Plumbing for Maintenance/Mixing Station

[kylevan]

Good morning, reef dudes. I am currently brainstorming ideas for a mixing station setup in the house I am having built. While I have a solid plan in mind, I am unsure about the idea of running PVC pipes through a finished wall. My main concern is that this would make the plumbing inaccessible and difficult to clean for maintenance purposes. The section of piping will be approximately 10 feet long, with some slight variations, and it will be concealed behind drywall as it wraps around a bathroom that is being built. Just to clarify, I am personally finishing the basement, so I have the freedom to customize it as I please. Has anyone ever installed tank drains behind drywall? If so, should I be concerned about this in terms of cleaning? Has anyone plumbed tank drains behind drywall? Should this be a concern to think about? I’ve attached a photo of the blueprints where the plumbing will go to bypass the bathroom.

 

[Dom]

Personally, I like every aspect of my systems to be accessible. But the reality is that drain pipes run behind walls almost everywhere. Its just salt water, not food stuffs you may find in a drain from doing the dishes, so clogs are low risk.

I think it will be fine.

 

[kylevan]

Personally, I like every aspect of my systems to be accessible. But the reality is that drain pipes run behind walls almost everywhere. Its just salt water, not food stuffs you may find in a drain from doing the dishes, so clogs are low risk.

I think it will be fine.

Thanks, Dom! Yeah I’m the same way I would love it to be accessible but for that stretch it just wouldn’t be possible unless I left an unfinished wall in the bathroom and my wife would kill me if I tried that lol.

 

[JayM]

Shouldn't be any need to clean the drains. Just run ABS as you would with any other waste drain system.

 

[Stevorino]

I have dozens of feet of tank pipe running through my walls/ceilings and it’s fine.

Trust me that you will never want to take the time to ‘clean’ all that plumbing once it is in, whether it is accessible or not. If you do it will be with w vinegar or citrus acid rinse/bath.

If possible, I do recommend installing the tank and plumbing and let it run for a good while to make sure there are ZERO leaks.

Worst case you cut into drywall, but I worried more about how much leak could go undetected.