Sump flooding and noisy pump

[mfinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8050116#post8050116 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by g_langley
mfinn, did you blank off the return hole in your tank or did it not have one?

My tank a All Glass 180 gallon, didnot come reef ready with mulitiple holes already drilled in it.
I bought the tank and took it to a glass shop to have two 2" holes drilled in the back wall.
I had always planned on my returns going up over the back wall with pvc.

My newest tank a 240 will be similar with the return going up over the back wall again.

 

[g_langley]

Therefore, I will be placing an order for a Wye Check Valve and am a little red faced that I did not ask for an opinion on the spring loaded valve

Hacksaw at the ready...

 

[mfinn]

Have you considered changing your return line?
If you've done the stuff so far, you must be fairly handy with diy.
The over the top with the syphon break hole is the best.

 

[TG420]

Thanks for the responce guys,

Well I appeared to have awoken this "almost asleep" thread.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8050311#post8050311 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mfinn
Have you considered changing your return line?
If you've done the stuff so far, you must be fairly handy with diy.
The over the top with the syphon break hole is the best.

Thats what I plan on doing, how big of a hole did you drill in the return? Does water shoot out of those holes when the pump is running? Sorry for so many questions, I just dont wanna mess this up. lol..

Unlike many here, my wife and I do this together, so shell chew my *** if I mess somthing up.

-andy

 

[g_langley]

If I did plumb over the top, how is the pipe secured at the top of the tank? It would mean capping off my current fitting (which I'm still coming to terms with!).

Wye-Check put on ice.

Hacksaw temporarily withdrawn.

 

[mfinn]

No the water coming out of the syphon break hole is just a small fraction of the total flow.
On my bottom spray bar, I have about 12-14 -1/8" holes and the syphon break hole is a 1/8" hole. The pressure is higher at that top hole but it is acceptable.
These small holes work fine on my tank. I do have to say that it is a softy tank and I don't add extra calcium or kalkwasser.
The calcium will plug the holes if they are small, so a bigger hole should be used on a tank with alot of calcium going through it.
On a tank that I do use alot of kalkwasser on I made 2"x 1/8" long slits in the bottom spray bar.

 

[mfinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8050415#post8050415 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by g_langley
If I did plumb over the top, how is the pipe secured at the top of the tank? It would mean capping off my current fitting (which I'm still coming to terms with!).

Wye-Check put on ice.

Hacksaw temporarily withdrawn.

The pvc pipe that I use for my return, goes over the top on the left end of the tank and goes down the corner of the tank and to the bottom. It just rests on the lip of the tank. I measured and cut the pvc so it would be fairly form fitting to the lip of the tank.
I've done this 6-7 times on different tanks and never had to worry about securing it.

I suppose that as the pipe goes up past the top edge of my wooden stand, I could add a pipe strap if it was needed.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Drilling a air break hole is only part of the solution. The returns need to be within and inch or two of the surface so when the air break hole is covered by a snail or algae you will only drop the water level an inch or two and you will have kept your sump at such a level you can safely contain that volume of water. Air holes and check valves are just crutches for a problem that should, if possible, be engineered out to begin with. When you are first setting up a system is the time to do it right so you don't have to employ crutches due to poor planning.

 

[g_langley]

Can I ask AZDesertRat how his 100G is return plumbed, if the air hole is only part of his solution?

I must admit that I would prefer to keep the outlet of the return as close to the surface as possible. I'll ponder this one and let you guys know what I intend on doing BEFORE I do it!

All the best...

 

[mfinn]

I still like to have a bottom spray bar coming from my sump and have had this design on different tanks for over 15 years and have had no problems.
I see no design flaws and I believe that there are many ways to skin a cat.
I also see that other people have different ways to do things and I am not so arrogant to believe my way is the only way.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I will have to post a pic or two this evening of how mine is plumbed. Its probably not the best either but it does engineer out any possibility of an over flow due to backsiphonage.

 

[g_langley]

AZDesertRat that would be really useful to me and I'm sure other people following this topic. Look forward to it.

Thanks mate.

 

[mfinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8051551#post8051551 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
I will have to post a pic or two this evening of how mine is plumbed. Its probably not the best either but it does engineer out any possibility of an over flow due to backsiphonage.

I will look foward to any and all information that will help me as well.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Here are a couple of pictures. The first shows the Loc Line returns from the sump shich comes up through a bottom drilled hole in the internal overflow. The second is just a picture of my 100G system to show it off! The third is my sump showing the 3.5" of freeboard space I always maintain to make room for backflow. I never fill past that mark and one day will have an auto topoff system that still will maintain that safety level.
Notice how the returns are only about 3/4" submerged so they break suction shortly after the water quits running over the overflow wier.

 

[Vegas RN]

great looking tank

 

[g_langley]

Thanks for those AZDesertRat, I see what you mean about the drill hole/check-valve not being necessary with your setup. Unfortunately for me, my weir only has the one hole so I can't mimic yours. Also, your sump is quite a bit bigger than mine. Maybe a bigger sump is the way to go for me if I keep the existing plumbing through the bulkhead as is.

Oh and yes, very very nice display!

 

[AZDesertRat]

My return is closer to the overflow that I like. I tried longer Loc Lines but it shaded the coral underneath it andthey didn't grow as well. What I did was put a Seio 1100 in that back corner and it carrries the return water away from the overflow so I don't short circuit.
Get as large a sump as you possibly can fit. The moretotal water volume the easier it is to keep your water quality balanced besides having room for al your stuff in the sump.

 

[g_langley]

AZDesertRat you are so right about room for the stuff in the sump. The AquaMedic sump supplied with the filtration system (Reef 500) is particularly tight and there is just enough room for my 3500 OceanRunner to fit without touching the side of the sump or the filter system. As I said in my initial posts, I'm now surprised about the size of the sump given that the filter supports a 500 litre tank, it should be a good three-four inches taller.

 

[TG420]

Well guys,

I got some great ideas, and decided on which way I think will work best for me. Ill take pics an post them once i get everything working properly.

Thanks for the great discussion.

-andy