Do I have my sump set up correctly?

ndz98 · Jan 19, 2016

I know a couple of the glass pieces are crooked but I'll fix that. Other than that I have it set up correctly, right? It's going left to right. Sorry for the crappy photo

Mike in CT · Jan 19, 2016

Did you calculate how much water will drain from your display tank, down into your sump when return pump loses power/ is shut off? The panes seem a little high to me but maybe it's just the picture.

ndz98 · Jan 19, 2016

The two middle panes are about an inch from the top. But if the return loses power then water should also build up in the overflow area and the return are too not just the fuge right?

redfishbluefish · Jan 19, 2016

It appears you have two bubble traps. That's not necessary. Only need one before going back to the DT.

ndz98 · Jan 19, 2016

Okay let me rearrange and I'll post a pic.

ndz98 · Jan 19, 2016

Or should I use the fourth piece of glass and put it right before the return pump?

KorD · Jan 19, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
It appears you have two bubble traps. That's not necessary. Only need one before going back to the DT.

+1 on this!!!

I would also have your glass lower incase of a power outage.. looks like you are going to overflow that sump quickly.
The sump I built has a bubble trap, the first sits roughly 8 inches, and the other is 4 inches off the base with about 3 inches from the top. Incase of a power failure, I also installed a back flow preventer for one darn good reason..lol.
my water return to tank line is drilled a little more then half way down the tank with it will stop water from back flowing from the tank through the pump

ndz98 · Jan 20, 2016

KorD said:
+1 on this!!!

I would also have your glass lower incase of a power outage.. looks like you are going to overflow that sump quickly.
The sump I built has a bubble trap, the first sits roughly 8 inches, and the other is 4 inches off the base with about 3 inches from the top. Incase of a power failure, I also installed a back flow preventer for one darn good reason..lol.
my water return to tank line is drilled a little more then half way down the tank with it will stop water from back flowing from the tank through the pump

I see what you're saying. So is there a way I can cut the glass shorter on my own without wasting it? Can I just use a utility knife and score it a few times then snap the glass I don't bed off?

redfishbluefish · Jan 20, 2016

NO! You can score it with a glass cutter and snap it, but that will leave you with a sharp edge. Better than what you've proposed.

ndz98 · Jan 20, 2016

So if I shortened the glass by two inches in height you think it would be enough?

Mike in CT · Jan 20, 2016

This is what I did.... I have a 75 gallon DT, so I figured out since my tank is 21 inches tall, it's going to drain about 3 1/2 gallons for every inch the water drops in the display tank when the return pump is shut off. So my overflow teethe are about 2 inches below the surface of the tank, so I knew I needed my sump to be to able to hold at least 7 more gallons of water then it holds at the normal running level. My sump is 29 gallons, so it holds l about 1.7 gallons per inch, so I had to make sure my sump running height was at least 5 inches below the top of the sump to accommodate the extra water from the DT when power went off. Hope this makes sense! [emoji16]

ndz98 · Jan 20, 2016

Mike in CT said:
This is what I did.... I have a 75 gallon DT, so I figured out since my tank is 21 inches tall, it's going to drain about 3 1/2 gallons for every inch the water drops in the display tank when the return pump is shut off. So my overflow teethe are about 2 inches below the surface of the tank, so I knew I needed my sump to be to able to hold at least 7 more gallons of water then it holds at the normal running level. My sump is 29 gallons, so it holds l about 1.7 gallons per inch, so I had to make sure my sump running height was at least 5 inches below the top of the sump to accommodate the extra water from the DT when power went off. Hope this makes sense! [emoji16]

Makes complete sense actually! Exactly what I was trying to figure out was how much my DT will drain because I know the teeth don't sit really far under water

KorD · Jan 20, 2016

a basic glass cutter will take care of the gob. they are about $3 max at home depot. I would then place the cut side down in your sump so you do not get cut, or you could just wet sand them to soften the edges.
definitely figure out how much water your tank will drain, and be sure you have that much extra room in the sump for a powerboat drain back into the sump, and I would also make sure you give yourself a little extra for just incase purposes.

Lets say my flow though my sump is 8 inches at all times. I know when the pump is off, I get a 2 inches rise in the sump. if my back flow preventer ever fails I will have another 8-10 inch rise in my sump. so I at leats need a sump that is roughly 22 inches tall.

ndz98 · Jan 20, 2016

KorD said:
a basic glass cutter will take care of the gob. they are about $3 max at home depot. I would then place the cut side down in your sump so you do not get cut, or you could just wet sand them to soften the edges.
definitely figure out how much water your tank will drain, and be sure you have that much extra room in the sump for a powerboat drain back into the sump, and I would also make sure you give yourself a little extra for just incase purposes.

Lets say my flow though my sump is 8 inches at all times. I know when the pump is off, I get a 2 inches rise in the sump. if my back flow preventer ever fails I will have another 8-10 inch rise in my sump. so I at leats need a sump that is roughly 22 inches tall.

Bur if I place my return a few inches from the top of the water then it should be a problem though. It won't back flow as much water as it would if it was lower.

De Michieli · Jan 20, 2016

Question Are you planning to run a skimmer as well? If so what is the water hight that skimmer needs? Your water level is going to be really High in your sump.

ndz98 · Jan 20, 2016

Yes that's why I need the first chamber where the overflow will be higher. It's a hob skimmer. The first chamber the water has to come up atleast 4 inches from the top.

ndz98 · Jan 20, 2016

My DT will only drain around 3 gallons if I lose power.

De Michieli · Jan 20, 2016

Are you going to be running a filter sock or just strait pipe? If you are running a strait pipe I worry about the amount of bubbles in that chamber limiting the efficiency of the skimmer. I have my skimmer pull from the first chamber but I run socks to remove a good amount of the bubbles.

ndz98 · Jan 20, 2016

I thought about running a filter sock but I'm kind of limited to space it the only problem. I could silicon a piece of glass in at an angle where the water comes out to make it more smooth when it gets to the sump and so not as much bubbles. If you get what I'm saying. It sounded good in my head lol. And why why bubbles effect the skimmer? Isn't that what the skimmer is supposed to do anyways?