Basement sumps dos and donts

Balz3352 · Aug 13, 2015

Hey they're. I'm in the planning stages of a basement sump/fish room. I want to cuddle some of the dos and donts to this that people have experienced.

What would you do again?
What would you design differently?
What would you NOT do?
What do you wish you had done?

Of course pics welcome...Well not welcome but encouraged!!

hawkinsrgk · Aug 13, 2015

Here is mine.

The only thing I would change is add an exhaust fan when the house was being built. Had mold problems due to the humidity.

Thanks
Randy

hawkinsrgk · Aug 13, 2015

Forgot to add the pic

johnanddawn · Aug 14, 2015

Really like my basement set up
Pictures can be found on my old thread
And yes venting is a must in the summer months, a simple vent fan will work but you need to get rid of the humidity somehow
Do
Have a sink, a large laundry tub type is perfect
Large water storage containers for making both ro and salt water
Extra room for qt tank or frag tank or what ever
Consider a cryptic fuge as well as a regular one
Test power outage water levels for all tanks connected in line

Don't
Can't think of any downsides at the moment

143MPCo · Aug 14, 2015

Ventilation can not be stressed enough as noted above...
This is a video walk through I did of my system.

143MPCo · Aug 14, 2015

More pics here--> link

Winschuc · Aug 14, 2015

Just make sure that everything is accessible. I made the big mistake of just getting everything operational and didn't give enough time for planning future maintenance. I've since rebuilt my filtration area and have noticed only positive results.

mardoon · Aug 15, 2015

here is mine. when i was testing everything. i will upload more pictures later. also i added a dehumifer.

TankRazr · Aug 15, 2015

Check valves. This may seem obvious but I've seen people leave them out. I like see through and I like true union.

In return line close to return pump not only to prevent potential siphoning from display tank but also to prevent water from return line overflowing sump. Additionally serves to keep the line primed so that the return pump doesn't blast the display tank with bubbles when cycled back on.

TR

gtbarsi · Aug 15, 2015

Lots of good suggestions, here's the list in the order I think they should be in:

Additional ventilation
Make sure you can handle the water levels during a power outage (avoid water overflowing your basement systems)
Make sure everything is accessible
Use plenty of unions, for changes / maintenance
Humidity control (relates to #1 but specifically humidity)
Consider the use of check valves (controversial for some). IMHO the use of a check valve on the return line is a good bit of extra protection provided you are not relying on it to prevent overflow, and it is serviced regularly. Insure there are unions, some people like clear check valves, I will add that I like the idea of the "y" check valves that have been featured in some BRS videos, as they can do all of this.
Setup RO/DI and Water Mixing
Have a Sink near by
Leave room for additional items you do not have yet (QT system, Frag system, Fuge, Cryptic fuge, etc...)

Some Items I would add that I'd like others to weigh in on since I do not yet have a basement sump (unless you count the fact that my current system is in the basement).

Power should always be above, never below the sump and other tanks.
All power / electronics should be well secured, and if possible isolated from any possible spray / excessive humidity.
A floor drain and waterproof membrane for the floor and first three inches of any walls will provide a lot of convenience, home protection, and piece of mind.
+1 to Mark Callahan (Mr. Saltwater Tank) for his fish room setup that included these and a raised slip-proof floor.
More water + more pipe + more pressure = 1001 more reasons to have leak sensors in the sump and DT area.
Separate your basement sump from the rest of the basement for protection and to keep your sump area clean.

Does anyone have any other suggestions, things to avoid, or comments on my prioritization or the items I suggest?
Specific solutions for one or more of these items?

jerl77 · Aug 15, 2015

Here is mine

I would add more room if I did it again
Lol

jerl77 · Aug 15, 2015

Couple days ago
Added a external skimmer not to long ago

TankRazr · Aug 16, 2015

^@jerl77, Nice looking fish room. I have the exact same skimmer, and bummed they don't make it anymore.

@OP Another suggestion I would add is....

Utilize a second pump other than your return pump for feeding all your various pieces of equipment etc. By doing this you can keep your head loss to a minium and maximise the return flow without being subject to all sorts of parasitic head loss which can add up. By building a custom manifold you can make it scalable so that you can add and remove equipment easily. Use gate valves for more precise control. DC pumps are so affordable, and energy efficient nowadays and you can also ramp the flow up or down as needed.

Hope this makes sense. Let me know if you need any further clarification.

TR

jerl77 · Aug 20, 2015

This is what I did ran two pumps one pump is on full time and runs the whole system
The other pump is plumbed in with ball valves if I have a pump failure turn a valve back online in 2 minutes