Aqualifter Pump

[tamz273]

Is that a generic name? or is it a brand? Can anyone pass me a link to one?

[archer772]

Here you go http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~OE1137.html

[tamz273]

So this will work better than connecting my Overflow Nipple to a 110GPH Powerhead in my tank?

[Sploke]

IME, about the same. The aqualifter has a little bit more versatility as it doens't have to be in the tank, you can put it anywhere and run airline tubing. However, mine just died after about a year and a half so I just grabbed a spare powerhead and used the venturi. I have powerheads that are still running after 5-6 years of abuse so they might be a more reliable option. The venturi stuff can b a little finicky but once you get it positioned you should be ok.

[tamz273]

i cant seem to find any venturi power heads... it looks like all they sell are protein skimmers...?

on another note, i posted earlier about some water level trouble i had... is the reason behind it the fact that i dont have an aqualifter in my overflow?

[Sploke]

Not having anything sucking air out of your overflow could cause the overflow to not flow up to its potential...although if you're running a reasonable amount of flow through it, you shouldn't get any air into it really once its fully primed. I'm trying to push about 600-650gph through an overflow rated for 600gph. The flow is fast enough that it sucks a lot of bubbles through, so I need a constant draw on the overflow to keep it running fully primed. I have the same overflow on another tank running at about 400gph, and once I get that primed, I don't need anything on it since no air really enters the chamber. I just use a piece of airline tubing on the nipple to prime it, then stick the end of the tube underwater and its good to go.

this is the powerhead I am using
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4585+4628&pcatid=4628

[tamz273]

interesting... i know i have bubbles running through my overflow cuz i can see them kinda "seep" in... and then i also see them comming out the other end of the overflow... im not sure how many get stuck in the siphon chamber though, so im going to assume that there ARE bubbles being stuck there...
I currently have the overflow hooked up to a powerhead in the tank.. im not sure if its workign well or not, because the water level in the sump is not remaining constant... can i safely assume that the reason is that there is not enough suctino form the power head?
Ill probably buy an aqualifter pump anyway, and see if that fixes the water level problem in my sump...

[Sploke]

Without seeing pictures of your overflow, sump and plumbing, I couldn't tell you for sure why you are having water level issues in your sump, but I would bet it doesn't have as much to do with your overflow. What do you mean by nor remaining constant, i.e. how long does it take to change and by how much?

[tamz273]

it always levels off at a certain point, and if i fill it up with about an inch of water, in around 5 minutes, its gone back down to the level is usually levels off at...

[Sploke]

so the main tank water level gets higher and higher if you keep adding water to the sump?

[tamz273]

yeh...

[Sploke]

this may be a stupid question, but your sump is under your display tank, right?

What is your overflow rated for and what pump are you using?

[tamz273]

yeh it is :P its directly under the tank... the overflow is a cpr-CS100 with a flow rate of 800GPH... the return pump is rated at 780 GPH.. so technically the sump should be filling up instead of draining out... im pretty confused..

[Sploke]

Those are the same style overflows that I use. Since the sides are clear, you should be able to look in and see if the siphon part is completely primed. Is that flow rate of 780gph before head loss or after? What make/model pump is it?

[archer772]

Have you tried to lower the overflow box so it sits lower in your tank, I dont think it will help but worth a try.

[tamz273]

the overflow is as low as it will go in the tank... which sucks because i would like for it to go a bit lower...
the pump is a

Quiet One 3000 (780 gph) Pump

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?idproduct=RB3111&child=RB3115

[Sploke]

At 4' of head that pump is rated for about 600gph, which should be fine for your overflow as long as it is properly primed. Can you look in the side and see if there is any air in the siphon loop?

[tamz273]

its actually really really dirty, but i sucked out all the air this morning through my mouth and sucked a bit extra and got just plain salt water... so im assuming its primed right...

I just dont understand why the sump water level keeps going down instead of staying at a certain level...

[Sploke]

Nor I....but without a picture there's not much else I can tell you.

[tamz273]

alright, ill take a few pictures of my whole setup once i get back home and post em on a new thread... thanks for the help anyways... and BTW, got any ideas on how to clean that overflow?

[Sploke]

Only way I would think is to get a bottle brush and bend it into a U shape and try to snake it up there to clean everything out.

[tamz273]

Alright... well heres a pic of the way the overflow is setup, ill get a pic of the sump up in a few minz, gotta get a pic with my cam instead of my phone (too dark in the sump cabinet...)

[tamz273]

Alright... well here is a pic of the overflow, and ill have a pic of the sump in a few minutes (need a flash light)

[archer772]

Well I would try 2 things
1. raise up the PH you are useing to draw the air out, they can't pull air down very far.
2. remove the snail gaurd from the outside box of your over flow and see if that helps.
also make sure nothing is plugging the drain hose from the overflow.

[tamz273]

theres nothing plugging the drain hose... i just ordered an Aqualifter pump that should come in by friday, so that will be my next bed... I dont see the bubbles in the hose moving though... from the PH... Should the be moving at all? The are still..

[tamz273]

I just lifted the PH, now its constantly drawing air out of the siphon and spitting it into the tank making it all bubbly... im guessing this IS whats supposed to be happening...? Also, here is an image of my sump and the bubbles the power head is producing...

[archer772]

Well the only way you would be getting those bubbles is if there is air in the overflow at least IMO also did you remover the piece from inside the box thats on the outside of your tank because there shouldnt be that much water in the box on the outside, what I am talking about is the drain hole in the outside box

[tamz273]

which drain hole? u mean the "net" preventing things from going into the sump? i just removed that, and there is actually alot less bubbles comming out of the power head... could it be that there isnt enough water in the main tank? there isnt enough water going in there so its causing some air to seep in?

[archer772]

I am talking about that screened cap piece that is in the outside box portion of your overflow. With that gone you should get more water flowing thru your overflow as in down thru the drain hose

[tamz273]

that part doesnt come off in my overflow box... its designed as part of the screw-on...
i just dont understand why there are bubbles going into the overflow... does a lack of water make a difference?

[archer772]

This piece
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d195/archer772/IMG_0209B.jpg

[tamz273]

yeh, that does not come off... on the end of the drain hose tho, i have have a U made out of 2 corner joints and a small hose in between, and i put that there to eliminate the gurgling that occurs...
if i take that off, the water level ontop of that part goes way down, btu the gurgling comes back...
could this be the cause?

[archer772]

I know on my U tube if the flow is to low it will get bubbles trapped in it, that piece should be able to be taken off I would think.

[tamz273]

is there any way at eliminating the gurgling noise?

[archer772]

yeh, that does not come off... on the end of the drain hose tho, i have have a U made out of 2 corner joints and a small hose in between, and i put that there to eliminate the gurgling that occurs...
if i take that off, the water level ontop of that part goes way down, btu the gurgling comes back...
could this be the cause?

Sounds like that is where your problem is then. I would try to get the end of that hose just above the water level in your sump (without the u) and see how it works.

[tamz273]

alright will try that now...

[archer772]

Water coming out of your drain hose is pushing against the water in your sump and it builds up air and then gets pushed out and makes the gurgling sound so if you can let the water flow freely it should elimenate that sound

[tamz273]

i tried it, wen i pulled the end U bit off it just kept gurgling non-stop... regardless where the end of the hose was (above water, half n half, or fully submerged)...

[tamz273]

the gurgling im getting is comming by air going back in the hose and up the overflow box...

[archer772]

OK is there anyway you can get an airline hose down into that screened part in the outside box and down the drain line a little bit if so try that

[tamz273]

i just did some adjusting... i read the CPR forums and now i brought the water level to juuust above that peice u told me to take off... and the PH isnt putting out much bubbles (one burst per minute or so)...

now i think the overflow is working right... and im nto getting any gurgles either... (U in the end of the drain hose is still on)

[archer772]

Thank god I was haveing trouble coming up with ideas because all of them I have worked with we never had any problems with and yours was driving me nuts, did the water level go down in your display a little?? you should also be able to add water to your sump and the level should stay up in the sump also.

[tamz273]

alright i will try that 2morow... i just leveled off the overflow with the water level in the tank... im gonna leave it overnight, see if the level in the overflow changes at all.. if not, then 2morow ill add water to the sump and see if it stays at that level...

[tamz273]

so i just tried adding some water to the sump... it seems to be going back into the tank though... the overflow box was fine this morning (level didnt change) but when i added some water to the sump the water level in the overflow rose, meaning the water level in the tank rose too...
im very very confused... any ideas? i ordered a ball valve that should be comming in 2morow, but is that even gonna fix the problem?

i just tried taking some water out of the tank, and the sump automatically looses water to replace the water taken out of the tank... i really dont get this at all...

[Sploke]

What are you planning on doing with a ball valve? Restrict the outflow of your pump?

The water level in the back of your overflow box looks pretty high for being a basically open drain. I would look at what is restricting the water flow going down the drain pipe into the sump. There's gotta be a way to take that screen pitting off and replace it with a stockman standpipe or something

[tamz273]

i managed to bring that down to about half an inch about the screen... turns out it needed adjusting... once i got that done, i let it run overnight.. this morning i woke up n all was good, so i tried to top off the sump, and faced teh same problem again...

the water in the tank began to rise again, and the overflow filled up again, and the sump water level dropped a little bit after teh top off...

now if i want the overflow box to have a lower water level again, i just need to decrease the water level in the tank a little bit...

[tamz273]

FINALLY SOLVED!!
i had too many bends in the drain pipe and it was causing teh drain to slow down... now all is running fine EXCEPT for the gurgling! :( my only problem is that most forums say that i cant install a Standpipe in my CPR overflow! and that i would have to use the original pipe that came with the overflow (which i lost)...