Minor Disaster... Any advice would be appreciated...

[sellout007]

Ok so i wanted to use the ASMG6 I have so I decided to plumb my tank through to my garage into a rubbermaid and then back to my tank so I could use the huge skimmer.

So my problem is that the water from the tank, drains into the rubbermaid faster then the water from the rubber maid drains, back into my sump.



So its 9pm, got work at 9am and cant run my tank...




Here are pictures...

First two are of the drains going from the tank to the rubbermaid, third is of the drain comming back from the rubber maid to the sump and last is the rubbermaid in the garage.

 

[sellout007]

Oh and ignore the union ball valve, its not supposed to be there.

 

[Freed]

If you close the ball valve just enough you should reach an equilibrium sometime and then it should be fine. May take you a while with minute adjustments but you will get there eventually.

 

[sellout007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8278432#post8278432 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Freed
If you close the ball valve just enough you should reach an equilibrium sometime and then it should be fine. May take you a while with minute adjustments but you will get there eventually.

That was my friends thinking as well, and it seems like it should work, but all that will happen is the water lvl in the tank will continue to rise and overflow onto my floor. I would have to put a ball valve on the return pump itself for it to work like that.

Its an option I am entertaining, but not a permanent one.

 

[sellout007]

I guess I could simply have one drain from one over flow return to my sump normally, and have a drain from the other overflow return into the rubbermaid. That might slow things down a bit.

 

[BreadmanMike]

Just to get you through the night, turn down your return pump until your drain from the rubbermaid can handle what's going through it.

When you have more time add a second drain off the rubbermaid back to the sump or go with a larger diameter drain.

 

[sellout007]

Would it be better to simply only run one drain through the sump?

Thats an easier fix for right now, just going to run to HD to get a 1" cap.

 

[gotfish8]

What a cluster F#@! you have going

You need more a angle on the drain of the rubbermaid. Leave the ball valve on the drain from the main tank. Just slightly close it and watch the level of your tank.if the level does not rise close it a little more (paitence is the key grasshopper, it takes time to tune everything). It will slow the velocity of the water draining from the main tank. It takes me an hour to get my tanks drain and returns in sync

 

[sellout007]

I went to Menards and got a 1" plug and cut one of the drain lines and now have it drain directly into my sump under the tank.

I have one drain going into the rubbermaid. That did the trick for now.


I put in the G6 and as I figured I need to add even more water. Now the problem I am having is the splashing of my G6 when the water comes out of the tube.

 

[sellout007]

Here are some new pictures...

I also added a *durso* type drain. I was toying around with it and put on a regular 90 with no hole drilled and it sped up the drain process, but was irratic and the lvl would rise and fall. So I figured this would work.

 

[paininthewrasse]

nice deal you got going there.. All going well now?

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello 007
Do you have stand pipes (Durso's) for the aquarium drain. If so I'd raise (up tight to the oak framing) the aquarium drain pipe that feeds the Rubbermaid, and then I'd raise the rubbermaid the same amount 4"? And finally I'd keep the drain line to the sump (from the garage) as short as possible, stepping it up to 1 1/2" won't hurt either.

 

[MrMexReefer]

holy crap... i was just reading this thread... that is a HUGE skimmer! haha sorry, im new to the hooby... that thing holds more water than my nano!!! lol now i want it. haha

 

[sellout007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8279308#post8279308 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by paininthewrasse
nice deal you got going there.. All going well now?

For the time being, everything seems to be doing ok. I wound up having some leaky bulkhead issues as well. Which scares me even more then my previous problem. I gave them a few turns, hoping it fixed them.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8279476#post8279476 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Douglas LEHMAN
Hello 007
Do you have stand pipes (Durso's) for the aquarium drain. If so I'd raise (up tight to the oak framing) the aquarium drain pipe that feeds the Rubbermaid, and then I'd raise the rubbermaid the same amount 4"? And finally I'd keep the drain line to the sump (from the garage) as short as possible, stepping it up to 1 1/2" won't hurt either.

Hey Doug. I do have stand pipes in my overflows for the tank. They are set to where the water lvl in the overflow is about an inch or 2 below the teeth.

You want me to raise what up again? Im not sure what exactly you are refering to or why it will help? If your refering to the drains I have elbowed off my overflow's they are pretty much as high as they can go.

The rubermaid cant go any higher either, i wont be able to get the drain lines comming off the tank into the rubber maid. I think...??

The drain line going into the wall has to come off the rubbermaid a bit as there is a stud in the way. I could possibly shorten the length it has to go once its under the stand, but then the water wont be at the far side of the sump. It will be right before the first baffle.

I am using all 1.5" drain line for both my tank drains (start out at two 1" and then gets T'd into 1.5" and the rubbermiad drain is an 1.5" as well.

 

[sellout007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8279541#post8279541 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMexReefer
holy crap... i was just reading this thread... that is a HUGE skimmer! haha sorry, im new to the hooby... that thing holds more water than my nano!!! lol now i want it. haha

Yeah, its a bit of a beast. Hard as fudge to get it to work with my system so far, but well see how it pays off. It has a manufacture rating of 1200 gallons, but realistically its about 700. Ive got a 300 gallon system.

 

[Highlander]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8279685#post8279685 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sellout007
Yeah, its a bit of a beast. Hard as fudge to get it to work with my system so far, but well see how it pays off. It has a manufacture rating of 1200 gallons, but realistically its about 700. Ive got a 300 gallon system.

FWIW, IMO, your sump is way too shallow for the skimmer.
It looks like your pump is going to have a load of head to overcome just to push water through the skimmer, which will definitely reduce it's efficiency.

 

[Rod Buehler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8280171#post8280171 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Highlander
FWIW, IMO, your sump is way too shallow for the skimmer.
It looks like your pump is going to have a load of head to overcome just to push water through the skimmer, which will definitely reduce it's efficiency.

I agree.

Could you do-away with the sump in the house, and then just use a deeper rubbermade as a sump in the garage?

 

[sellout007]

I could....

My head is already starting to hurt just thinking about that project.....