Sump level adjustments

I would make that return area bigger then 5". If you don't have a ATO and you let that area run dry you are going to burn up a pump. I would drill a hole in the side of the sump and get the pump out of the water to save on some heat and possible short of the motor. Also make sure that there is at least 1" between the baffels.

 

OOOOf , I did think of that at first, but there is zero room at the inn. All filled up under there. If it truley is evap, a ATO should do the tick, no ?

The baffles on the right have 1" between them, I stuck a filter material in there to clean the water going to the return area but the flow seemes fine through there.

My problem now is determining if it is an adjustment or evaporation. It seemes to go down way to fast for me to think it is evap, but who knows.

Thanks

 

I had one of those nights after I brought my tank back online after a week off (changed from a 75 to a 90). I feed for ya bro.

 

Well I made it though another sleepless night..

Here is the scoop.
Apparently the sump return area 12"x5" is the only spot in the setup that is affected by evaporation so I guess it goes down pretty quick.

In the return area, over an 8 hour period, the water level dropped about 1". Which wouldnt ne that bad if I could raise the level in the return more than it is allowing me to. I pour in water and it wont go past a certain point.

I understand the bafffles set the height, bu I would of expected the height to be closer to the baffle.

Today I will clean the filter again and maybe there is a method to shutting down and turning on that I didnt set right the last time.

Weird,. when I ran the setup and sump with no baffles for three days, I didnt notice a thing.

ALSO, Now this is really crazy - I have the return on full throttle as well. Any answer for this >?

Sorry for my crazy ramblings, just trying to cram in a lifetime of learning into a week.


\Cheers

 

the water loss u are seeing is about what i get from evaporation

the water height should be set by the baffle unless there is a leak in the silicone that the water is gettin threw which would lower the water lvl,
u said u put a sponge in between yer baffles? if the water is rising in the chamber before it remove the sponge the water will go down

"I pour in water and it wont go past a certain point."
can u post a pic of where that point is might make this a lil easyer to troubleshoot

cheers

 

Sure thing, here they are.

I drew the lines after a small water change, 1 hour ago,


Maybe the filter pad is slowing flow a bit causing the water in the fuge to rise, but I would expect it to keep rising. For example, If I take a cup of water from the fuge and pour it into the return, and keep doing that until the lines are level again, they will quickly go back to as you see in the pic.

This is what the valves are set to. Return is on the right.



I found this.
If this is correct, the sump levels will go up and down a bit is normal. Water leaves the return, then when the overflow gets to a certain point, it goes back to the sump. Not sure if this is what I am seeing or not.


I am ok with some evaporation, but I shouldnt see it go down. Or maybe cause of the size of the return , that is expected.

I'm at a loss.

 

OK
Removed the filter pad and water shot right up



I even turned the return back to full throttle.
Bummer,
Any idea on how to keep the filter pad ?

thanks

 

I've got a much bigger setup and two refug / sump tanks and have been spending the last 4 months balancing all the levels out and getting to understanding how they all interrelate . I found the best time to use the filter was only when I'm doing something that will create a lot of debris or deitrus . At this point I'll put in filter socks and very porous or open cell pond pump foam and let them do their thing for the day and then remove and clean them and put them aside until I next need them . The filters especially played havoc with my sump levels . They would look clean but they would hold back way too much water from the return pump . Take the filters out , the debris will stay in the sump naturally .

 

Good call. Thanks. It is a common setup to have some kind of filter there, so I wonder what the trick is?

I will heed your advice for now. The filter was very handy the first two days after setup to catch all the sand and soot floating. Now that things have settled, it should be better as you say.

I still have the foam on the Return pump, the skimmer pump and the skimmer output so at least there is something.


At least I should finally get some sleep tonight knowing the level is stable..


\Cheers

 

Good questions, double2mk. I believe it's the proportional sizes of the different "bins" that's got you confused. When you have a return chamber that's varying in depth by a few inches or more, when you translate that few inches of a 7x7 reservior to the top surface area of a 48" wide tank, the translation is, well. . . lost in the translation.

I won't do the math, but think of it this way, and this is very exaggerated for clarity. Say you have a bathtub that's emptying into a shoebox. That shoebox is going to overflow well before there's an appreciable difference in the level of that bathtub.

I believe that's what's going on in your situation. The compartment in your sump that's varying in depth is so tiny in comparison to your display tank; that a few inches variance in that 7x7 (or so) compartment has nearly no bearing on the level of the display tank.

What you probably need to accomplish here, is to keep the level of that 7x7 sump compartment consistent by employing an ATO system (which might be too much micromanagement) or rework your sump so that the area that experiences the most evaporation is larger in surface area.

Good luck!