How to increase return flow?

[Ian Baxter]

Perfect. I’ll give that a try as soon as I get back home. Had to run out real quick.

With the return and skimmer off, there is 3" left in the sump.

 

[Ian Baxter]

You have two things you can do without re-plumbing your overflow:

1) Ensure that the sump water level while the pump and skimmer are off to be just below the rim and set your ATO based on the minimum water level in your return chamber when you have your pump flowing how you like it, and
2) Make an adjustment in your overflow to utilize both drains.

Ignore any comment that mentions anything about doing anything to your pump. That said, your return pump piping (all the 90s that are used) are going to really drop your GPH you'll ever be able to push. But at the sounds of it, this won't ever be a problem.

If utilizing both drains, will there be no safety from overflow?

 

[Reefering1]

If utilizing both drains, will there be no safety from overflow?

If your drains are not backing up, they aren't the restricting factor, period. More water will solve this, but you must first correct any excessive siphoning, after shutdown, from display to sump; to avoid potential sump overflow during shutdown/power failure.

 

[Naekuh]

Nope. Pump is adjustable not the issue.

He's on the lowest setting and the pump is draining his sump.
Or am i missing something?

That means it has the potential of overflowing the display.
So unless he can get his overflow to drain more water to the sump, its a point of flooding.

How are they mismatched? The pump at max is 1050 GPH and the overflow is 800gph. If I'm running the pump on the lowest setting, how would it be too much for the overflow?

Thats the reason why were all stumped. But the only solution i can see is getting a weaker pump and not running the overflow at maximum draining, because if you get any additional blockage, you will pump all the water from your sump to the main display and that will overfill your DT.

I don't think I'm even coming close to 800. That's why I'm confused.

Yeah i am confused too, because your pictures show you have a pond tubing running in a straight down.
The only thing i can think of is that your disrupting the laminar flow, and causing a backage somewhere in the tubing.

You can try an old trick of putting an airline tubing inside the hose and see if that increases flow down the tubes. Sometimes this clears the backflow, but its only a guess. I do second the notion of trying to get a tube brush in your tubing and seeing if something is obstructing it.

Otherwise, you will need to either replace the pump, or get an overflow with a higher GPH.

 

[Asm481]

I run the basic durso on my tank with a home built sump. It is a fact that whenever you increase the flow of your return pump, more water will stay in the display tank. The teeth of you weir do have some resistance so the level rises a little meaning the return area of the sump runs at a lower level. Others have hit on one of the things I do and that is shut it down let everything drain down into the sump. Use siphon breaks and have at least one return nozzle close to the surface. If EVERYTHING is drained down you could fill the sump as high as the rim and see where that runs as far as the return area. In my case I go a step further to see if the return will run dry before an overflow with the drains plugged!

 

[Ian Baxter]

He's on the lowest setting and the pump is draining his sump.
Or am i missing something?

That means it has the potential of overflowing the display.
So unless he can get his overflow to drain more water to the sump, its a point of flooding.



Thats the reason why were all stumped. But the only solution i can see is getting a weaker pump and not running the overflow at maximum draining, because if you get any additional blockage, you will pump all the water from your sump to the main display and that will overfill your DT.



Yeah i am confused too, because your pictures show you have a pond tubing running in a straight down.
The only thing i can think of is that your disrupting the laminar flow, and causing a backage somewhere in the tubing.

You can try an old trick of putting an airline tubing inside the hose and see if that increases flow down the tubes. Sometimes this clears the backflow, but its only a guess. I do second the notion of trying to get a tube brush in your tubing and seeing if something is obstructing it.

Otherwise, you will need to either replace the pump, or get an overflow with a higher GPH.

I’ll have to check the tubing. It’s only been running a bit over a month, but I’ve been trying to get a lot of the algae out of the tank.

The other thing I just thought of was when I put the new overflow on, the weir is higher than the previous one. So it’s not allowing as much water to flow into it. I didn’t like that, so I tried to use the inside overflow with the new outer box, but there was a leak. So I got stuck with the higher weir.

 

[Ian Baxter]

I run the basic durso on my tank with a home built sump. It is a fact that whenever you increase the flow of your return pump, more water will stay in the display tank. The teeth of you weir do have some resistance so the level rises a little meaning the return area of the sump runs at a lower level. Others have hit on one of the things I do and that is shut it down let everything drain down into the sump. Use siphon breaks and have at least one return nozzle close to the surface. If EVERYTHING is drained down you could fill the sump as high as the rim and see where that runs as far as the return area. In my case I go a step further to see if the return will run dry before an overflow with the drains plugged!

I didn’t think of letting the return run dry. Usually this pump has a sensor that will shut it off, but I never received it from the previous owner.

 

[KrisReef]

Put a manifold on the return and t off to the UV and let that return to the sump.

Turn up the return to power the additional flow.

 

[ReefingDreams]

With the return and skimmer off, there is 3" left in the sump.

Fill her up. Leave ¼-½" space to the top and then start the pump back up. See what that does. With the weir being higher in your tank, you'll naturally have less water in your sump if you didn't add more water after. You just need to make sure that all the water that drains back to the sump during a power outage or when the pump is off won't overflow it.

 

[Ian Baxter]

I’m thinking there’s an issue with the return flex tubing. Woke up this morning and the water level was higher in my sump. May need to hard plumb it. Glad I didn’t add any extra water yet. I’m also looking into getter the return pump sensors to shut it off at a certain height.

 

[Naekuh]

did you try the airline hose method i described?
See if it increases the flow by helping out with laminar flow.
Just drop an airline hose inside the drain hose and see if you get a increased flow rate though the tubing.

 

[McPuff]

What is the actual reason for increasing the flow into your sump? You don't need a high flow-through in your sump necessarily. Are you trying to increase flow in the DT?

Regardless of the above, I'd axe that ribbed tubing and hard plumb it all... or use flex PVC... or a combo.

 

[Dburr1014]

OMG

Gate valve at the main drain adjust so there is a trickle down the emergency.
Syphone breaks for the return at 90% of more going down the tube. (not facing up)
Then test the system by unplugging the pump.

And be done.

 

[Ian Baxter]

What is the actual reason for increasing the flow into your sump? You don't need a high flow-through in your sump necessarily. Are you trying to increase flow in the DT?

Regardless of the above, I'd axe that ribbed tubing and hard plumb it all... or use flex PVC... or a combo.

Yes, I wanted to increase flow into the tank. I am leaning to replumbing it, as much of a PIA that would be. I'm terrible at it.

 

[Ian Baxter]

did you try the airline hose method i described?
See if it increases the flow by helping out with laminar flow.
Just drop an airline hose inside the drain hose and see if you get a increased flow rate though the tubing.

Not yet. I need to pick some up. I did try some RODI tubing and is seemed to pick up a bit, but not much.

 

[Dom]

How do I increase the flow to the sump from the overflow? My return pump, varios 4, is on the lowest setting and every time I increase it, the sump drains faster than the water can enter. Here is the plumbing that came with the tank when I bought it.

I did fix the left side plumbing and added a valve. I also put on a new overflow, Eshopps M, and new tubes to the sump.

Insufficient water volume. Add water.

 

[Ian Baxter]

Insufficient water volume. Add water.

I think I will replumb and then add more water. Thanks!