need help with plumbing

[phishy2]

I have a 300gal with a divider overflow with a 2inch drain and a 1.5inch return. The drain drains straight down into a 75gal tank via stockman standpipe. On the opposite end of the 75gal I have a reeflo sequence dart pump sitting at the same level as the 75gal. It has a pipe that sucks the water up/over the edge of the 75 then flows down into the intake of the pump and then returns up the hiegth of the 75 then i have two 45's and send it horizontally along the top of the 75 and then up two more 45's up to the 1.5inch bulkhead. It then travels up the hieght of the tank 31" and then horizontally again via a 90 the lenght of the tank 8ft, it returns water via 4 t's with caps on them drilled. shooting down into the tank.

My problem is I am returning more water then I am draining. I have 4ft + 8ft of horizontal head, and about 4.5ft of verticle head. I have a valve on the return line of the pump and have it only 1/4 of the way open and still returning too much water for the drain.... I can add a second 2inch drain, but I am wondering why the first drain is not draining fast enough with the valve only 1/4 open.

any suggestions?

 

[mtran]

suggestion: might help others to visualize if you could post a rough image.

I am in the process of setting up plumbing to the new tank with a similar drainage but with different configuration (2x1" and 2x3/4").

 

[yaktop]

I dont know how that possible if you have all the drain goiing into the return??

 

[phishy2]

i will try to get a picture later tonight.

thanks

 

[phishy2]

sorry for the paint photo, i took pictures but couldnt find the cable to put them on pc. hope this gives some type of idea.... the tank is a room divider hence the divider overflow, i have 2 1.5 inch bulkheads and 2 2 inch bulkheads, at the moment i am only using one of each, the other two are plumbed but i cut them higher then the water line and am running electrical down them to the power in the stand....

 

[yaktop]

still say what goes up has to come down. there's no way you'd run out of water unless you are sucking air in one of the joints prior to the intake -or- you run you water near or lower than the end of the intake.

 

[phishy2]

so either i need to lower the drain or raise the returns? I would say the returns are about 3inches higher then the drain right now.

I reread your post and it seems like you think i am running out of water in the sump, that is not true, the problem is I am returning so much to the display tank that I am on the verge of overflowing it.

 

[yaktop]

if thats the case you need more drain or less return water. can you T off some of the water to the sump so it doesnt all go to the tank - or - depending on the type of pump you have you could put in a valve and slow it down.

 

[phishy2]

I just got the parts to make a second 2inch drain, that should resolve my problem. I do have a valve on the return line and yes i am restricting the return, i didnt want to restrict it to any less then 1/4 of the valve open though. I would like to be able to run it full though.

 

[dareefking]

Hmmm... I know this is a few weeks old and prolly fixed by now but couldn't you have installed valves on each of the returns to restrict them?

 

[dareefking]

Oh well nevermind looking at the diagrahm again I see your valve was after your pump, well what about installing a valve to restrict flow going to the pump? I guess that just what I would've done.