me Cam & Groove couplers in PVC. I thought they were all metal castings for water hoses. I now have another set of parts to consider when designing future projects.
You made my day.
I went to Menards last night and purchased most of the fittings to replicate this design.
Question, are these 3/4 ball values and what size are the banjo fittings? I purchased the 1.5in ones and I can’t tell from the photo but it looks like you reduced down from the 1.5in PVC cross to 3/4" ?
I would highly recommend that you put a filter between the table and tank. Most submersible pumps are mag drive, and steel dross is going to collect / destroy a mag pump.
Good to know. I havent had any issues, but i also dont use it very often. I drained the tank not that long ago, and there was very little sediment in the bottom and the pump is held up off the bottom for that very reason. Also, at least with steel, when you drain the table, not much actually goes into tank. I thought about putting some fine stainless mesh across the drain holes, but i didnt feel it was really even needed.
