Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 What is the best way to regulate flow so you have a consistent water level in your sump and tank? I was planning to mod an AC30 (rated 150 GPH) into an outflow for the tank into the sump and use a penguin 550 (145 GPH) for the return. If I packed the AC with 3 foam blocks will that slow it enough to make it about even or is there a much easier way to do this? I feel like I'm missing something... Details on the project here I really just don't want my sump to overflow... Link to comment
Matty1124 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 dont do that... never try to match two pumps... you want gravity for the drain and the pump for the return... look into some type of overflow Link to comment
121a Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 +1 the best way is to drill the tank for a bulkhead and plumb like that. Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Can't drill tank, its established. Anyone got any idea about a good HOB overflow? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 do a little research and you will find lots of good overflow available... http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_searchItem.a...ow&parsed=1 http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/sea...&ts=results http://www.petsolutions.com/+Qoverflow+SAll.aspx Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Thanks. I found almost all those myself, but they're just too expensive. Also, the smallest ones seem to siphon 300 GPH, is there any way to slow that so my pump can keep up? Also, how loud are they? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 theres no need to slow it down, when they say 300gph, it means they can flow up to 300gph, not continuously flowing 300gph. they will only flow as much as the return pump you are using. if water enters at a rate of 150gph, the water will leave at a rate of 150gph. overflow box isnt cheap. thats why some suggested glass-holes.com since they are a cheaper alternative, but that isnt an option since your tank is established. try looking up ebay or the classifieds to see if anyone is selling one on the cheap. you will find some every now and then. some quality overflow do have silencers or different type of contraption to silence the overflow. i havent used any of the commercially purchased overflow so i can not tell you which ones are quite and which isnt. maybe someone with more experienced with them chime in. Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 theres no need to slow it down, when they say 300gph, it means they can flow up to 300gph, not continuously flowing 300gph. they will only flow as much as the return pump you are using. if water enters at a rate of 150gph, the water will leave at a rate of 150gph. overflow box isnt cheap. thats why some suggested glass-holes.com since they are a cheaper alternative, but that isnt an option since your tank is established. try looking up ebay or the classifieds to see if anyone is selling one on the cheap. you will find some every now and then. some quality overflow do have silencers or different type of contraption to silence the overflow. i havent used any of the commercially purchased overflow so i can not tell you which ones are quite and which isnt. maybe someone with more experienced with them chime in. I was thinking of using melcolm's DIY overflow box made of lee's specimen containers, is this a good idea? Also, I could probably just silence the overflow box with a piece of foam prefilter, right? Could anyone explain to me the mechanics of the overflow? For example: in the event of a power outage, will the siphon keep going and overflow my sump, or will it stop? If so, how do you re-start the siphon? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 thats fine. you;ll get the same result. those overflow prevents emptying the whole tank when power goes out, and will auto start when the power comes back on. basically theres 2 boxes. one is in the tank, the other is outside the tank. the water level outside the box is lower than the one inside, thats how water is drawn out of the tank through the principle of siphoning. when the power goes, water is still draining out of the tank until the water inside the box in the tank is the same as the water level outside. they are at equilibrium and the so the water will not continue to drain, but the siphon is not broken yet. when power resumes, water level inside the tank rises, the water level inside box in the tank is higher than the level outside and the action resumes. hope this clears it up for you Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 thats fine. you;ll get the same result. those overflow prevents emptying the whole tank when power goes out, and will auto start when the power comes back on. basically theres 2 boxes. one is in the tank, the other is outside the tank. the water level outside the box is lower than the one inside, thats how water is drawn out of the tank through the principle of siphoning. when the power goes, water is still draining out of the tank until the water inside the box in the tank is the same as the water level outside. they are at equilibrium and the so the water will not continue to drain, but the siphon is not broken yet. when power resumes, water level inside the tank rises, the water level inside box in the tank is higher than the level outside and the action resumes. hope this clears it up for you Perfect. I read a couple articles on this design and I'm pretty sure I get it now. My last question would have to be: is my pump too wimpy to prevent air bubbles in the U-tube? (I may just use a durso style standpipe in the box to prevent this) or should I get a more powerful one? (Keeping in mind its only a 6 gallon tank). Thanks a lot!!! Link to comment
Omen Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Our tank was already established as well so we added a HOB Overflow. I would say you go with a CPR that has an Aqualifter on top. Just to make sure in case the siphon breaks.... Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Our tank was already established as well so we added a HOB Overflow. I would say you go with a CPR that has an Aqualifter on top. Just to make sure in case the siphon breaks.... Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm fairly handy so I think I'll try the DIY for now. Link to comment
nematoad Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Can you drill the other sump? I'm assuming because you originally wanted to use 2 HOB to do the flow, they are. You could elevate the sump tank, use an HOB to draw water into the sump from the DT, and use a drain in the sump to drain water back to the DT. Of course, the overflow box is definitely a more elegant solution. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Perfect. I read a couple articles on this design and I'm pretty sure I get it now. My last question would have to be: is my pump too wimpy to prevent air bubbles in the U-tube? (I may just use a durso style standpipe in the box to prevent this) or should I get a more powerful one? (Keeping in mind its only a 6 gallon tank). Thanks a lot!!! bubbles in the U tube has nothing to do with how strong your pump is. the way how you first start the siphon for the overflow is stick an air tubing inside the U tube and suck the air out with your mouth. once the air is out, and there is height difference in the tank and the overflow, the unit till it automatically start siphoning. wow..your tank is only 6 gals? the overflow box is going to take up A LOT of space in your tank. i would suggest to drill the tank in that case. 6 gals is pretty small, empty it in a 5gal bucket with the light you have, pump and heater for a while. they will be fine for a few days. i was bucket reefing for a week while i had to do some major repairs on my tank. Link to comment
Omen Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm fairly handy so I think I'll try the DIY for now. Your DIY skills don't have anything to do with this. I am sure you have the skill but what will you do once the power goes off? How will you start the siphon again once it breaks? Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Can you drill the other sump? I'm assuming because you originally wanted to use 2 HOB to do the flow, they are. You could elevate the sump tank, use an HOB to draw water into the sump from the DT, and use a drain in the sump to drain water back to the DT. Of course, the overflow box is definitely a more elegant solution. Not an option, space is very limited. I;m already building a stand that accomodates the sump underneath. bubbles in the U tube has nothing to do with how strong your pump is. the way how you first start the siphon for the overflow is stick an air tubing inside the U tube and suck the air out with your mouth. once the air is out, and there is height difference in the tank and the overflow, the unit till it automatically start siphoning. wow..your tank is only 6 gals? the overflow box is going to take up A LOT of space in your tank. i would suggest to drill the tank in that case. 6 gals is pretty small, empty it in a 5gal bucket with the light you have, pump and heater for a while. they will be fine for a few days. i was bucket reefing for a week while i had to do some major repairs on my tank. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF What kind of bit do I drill with? What Diameter hole/bulkhead do you recommend? Can I have more info on placement of the hole and how to drill please? Thanks Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Not an option, space is very limited. I;m already building a stand that accomodates the sump underneath. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF What kind of bit do I drill with? What Diameter hole/bulkhead do you recommend? Can I have more info on placement of the hole and how to drill please? Thanks glass-holes.com sell a kit with drill put, bulkheads and overflow box. they have "nano size" overflow to choose from. also video on the site that goes through a step by step process. i think the nano kit they sell has a 1inch bulk head which is MORE than enough. Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 glass-holes.com sell a kit with drill put, bulkheads and overflow box. they have "nano size" overflow to choose from. also video on the site that goes through a step by step process. i think the nano kit they sell has a 1inch bulk head which is MORE than enough. Cool. Now what about placement? I was thinking maybe an inch from the top in the top right corner, that way the sump won't overflow in a power outage. EDIT: Won't I have an overflow box in the tank either way? What difference will it make if its an HOB or for a drilled out drain? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 thing about HOB overflow box is they are big. the smallest CRP is 6.5inch wide where as the glass holes overflow is i think 3.5". it gives the tank a more sleeker look too. what size tank do you havE? Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 thing about HOB overflow box is they are big. the smallest CRP is 6.5inch wide where as the glass holes overflow is i think 3.5". it gives the tank a more sleeker look too. what size tank do you havE? Oh, I thought the dimensions of the glass-holes boxes were bigger. That's what I get for trying to read at 3 am. It's a 6 gallon. About 14" wide, 12" deep and 12" high. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 i calculated to be about 8.7gals or almost to 8 if you dont fill up to the top =P its up to you.either way works. you will be paying more for the overflow, but no need to take the tank down and drill...but its cheaper for glass-holes. either way will work Link to comment
Codeman Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 i calculated to be about 8.7gals or almost to 8 if you dont fill up to the top =P its up to you.either way works. you will be paying more for the overflow, but no need to take the tank down and drill...but its cheaper for glass-holes. either way will work My CUC ships Monday and while I'd rather not drill the tank with critters in it, I'm just going to take the chance and use every precaution to keep them and the tank safe. I'd rather drill it once now and not have to replace parts or fiddle with siphons later on. Link to comment
Codeman Posted November 2, 2008 Author Share Posted November 2, 2008 I'm looking to move 200 or so gallons per hour through my system and I'm needing a better pump than I currently own. I was thinking of getting the Rio 600 Plus as it pumps 200 GPH, is fully submersible and recommended for sump applications. Does anyone have any experience with these pumps or can you recommend another that moves about the same amount of water and is under $30? Thanks Link to comment
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