Water supply and waste for your tank

Here is a project that I have been working on for a while. I am plumbing in a tank that I recently got. It is a 250g so water changing is going to be a job. I am going to plumb it with a drip system for now and later I might add an automatic water changing system if I convert to salt water.

The problem I face is the tank will be in the dining room where there is no water or sewer. The task is to plumb both to the tank through the wall in such a way that when the tank is removed, no additional work will be needed to be done to bring the room back to normal. (think house sale or keeping the landlord happy).

The solution is to plumb through a hole no bigger than an electrical outlet. Actually, that is what I have done. It was like building a ship in a bottle, but it can be done with a little time and lots of patients. This is what the system will look like when the tank is removed and the hole closed up. This is the actual hole.

And this is what the finished work looks like. I didn't do such a hot job in cutting the face plate, but it can be caulked.

This is the dude that makes it possible. You can also use a standard single gang box and cut the back out. This just makes it easier. The tabs on the two corners grip the drywall so that it is held in tight. The hole in the wall was to find the stud. I couldn't find my stud finder so I measured the wall from the corner. I was not trying to hit the stud, I wanted to miss it. The standard distance is 16 inches but I have seen 18 & 24 inches. I drilled the hole and stuck a bent piece of wire in it to feel for the stud. I then used the trim plate to mark the hole that I would cut. That ruler to the right is a square that I used to keep things looking good.

I just noticed the trim plate is goldfish colored

These two pictures are what I went through to install the plumbing. First I went into the attic and located the wall top plate (a horizontal 2x4 joining the vertical studs). Using a hole saw, I drilled two holes in the top plate. One for the water supply and one for the waste hose.

The other pic shows the waste hose in the wall. The hose is flexible but not to the point that it can make a clean 90 degree bend. Thus I used some 90 degree fittings where I needed to enter the wall. All of the fittings have stainless clamps. (Home Depot does not sell 100% stainless clamps. I bought mine from Lowes.)

I then plumbed the water supply. Note that I used a female threaded 90 and a male threaded fitting to exit the wall. When the day comes to remove the plumbing, all I have to do is unscrew it. The fittings must be sealed with teflon tape (or pipe dope if you are brave).

And next was to add the trim plate.

And here are some pictures of the attic work. The blue valve in the water line is so I can shut the water off when I disconnect the tank and plumbing.

Notice in the zoomed in picture, where the waste line goes. It is going to a plumbing vent. I drilled a hole in it with a hole saw at an angle and stuck the hose in. It was a cheesy way of doing it. The proper way would have been to get a sewer tee and cut it to form a clam shell over the vent pipe. I might add that this will never pass any code inspection. I'll never have an inspector in the attic so I am not worried about it. The proper way of doing the job would be to run another pipe down the wall in the kitchen or a bathroom and then cut a hole through the back of the cabinet to access the sewer line. I am way too lazy for that when there is an easier way.

This is the plumbing with the stand pushed up to the wall. Before I pushed it against the wall, I tested the plumbing and checked for leaks. After I was satisfied, I put the face plate back on and pushed the stand in place.