Sump plumbing. Feedback?

You want your drain to go in the far left, then as water travels through to the right towards the return pump your filtration (skimmer,LR,Chaeto,) will hit as it travels towards the return. I can't see what you are talking about, unless your middle compartment will somehow make it to the left compartment before it hits the return pump? Seems like it would skip the skimmer all together though?

 

Yes, that was a really dumb question of me to ask. After thinking about it I said "duh, Helen". I will feel much more comfortable when I fill the tank and be more in my element.

Anyway, I think this following diagram is what AZ and others have suggested. Start at the 3/4" output of the return, step up to 1" untill just before the first ball valve and the tee. Continue in 3/4' adding additional ball valves to balance flow to my liking. Did I get it?

 

Believe me I've asked every dumb question known to man when I built my own sump. There's numerous posts scattered everywhere of me trying to figure it out. Special shout out to Todd for dealing with all my PM's! I am only now at ease with my sump and its been since Sept when I built mine.

I think you got it. I don't use any ball valves on mine. I only run a single pipe 1" each way though. Clear PVC tubing on return, and Flex hose on my drain. I had ball valves on my old tank and I never used them. I use a 32gal Rubbermaid tough guy for my sump, and there is plenty of room for any leaks from my over flow.

 

Place the first valve right at the pump or you really could eliminate the valve at the pump since you will have individual valves on each return. Use 1" up to and including the tee at the top then use 1"x3/4" reducer bushings into each valve and return. This keeps the flow at the maximum all the way to the split.

On my sump I have a small refugium on what would be your far left, the skimmer and main overflow are in the center section with over-under-over baffles into the return pump section on the far right. The refugium is fed via the overflow using a 1"x1/2" tee into a 1/2" valve and short section of tubing so I can divert a small amount of flow into the fuge filled with chaetomorpha algae without restricting the overflow. Some people divert a small portion of their return flow back to the fuge, either way works.

No reason why you can't place the skimmer in the first section, it will give the microbubbles more time to surface and dissipate.

 

I think the best course of action right now is to get drunk.

 

I'll join you there!

 

Thinking like a pro now!!

 

When I built my sump and plumbing, I used 2 unions. It came in handy too. Just the other day I was tweaking my drain into my fuge. Would of been very hard to do if I had not had a union on there...

 

Do you have room to make one section a refugium?
If you have 3 sections I would highly recommend making one section a refugium.
If you put the return pump in the middle you can easily control the amount of water flow through the refugium with a separate line from the pump or drains.
I made my sump just like Melevs Model F sump except a bigger skimmer section because my skimmer is huge. Would rather have a bigger return section like his because there is more tolerance without an Auto top off but that's ok with a working ATO system. Are you cutting the acrylic your self?
Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

 

Here's a pic of mine. It's in a tough guy container, but you'll get the idea. Drain goes into basket, then drips out into skimmer area, I have 40lbs of LR & chaeto that filters through, my return pump is in the far right hand corner to pick up the filtered water and back up to the tank. FYI that rusty hanger wire has long since been replaced!