Moving Sump to Basement

[DaddyO NJ]

I am going to move my sump to my basement for my 90g. Water is going to travel about 15 feet up and and maybe 20 feet across.
Is there a formula for determining what size pump I need? What type is recommended? What other things do I need to consider?

 

[RajV]

Yes , you will need to estimate your head pressure. The rule is to add a foot for every turn , and sum your vertical length . That will be your head pressure . My gutfeel tells me something like a jebao dcp 18000

 

[Steelheader09]

If you can afford it, an adjustable DC pump is a HUGE help. I have the same setup, had an AC, switched it for a DC, Easy to control the flow. Take a look at skimz, I have the Quiet Pro 6.0, about 9ft of head with 3 elbows and a line to allow some water to recirculate through the sump. Works awesome.

 

[rodney]

I’ve got my sump tank in the basement and this jebao does a good job .

 

[RajV]

I’ve got my sump tank in the basement and this jebao does a good job .

Dint realize they have a 20000 now

 

[dwest]

I use danner mag drives. I use 18 and 12 models for my 180 gallon tank. Very reliable.

 

[rodney]

Dint realize they have a 20000 now

Just got it a month ago I am going to have to increase my drain line size!

 

[Flippers4pups]

I am going to move my sump to my basement for my 90g. Water is going to travel about 15 feet up and and maybe 20 feet across.
Is there a formula for determining what size pump I need? What type is recommended? What other things do I need to consider?

I would highly recommend a pressure rated ac return pump. Panworld, iwaki. DC pumps just don't have the pressure to push that much head pressure and be reliable long term.

 

[ca1ore]

I would highly recommend a pressure rated ac return pump. Panworld, iwaki. DC pumps just don't have the pressure to push that much head pressure and be reliable long term.

Seconded .....

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Do i dare third the AC powered pump suggestion? I have been very pleased with my reef flow pumps in my basment setup.

One other thing.. you will only need a very small return pipe if you are running a full siphon system. A 1" line will pull CRAZY amount of water to the basement.

 

[DaddyO NJ]

Will an AC allow me to adjust the flow so I don’t drain the sump and overflow the tank?

Also, reco from BRs is to do an external pump since it looks like I will need about 15 ft of head pressure.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

If your plumbing is done correctly you should never have to dial down your flow to prevent flooding. One inch pipe coming and going will be more than enough to handle any AC pump throws its way. If you want to adjust your flow then just plumb in a gate valve on the return line. The AC pump will be unaffected by the additional back pressure.

 

[jda]

Iwaki, PanWorld or Gen X are external. Super reliable pumps - like decade+ reliable.

For internal, then the larger Lagunas or Mags can handle that kind of head.

I always recommend to build a stand for your basement sump... helps with head, but also allows you to work more easily and also to siphon water and debris out of the sump.

 

[DaddyO NJ]

What is the better choice? In sump or outside? Outside sump to allow for more room in the sump? Downside is I want the added security of having the sump contained in something watertight. The water spill potential would be the water in the line from the overflow back to the sump? 35’ at one inch plus the overflow is only about 2.5 gal, right?

 

[jkapit]

I am going to move my sump to my basement for my 90g. Water is going to travel about 15 feet up and and maybe 20 feet across.
Is there a formula for determining what size pump I need? What type is recommended? What other things do I need to consider?

I am running a basement sump similar in distance to your tank. I had a 175 and just upgraded to a 220. I run twin Iwaki 55 RLT, I would think for a 90 gallon a single Iwaki 55 RLT would work well. It’s rated at 900 GPH and my guess is after the head pressure it’s putting out about 450-500 GPH.

I absolutely love having the sump in the basement. Good luck with your setup.

 

[ScottieB]

Good to hear everyone’s feedback, I just replumbed my sump to the basement and I love it. I thought a reeflo gold/dart hybrid that I had would be enough, but it’s barely pushing .5-1x turnover. Everything seems fine, temp holding and skimmer production, etc but I need to upgrade the pump. I do external, which I like better from a heat perspective.

My research led me to the reeflo manta-ray or the ‘new’ MRC MP 6100 they are both about the same price point and can put out a ton of head. MRC has a 60 month warranty? Which seems unheard of for a pump that’s under 1k. I’m still unsure but will have to pull the trigger soon.

 

[DaddyO NJ]

Any other advice? PVC or flexible tubing?
Looking at Trigger 39g sumo.
refugium light recommendations?

I want to size it up with the expectation of going to a larger tank in the future.

 

[Silent]

Don't forget a quality check valve on the return.

 

[JoshH]

Good to hear everyone’s feedback, I just replumbed my sump to the basement and I love it. I thought a reeflo gold/dart hybrid that I had would be enough, but it’s barely pushing .5-1x turnover. Everything seems fine, temp holding and skimmer production, etc but I need to upgrade the pump. I do external, which I like better from a heat perspective.

My research led me to the reeflo manta-ray or the ‘new’ MRC MP 6100 they are both about the same price point and can put out a ton of head. MRC has a 60 month warranty? Which seems unheard of for a pump that’s under 1k. I’m still unsure but will have to pull the trigger soon.

What head height roughly do you have and what flow do you think you're getting? I was looking at the Snapper/Dart Hybrid as well for my basement sump

 

[JoshH]

Don't forget a quality check valve on the return.

Personally I'd skip the Check Valve. Just make sure the sump can handle the extra water from the plumbing and whatever will siphon out of the DT. I upsized the size of my basement sump to account for any flow that could drain back down so no need to spend money on a check valve, or maintain it regularly, or worry that even if it's maintained it still could fail. A properly designed system has no need for a check valve, basement sump or not.