Basement sump

[nurjrk]

Well, I finally started on moving my sump/fuge to the basement. Got the sump up and running but still working on the CL. Please let me know what you think.

The start:

Stand, 4' high:

The hole:

Towel in place to absorb splashing from overflow, how can I stop this? You can also see the shelf for the CL pump:

The skimmer and bubbles from the overflow:

How can I stop the "flusing" sound every few minutes? It ran great when the sump was under the tank, now it seems like the water rises a little then gushes down the drain, then rises slowly again and gushes down. Any ideas?

CL plumbing, not glued up yet. Ballvalve for each of the 4 outputs:

Thoughts, critiques and any other comments are always welcome.

Thanks for looking.
Jeff

 

[Jeff Trout]

Looks great to me!what size is that tank?

 

[Kreeger1]

Drill a hole in that cap on your durso, problem solved Just a small 1/4 inch hole

 

[nurjrk]

Jeff: The tank is about 50 gal, but the display is only about 40 gal.

Kreeger1: I've got a hole it it already. It ran great when it was under the tank. I think it might be because my return is only putting out about 100-150 gph or so. I upsized my return pump from a OR 2500 to a OR 3500 so the flow is kinda slow, but that's good for the fuge right? Is there a different "cap" other than the durso that might work better?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Tswifty]

Try a larger hole in the top then, or remove the top cap completely (if it screws on).

If your getting a surge that means air is trapped in the line.

 

[Kreeger1]

I'd try what tswifty8 said.

Is the return line deeper in the water now ?

 

[Jeff Trout]

You could run a ridge airline down the hole?Like how a CPR overflow has the airline to quite it down.Sorry dont know how to explain.

 

[cerreta]

Hi Jeff. You are surging because, like the others suggested, you need to let more into the drain pipe.

If I recall, my habit is to build modified AGA Dursos. So you should have a large vent hole in the T and a smaller hole drilled into the the side of the cap. The cap hole is adjustable. That is the benefit over one hole drilled into the top of the cap.

So, you should be able to twist the cap and make the hole larger.

You have a surge issue because the flow return has changed plus the length of the drain pipe is much much longer.

Pics look good. Does Candy know you drilled a hole into the floor? If not, I'm calling her to rat you out. hehehehe

 

[itZme]

You can solve the bubbling issue in the sump by getting a large filter sock and having your drain dump into it just above the surface of the water. This will slow the water down a bit as it hits the surface and without the tube below the surface it won't bubble and splash all the air that is trapped in the line.

You can also try a bubble trap that you can find on melevsreef.com

The hole in the durso is not large enough if it is surging. You probably have more suction since there is a longer drop in the line now that it runs to the basement and it is drawing all the water down quickly. then it builds up again and then flushes again.

Try taking the cap off first if you can like T.J. said and if that works just drill another hole or enlarge the one you have in it.

Good luck!

 

[nurjrk]

Nice hearing from you Scott, Yes we did put a hole in the side of the durso and also one in the top. I did drill an additional hole a while ago. I guess I'll just drill one of the holes bigger.

Tswifty8: I took the top off and it didn't surge anymore but it sounded like a wind tunnel with it off.

itZme: I tried the drain line like the pic you sent me, with it draining into a larger pipe. Well, when I checked on it the next morning there were foamy bubbles coming out the top pipe (which was up about 10") so I had to change that. We'll see what happens with the other change and may give the sock a try.

Thanks all,
Jeff

 

[vietcu]

If all else fail you can do what I did and it works fine. Make your drain pipe bigger. I up the size from my tank which is a 1" to a 2" drain pipe. I also have the pipe going to about 1" from touching the bottom of my sump, then cutting a lot of slots below the water line(at least 6" below). That should stop your gurgling and also no more bubbles. I will post some pictures if all other attempts fail.

On a side note, just notice the lights you have for your tank. How is it going for you? I am thinking of doing a DIY 150w MH setup for mine, and looking into getting the same reflector.

 

[nurjrk]

vietcu: The light is working out great. It's 250w with a 14k Phoenix bulb. I think I got it from Hellolights.

 

[nurjrk]

Well, I finally got it all glued together. Working good and no leaks. A little dissapointed with the amount of flow I'm getting from the CL pump, it's sufficient, but more would be better. With all four ball-valves open I get very little flow, but with two partially closed the other two get good flow with just a trickle from the remaining two. I quess a diff. pump is in order, but the wife will kill me if that happens. I've got two phos reactors in use, one with phos ban and the other with carbon. How often does the media need to be changed in both of them? I've got some hair algae working in my tank so hopefully this will take care of that.

Any and all remarks are welcome.

Thanks for looking,
Jeff