Matching Drain/Return flow

[kensmith]

Hey guys - I have just filled my new tank up and mixed my salt. It is a 47.5 gallon Tank with a 9 gallon sump, with 3/4 inch plumbing.

is there a trick to matching the flow from the tank and my pump? It sems no matter how much I tweak the levels keep changing. This has been a major hurdle in moving forward with my project.

I am also wondering if I am running to much flow through my sump, as the water level tends to hang out above the baffles and is super noisy.

Looking for the basics on getting the flow right. I'd like to shoot for around 500 GPH (or the maximum flow I can gewt through the sump quietly

Thanks in advance.

 

[billdogg]

Please describe your plumbing a little better. Pictures will help.

Do you have just one 3/4" drain and one 3/4" return? If so, you will be severely limited because you will have to use a Durso style drain. You will be lucky to get 200gph through a 3/4" durso. Even a 1" durso is maxed out at ~300gph.

To properly tune a Durso (of any size) you leave the drain line unobstructed - no ball or check valves - just the straightest open shot to the sump you can manage. You then reduce the output of your return pump using a ball or better yet, a gate valve until the return line is only putting into the tank what the drain line can handle without creating a full siphon.

I have used Durso style drains for 30 years and they can and do work very well, even if they are not as quiet as either a Herbie or Bean Animal style full siphon drain. The Herbie will require a minimum of 2 drain lines and one return, the Bean Animal needs a minimum of 3 drains.

You CANNOT use a full siphon drain without at least one dry emergency drain - doing so you will eventually (sooner rather than later), overflow the tank.

hth!

 

[ryeguyy84]

Agreed pics would help. Where is the noise coming from? Is it a waterfall noise in the overflow? Send pics of your overflow so we can get an idea of what's going on

If the water is above the baffles i think you have to much water in your sump. Have you turned off the return pump to see if it overflows?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[kensmith]

Its a 3/4" straight standpipe from the tank to the sump, and a 3/4" inch return line with a few elbows and loc line. I have valves to control flow in both directions. No overflow.

The noise is from the water falling into the return chamber. The water level over the baffles increases with flow and it increases fast. I can empty the return chamber and it still doesn't come down. My though it to much flow for the baffles to tolerate.

Should I start with the levels I want in each tank and play? Whats the best way to figure this out?

 

[kensmith]

Its a 3/4" straight standpipe from the tank to the sump, and a 3/4" inch return line with a few elbows and loc line. I have valves to control flow in both directions. No overflow.

The noise is from the water falling into the return chamber. The water level over the baffles increases with flow and it increases fast. I can empty the return chamber and it still doesn't come down. My though it to much flow for the baffles to tolerate.

Should I start with the levels I want in each tank and play? Whats the best way to figure this out?

 

[pisanoal]

Not sure what you mean by "play with levels". That sounds concerning and like a flood about to happen.

The height of your overflow or in this case your standpipe determines your tank level. Tank level will rise a bit depending on flow, but not more then a few millimeters.

Essentially, to have a "quiet" overflow in this situation, you want a slip stream of water going over your pipe walls. The flow needs to be slow enough to stick to the walls and not slosh and splash.

It sounds like your overflow is achieving full siphon which tells me you are trying to run too much water through.

Remove your valve on your drain line or at least leave it wide open. Adjust your return valve from there until you acheive continuous quiet flow. There should be air in the center of the pipe and water slipping over the full diameter. If the pipe us conpletely submerged, cut the valve back.

I also highly recommend reconsidering your setup if possible. Look into herbie or bean animal setups, you are asking for a flood, especially without an overflow. One snail in your pipe is water on the floor.

Sump level is set by your baffles. Fill your tank until it starts to overflow, then fill your sump to the desired returb chamber level. Top off keeps sump level where you want it.

 

[on the spot]

The water level over the baffles increases with flow and it increases fast. I can empty the return chamber and it still doesn't come down. My though it to much flow for the baffles to tolerate.

If you can empty the return section of the sump and at the same time water is above baffles/dividers in other places of the sump it is likely set up wrong as a sump. look at your sump as a hill - water has to go downhill for it to work correctly. As you described it, it's not.

HTH

 

[thegrun]

I would either drill a new hole for a second emergency drain line or use the existing return line as an emergency drain and pipe the return line up over the back. Using a valve to slow down the flow on the drain line so the water fills the drain pipe to eliminate the waterfall noise without a secondary emergency drain line is a flood waiting to happen. With a second drain line you can safely slow down the water flow in the primary drain so the water level backs up and you only have a trickle of water running down the secondary emergency drain line. That will give you a silent drain system.

 

[mcgyvr]

A single drain line :hmm4:

 

[FamilyTank]

Lol