Question for people with basement sumps

[Dave VG]

How cold does your basement get in the winter? Do you need to add more heaters during the winter months? It can get cold in my basement never measured it but I could guess about 65ish or so and it is NOT heated at all down there. I have several heaters on hand which include two 400 watters one 150 and another small one and will add as needed. I just hope they can keep up. I’m also thinking about insulating around the sides of the sump with foam board and making a top for it the same way. No fish just corals. My plan B if needed will be to move them to the upstairs in a temporary 20 I guess like a frag tank setup. Just would like your thoughts on this. My setup consists of a 30L DT and a 40B sump and they both reside in the basement.

Thanks

 

[superkat]

i'll be interested to follow this as well since this is my first winter with a basement sump.

 

[spinoleo]

also my first yr with basement sump :reading:

 

[pascal32]

I have two 250s In the basement sump. 40 breeder, and two 20s in the basement, 120 display. No issues, my basement gets cool, not cold. Say 60 or so.

 

[low riderr]

i have a sump room in my basement,but mine is new with arrx blocks very efficient(sp)i run no chiller and only have one 400 watt heater on 225 ish gal. of total water.my temp stays between 76 and 79 year round.

 

[oneradtek202]

mine has no issuez, just make sure u have the watage in heating that you should or possible a little more.


lowrider, u better trust that single 400w heater with everything you have, if that thing went or malfunctioned over the winter, that could be horrible! heaters fail, even good ones, split the wattage up between 2 heaters, such as 2x250s, so if one fails it should give you enough time to realize it. just my own experience

 

[albano]

I've had my 150g sump, for a 450g system, in my HEATED basement for 6 years. I have 3 300w heaters in the sump, with 'emergency backup' heaters in the display tanks. I try to maintain about 70*room temp, and let the heaters do the rest...at night the room receives 'extra' heat from the dehumidifier, which is very necessary!

 

[kelso1980]

this will be my 2nd year with the basement sump. basement is not heated and it gets pretty cold down there. I'd say mid 50's. 54G tank with 30 G sump. The sump is insulated with pink insulation and an insulated top that I can put on for the really cold weeks. (tank is not covered) I insulated the tubing that runs up to the tank too. I throw my water change heaters in there for added help in the winter. I haven't had a problem with the temp staying up yet (knock on wood)

 

[low riderr]

oneradtek202,my heater is controlled with an acjr. wouldnt that keep it from boiling the tank?i do check temp and ph twice daily as i walk past the sump room when i go to work and come home

 

[chrisguy]

oneradtek202,my heater is controlled with an acjr. wouldnt that keep it from boiling the tank?i do check temp and ph twice daily as i walk past the sump room when i go to work and come home

In theory yes. What happens if the AC Jr probe somehow comes out of the tank?? That 400w heater is going to cook things quicker than a 250w with the same issue.

What if the heater breaks (not working)?? You don't have a backup and the temp could drop quickly in the dead of winter.

I +2 the need for multiple smaller heaters.

 

[pascal32]

I have my heater thermometers set one degree or so above the desired tank temp. this doesn't help sticking, but it will afford some protection in case the probe goes crazy!

 

[frofan]

The amount of heat you will need will depedn on the amount of water you have in the basement. I recently added a 40 gallon look down tank in my non heated basement and had to add another 250 watt heater to keep the tank at 78 degrees.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

IMHO if your basement is in the mid 60's or lower you might as well insulate the sump, unless it will cause some sort of usability/access issue. $10 - $20 in insulating materials will pay for itself really quick compared to a few hundred watts of heaters and it's just as easy to remove insulation in the summer if you don't need it.

 

[naprestsleep]

I built the stand for my sump with a 2 inch lip that I can side pink rigid foam into to insulate it. I cut all the foam last year but due to the fact I set it all up toward the end of the winter I never installed it. I plan to this year and hope to see a difference in the heaters running.

I plan to potentially cover my refug with Plexiglas too, as the rest of the system will be open for air flow, I hope it may cut down on some evaporation and heat loss.

 

[Dave VG]

Thanks everyone I'm feeling better about keeping it to temp.

 

[jacksonpt]

FWIW... I don't have a basement sump, but when my kids are with their mother I keep my house at 60-63 degrees in the winter. My tank seems to lose about 2 degrees overall. Another heater would help I'm sure, I just haven't gotten around to it.

 

[Dave VG]

I have decided that I will be insulating and covering the sump and will cut some for around the back and sides of the DT if needed. Jackson what size heater are you using?