Cavitation & Pump Issue Help

[geomarq]

I have a cavitation issue with a new Reeflo Snapper pump I just installed.

I think the issue is the inlet. The pump inlet is 2" coming from the 1" bulkhead on the sump. I can hear the air in the pump housing, I'm assuming there's not enough water in there so the spinning impellor is making bubbles due to lack of water volume. something like that right?

The other problem is there's not enough flow into the sump. I have an overflow box rated at 650 gph which is roughly half of the new pump's flow. I need to upgrade overflow boxes. The new pump should be around 1500-1900gph.

1) should I drill a new 2" bulkhead? or is 1.5" safe? Sump is acrylic so should is relatively easy.
2) leave the 1" bulkhead, but put in a 1to1.5" coupler then get to 2" somehow at the inlet for the pump

Anyone make house calls?

 

[username in use]

You have to drill it for the full size inlet. If its a 2" pump inlet you need a 2" bulkhead. That's pretty big though, what kind of pump is it?

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Drill a bigger hole!
Bad news to reduce the inlet size of a pump.
Then you need to get more water into the sump!
Put your old pump back until you have everything you need.
When you finally set this up use a valve on the pump in case you need to reduce the flow.

 

[geomarq]

Old Little Giant Pump was shot and seized up. Thought this would be a nice upgrade but now I need to upgrade the rest of the flow process. I called Reeflo, they said inlet reduction to 1.5" should be ok. I don't know..

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Well if the mfg. says ok to 1.5" I would try it. But you still have to be able to supply it with drain water or you will overflow the tank.

 

[geomarq]

Ok, will try it. Thx

 

[Kshack]

You can go with 1.5 on the inlet and a gate valve on the outlet. Then see if you need larger drain. Gate valve on the outlet will not harm the pump and will actually make it more efficient (lower RPM).

 

[billwill]

Also make sure you aren't getting a little tornado at the inlet in your sump going to the surface. This will suck air in also. The fix for that is a horizontal plate of some sort above inlet/below water surface that simply stops that tornado.

 

[slick970]

the pumps we use for our tanks are not positive displacement pumps so its ok to valve off the discharge side of the pump but dont reduce the inlet side or as little as possible

 

[tkeracer619]

A snapper does fine with a 1.5" input but since your drilling go with a 2".

Secure a piece of wood to use for the pilot bit.

FWIW I would never use a reeflo with a hob overflow. That is a ton of flow and if something goes wrong its going to get bad fast.

 

[tkeracer619]

A snapper does fine with a 1.5" input but since your drilling go with a 2".

Secure a piece of wood to use for the pilot bit.

FWIW I would never use a reeflo with a hob overflow. That is a ton of flow and if something goes wrong its going to get bad fast.

 

[CRAZYFIZH]

One outher way you can solve your problem of a overflow in your dt is to use a gate valve with a y inline back into the sump untill you get the hob overflow box upgraded