Custom sump... Calibration is a NIGHTMARE!!

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Morgadeth

Morgadeth

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Sep 19, 2007
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So, I finished my sump.. I'll post a pic here tomorrow..

Big question:
How do you get the water flow calibrated? It's kicking my butt right now..

I put ball valves on both lines to maximize control, but I just can't find a happy medium.. Getting the send and return flow rate matched up seems impossible.. I can get it extrememly close, but it still creeps ahead in either direction: Either too fast on the return, emptying the sump or too fast on the send side, emptying the overflow box.. That doesn't really matter, since I have it configured to not lose siphon, but it sure gets noisy..

Not to mention it fills the sump above the final baffle, defeating the purpose altogether!

Is it possible I have too much water in the system, or not enough?

Any help would be great...
 
clown-lover

clown-lover

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It took me adjusting mine by millimeters to get the flow just right.. It was a pain in the petuti and took tons of time but I finally got it..

As far as the final baffel it could be to much water but diagrams, pics etc would help.
 
Morgadeth

Morgadeth

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Here's some pics of the setup right now...

My DIY overflow box works great now, once I replaced the U tube from an old filter box with a custom PVC construct..

The return line has a check valve to prevent backflow, and as I said before, both lines have ball valves..

102_0879.JPG 102_0873.JPG
 
Morgadeth

Morgadeth

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As you can see in this picture, I am still fighting with the flow rate..

As for water, is there a guideline? Maybe there is a point of reference when the pump is inactive? I dunno.. I'd like to keep this running smoothly enough to trust it over night, but I don't right now..

Plus. once the pump restarts after testing the overflow cutoff, how long should it take for the overflow to catch back up? It seems almost impossible...
 
clown-lover

clown-lover

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basically the guideline is when the return pump shuts off your sump should hold all of the water that drains without overflowing. It takes a while for my overflow to catch up as well, but it normally happens within a a minute or so.

From your pics it looks like your drain is hard piped from the inside overflow to the back? No U tube between the two? Is that correct?
Yeah ok I just read the top part..

I haven't done mine like this, but what is the difference in ID (inside diameter) between your piping and your U Tube? I'm kind of shooting in the dark here like I said I still use the U Tube.
 
Reefscape

Reefscape

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It does sound a lot like its not adjusted correctly...What flow rate overflow and what return pump are you using?..and what size pipe work is on the overflow to sump and the return line??

Can you take a picture of the sump, square on without the cloth covering the inlet part of the sump, give us a clearer idea of the sump...

Niko
 
Morgadeth

Morgadeth

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The main tube is 1" PVC, both return and send.. I had to expand from 3/4 outlet on the pump, but that's why I used 3/4 on the U tube.. In theory, same flow restrictions...
The pump is a ViaAqua 2600...

Sorry I cut the side off the sump in the pic. My wife runs a daycare, and it's naptime.. :naughty: Snapping the picture almost was as much fun as turning off the sump and making that super "toilet flush" sound in the living room..

Anyways, all that's missing from the pic is one under and one over baffle.. The feed line runs almost to the bottom of the first chamber; about 4 inches from the bottom, roughly.

102_0880.JPG
 
Morgadeth

Morgadeth

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That pic is HORRIBLE full sized! Sorry!!
The output is 3/4 into 3'4 clear hose, into another 3/4.. At that point it goes into a 3/4 to 1" plug, bringing the diameter up to 1"
 
fsn77

fsn77

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Is there a particular reason you're increasing tubing diameter from 3/4" to 1" on the return line?

What's the head height it's pushing against? From the picture, I wouldn't guess it to be more than 3' - 4', meaning that pump is pushing ~375 - 500 gph up to the tank. A 1" drain should easily be able to handle this without any problem.

In the end, the system shouldn't require any ball valves for adjusting flow, unless you need or want to recirculate some of the water from the return pump back into the sump in a situation where the return pump is pushing more water than the drain can handle. Water going down the drain can only equal water being pumped into the tank, unless the pump is pushing more water into the tank than the drain can handle, but that shouldn't be the case in this situation with that pump.

In general, it's not a good idea to restrict flow on the drain line. If build-up starts occurring at a partially closed valve, there's a good chance that flow can become restricted enough to result in the display tank overflowing, while the sump eventually becomes pumped dry, all before you realize what's happening.
 
Morgadeth

Morgadeth

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Yeah, all the plumbing is plenty big enough.. It seems that the pump is sending out faster than the return is bringing back.. Running it fully unrestricted is quite noisy, since there is almost no water in the overflow box's rear chamber. The only way to quiet things down is by restriction, and there lies the problem...
 
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