AIO Return Pump Keeps Draining Chambers

Captainscott

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Hey everyone thanks in advanced my Return Pump in my AIO Keeps Draining my AIO I have Cleaned the pump every time I turn it off with my Apex it fills back up all the chambers and when I turn it on it drains the second chamber and last chamber (the return chamber). I am lost on what to do I have cleaned all the baffles to make sure there is no clogging my aquatop Return pump doesn't have any Adjustment Settings.
 

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Is this a new setup tank? If so, when you turn on the return pump it will drain the chamber. You may simply need to add more saltwater so that the water levels when the tank is running are at the level you want them. The other thought is that the return pump may be to much flow for the overflow to handle. I can’t open the video to see what exactly it looks like.
 
Hey Bud sorry Video isn't uploading and yes the water in the tank is at its normal level And if I turn on my ATO It would just keep running so I turned it off till I can figure what's happening
 
I can't see the video, but what you are describing sounds normal to me

My thinking is, with my experience, when you turn the return on, the water level in the display goes up until it reaches height for the overflow. That displacement if water from the rear chambers into the display lowers the water in thise chambers.

Now the question is, will you need to add water? Ir are those chambers supposed to run lower?

With a sump, not aio, if all your water level is correct in your sump prior to powering on your return pump, once you power it on, you will see that water needs to be added because the total volume of water has not changed but the volume the water occupies has. BUT once you power the return off, you will have that extra water fill the sump over the water level it operates at, sometimes this is a significant volume and you need to plan for that extra water when pumps are off to prevent overflow.

However, with an all in one, that design wirk has been done for you, so its just a matter of finding out where your operating water level should be. If the water level is supposed to remain higher in the later chambers, then add more, if they are meant to be running lower level, adding more water will cause water to overflow when the pump is off without extra headspace for the water to occupy.

Is the water level in your display up to the overflow line? You could also have this problem if you are not running the appropriate amount of water there. (I used to run way lower in my fresh tanks, and had no idea you could run them nearly cinpletely filled like you have to with a salt tank with return pumps)
 
Hey Bud sorry Video isn't uploading and yes the water in the tank is at its normal level And if I turn on my ATO It would just keep running so I turned it off till I can figure what's happening
go to YouTube and upload the video the copy and paste the link.

It sounds like your pumps is to much for the system and either need to be slowed down you restricted.

Is the pump a DC pump? If so one can slow down the pump to keep up with your overflow rate. You could also increase your pipe and bulk head size to the sump.

Basically is sound like the pump is starved with not enough flow from the return.
 

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