Plumbing question/suggestion

You will be surprised at the build up inside a standpipe and return piping in even 3 months time. It happens quickly and gets worse the longer you put off cleaning it. Start with a larger diameter piping with less headloss and you can put the cleaning off longer but it still needs to be thouroughly cleaned every 6 months or so. This is where unions and threaded fittings are nice as you can easily disassemble things to get to elbows and restriction points.

 

A strainer is not silly its important.

 

I really like the Stockman DIY standpipe design. The 2" coupling acts as a guard to prevent snails and other things getting into the standpipe without restricting the flow. Been using it for 13 years now. Tried a few others both before the Stockman and over the last couple years for comparison but keep going back to the Stockman.

 

I don't understand. Would you explain?

 

Me too. But I am going to go with Maggie muffler .... Similar concept I think.

 

A strainer prevents snails and other things from entering and possibly clogging the pipe.

 

I see. So how can a snail get into the overflow box? I think I have heard about this issue before but I don't know quite how. I will make a cap on top of the over flow box. The snails are not small enough to get through the teeth of the over flow box......The only issue is the algae might grow however, if there is no light, algae do not grow much if not at all. I don't see the advantage of the strainer or screen to protect the drain. The risk is way over the benefits. Of course unless your drain is exposed....Or a different design you are talking about.

 

The strainer teeth are fairly large and do not clog easily. The snails climb over the over flow and get into the pipe. Fish also tend to jump and end up in there. The need for some kind of strainer is the reason most people use large diameter drains. It is best to over size the drain for many reasons. Aesthetics are not normally a consideration because most people's drains are hidden.
The lid would have to be tight enough but still removable of course if you go that route.

 

The Maggie Muffler is a good option but I found it to be louder than the DIY Stockman it is based on. I have two Maggie's in my parts drawer that I tried in the past, one modified with the hose down the cap and the other stock. They are only back ups now since I found I didn't care for them.

 

What is the modified with the hose down the cap? Any pictures?

Thanks