anyone run a wet/dry...???...

[Shep]

Hi,
as I begin to think about plumbing my system, something has me stumped. I have an Eshopps wet/dry and the hose from the overflow goes into a plate that rests on the drip tray, where the filter pad goes. what has me scratching my head is, it seems to me there should be a slot in the interior partition where I could slide the drip tray out to access the filter pad. without that slot, my only option is to tilt the top and access it that way. that immediately rules out hard plumbing it, and even with a hose, it seems like a lot of stress on those joints (accessing it every week) and mess, what with the water now pouring out less than straight down. this is my first wet/dry, so maybe I am missing something, but this seems like a design flaw. I am actually considering taking a dremmel tool and cutting a slot in the interior wall that would allow me to slide the drip tray out over the other half of the sump to access the filter media without having to tilt the lid. any experience or advice on this would be greatly appreciated, as always.

because my poorly worded, rambling post may have you wondering what the hell I am talking about, I am going to attempt (for the first time) to paste a couple poorly taken, blurry pictures to make things even more murky...

[Shep]

knew that wouldn't work...

[UDJustin]

all wet drys I have worked on require you to remove the top lid to access the filter pad

[Shep]

thanks Justin,
I just read your 30 gallon cube build thread and you have inspired me. if I can acquire an 8"x12" piece of scrap acrylic from Myer Plastics the way you did, I am going to make a template from the lid that came with my wet/dry, so I don't screw up the original. Same size, with a hole for a 1" bulkhead right in the middle. Then I will cut an inch or 2 off running the entire length closest to the interior partition. I will drill a 1/4" hole in the 12"x1.5" piece, and put a plastic screw and nut on it so I can pick it up. Then I can plumb the whole thing from overflow to the wet/dry lid in PVC, and never have to touch the large section of the lid with the bulkhead and the plumbing in it when it is time to change media in the drip tray. I will just pick up the smaller piece, adjacent to the interior wall, reach in and grab the filter media, feed some clean media in, and replace the 12"x1.5" piece and be done. does that make any sense?

thanks,
Shep

[lazylivin]

Typically people have a flexible hose or vinyl tubing attached to the lid. Then they just pull up on the hose pull the pad and replace it.

[Viggen]

The majority of w/d filters come just like yours where you lift the lid off the get to the filter pad

A friends makes the w/d's I use & he makes them so they can be hard plumed with a sliding drip tray

[lazylivin]

That is a pretty cool concept. Do you have a picture, just wondering how it doesn't leak especially if the filter pad got a little to dirty and water starts to spill out the slot.

[Shep]

Viggen, I like your friends concept, he's way ahead of the curve.

my problem is that a standard 3' hose is too long, and leaves me with a significant sag. Joel had some great advice on making my own hose, but it still leaves me tilting that lid, and stressing the joints on a hose that I made. I am amazed that these commercial wet dry filters don't come with sliding trays, that just seems like a glaring design flaw. Right now, I am liking the idea of a split lid where I can take part of it out to access the filter pad while not disturbing the hard plumbing.

[Viggen]

Unfortunantly no I do not have any pics.  I am suppose to pick up a new sump & w/d from him next week sometime & if it's finished I will take some pics then I can FINALLY get my 475g up & running...... hopefully. 

He makes it in a way that there is no spilling or anything like that.  My other w/d on my 210g has been running my tanks since I think 1993 when I first started saltwater stuff.