INT 170 Bean Animal - bubbles

[evergreek]

Hello all,

I have an INT170 that drains straight into my sump - I m using a gate valve and have tune it per the video

Bean animal INT170

youtube.com

.. it is generating a lot of bubbles - my pump is already going as low as it can it is a mighty jet XXL at 40%.. I’m stumped.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Jbell370]

Hello all,

I have an INT170 that drains straight into my sump - I m using a gate valve and have tune it per the video

Bean animal INT170

youtube.com

.. it is generating a lot of bubbles - my pump is already going as low as it can it is a mighty jet XXL at 40%.. I’m stumped.

Any help is appreciated!

Turn the gate valve closed more than it is. The pipe you have on the far right, mine is capped with a U the tallest one is safety. The gate valve makes the first pipe full siphon and the second one handles minor fluctuations, the tall one is emergency obviously if something gets plugged. You should just have a small volume of water going down the right hand pipe, middle one on height.

 

[Jbell370]

Hello all,

I have an INT170 that drains straight into my sump - I m using a gate valve and have tune it per the video

Bean animal INT170

youtube.com

.. it is generating a lot of bubbles - my pump is already going as low as it can it is a mighty jet XXL at 40%.. I’m stumped.

Any help is appreciated!

Correction, just watched again, your far right pipe is highest, so that is safety. Middle one should have some flow, but hardly. Only enough to have a full siphon on the main. Close the gate valve slowing, takes some time for minor changes to be noticed.

 

[evergreek]

Correction, just watched again, your far right pipe is highest, so that is safety. Middle one should have some flow, but hardly. Only enough to have a full siphon on the main. Close the gate valve slowing, takes some time for minor changes to be noticed.

Yeah I did that.. but I still get bubbles :/ ... is it because it is a straight pipe below?

 

[Jbell370]

Yeah I did that.. but I still get bubbles :/ ... is it because it is a straight pipe below?

It shouldn't be, my main stops just at the water surface, you could cut slits in the pipe with it being under the water, will allow the air to escape

 

[evergreek]

It shouldn't be, my main stops just at the water surface, you could cut slits in the pipe with it being under the water, will allow the air to escape

Tried to raise it to the surface and it still pulls a bunch of bubbles.. when I look closely inside of the pipe - the bubbles seem to be coming from within ..

I wonder if it is pulling air from any of the unions.. so then I put some tape on them and nothing.

Could it be pulling air from the gate valve ?

 

[Snoopy 67]

Try putting some water(fresh) around the joints & see if it sucks in. You can use a spray bottle, syringe from test kit, or eye dropper. Yes the valve could be the culprit.

I run a Herbie & when that happens to me my overflow box is low & I have to close the valve slightly
so my main drain has more water over it.

 

[Jbell370]

Tried to raise it to the surface and it still pulls a bunch of bubbles.. when I look closely inside of the pipe - the bubbles seem to be coming from within ..

I wonder if it is pulling air from any of the unions.. so then I put some tape on them and nothing.

Could it be pulling air from the gate valve ?

Have you closed the gate valve to ensure water is flowing through the secondary? Mine has a steady amount of water coming out of it.

 

[nereefpat]

In the video, where is the siphon in the overflow box? Is it the white plumbing on the bottom of the box?

The bubbles are coming from the siphon pipe? That wouldn't be right. A siphon should have no bubbles. Usually bubbles are from too much water going down the trickle, and those would be in the trickle pipe.

 

[evergreek]

Have you closed the gate valve to ensure water is flowing through the secondary? Mine has a steady amount of water coming out of it.

Yep look at this picture is flowing into it ever so slowly .

In the video, where is the siphon in the overflow box? Is it the white plumbing on the bottom of the box?

The bubbles are coming from the siphon pipe? That wouldn't be right. A siphon should have no bubbles. Usually bubbles are from too much water going down the trickle, and those would be in the trickle pipe.

Yes that is what it looks like the bubbles coming out of the pipe .. so I think it’s drawing air somewhere

 

[nereefpat]

If the bubbles are coming from the siphon drain, and the siphon isn't sucking in air from the surface of the overflow box, then I guess you're right. It has to be sucking in air at a joint. I have not ever encountered that. Is all the plumbing below the overflow box cemented together?

 

[evergreek]

If the bubbles are coming from the siphon drain, and the siphon isn't sucking in air from the surface of the overflow box, then I guess you're right. It has to be sucking in air at a joint. I have not ever encountered that. Is all the plumbing below the overflow box cemented together?

It is all cemented except when it hits the sump - but I tried to put tape around that connection point and the bubbles still come through .. maybe I need to cement it .

 

[nereefpat]

I wouldn't cement it there.

Something doesn't seem right to me. Could the bubbles be coming from the water falling from the weir? How much is the drop from the teeth to the top of the water in the overflow box?

 

[evergreek]

Looks fully sumerge and no air going into it..

Main drain

youtube.com

 

[evergreek]

Now that I think about it.. could it be due to just having RODI water vs saltwater? I wonder if the density difference has something to do with it.... later on today I will get the saltwater going to see if it makes a difference.

 

[Snoopy 67]

OK --just a minute here---
Looks like you have 4 drains, the main connected by a Tee.
You only need 3 drains, the main should have a strainer @ the most to keep out snails & such.
Take off the Tee & cap the pipe nearest the overflow box & see if it helps.
Salt or fresh should work the same.

 

[nereefpat]

I agree that salt v fresh makes no difference.

I also agree that the siphon drain looks weird. Something isn't designed correctly there. A bean should have a straight pipe as an emergency, a trickle (although your trickle isn't actually Bean-like since yours can't turn into a siphon), and a siphon that is also a straight pipe with 2 90 elbows on it to keep from sucking air from the surface.

 

[evergreek]

Issue resolved by removing the adapter on the sump bulkhead .. straight pipe now. Silent. Thanks all.

 

[nereefpat]

Glad you got it figured out.