Plumbing/sump/return pump question

[Deleted member 336650]

I have finished plumbing the sump & using the head loss calculator, I get 964GPH for my return pump. Info that came with my tank states that max flow draining from the tank is 700GPH. I have ball valves installed on return & drain lines.

Can I just dial down the return line to match the drain flow? If not, any other suggestions?
Thanks

 

[tennesseebob]

i imagine you can, but just to be safe i would dial it back a fair bit below the max rated flow of your drain. Im a paranoid person myself though, i think for safety sake id rather get a smaller pump.

 

[CuzzA]

I think you'll find that head loss calculations are sometimes exaggerated. Furthermore they don't account for friction loss due to your plumbing. For example, fittings like elbows substantially decrease flow. There's only one way to find out, run it and see what happens.

 

[ca1ore]

Each overflow on my tank is 'rated' at 700 gph, but they don't handle anywhere close to that in a way that I'd consider to be 'family-friendly'. In other words, at 700, they slurp, snort, gurgle, flush and generally misbehave. I'd view 400 as the upper practical limit for a single drain overflow.

 

[fishgate]

Correct - dial back the return until it is balanced.