Need HELP Please

[bradenr]

I am running a Eheim 1262 on my 120 Reef tank. I have two return lines running of the pump. The pump is pumping at a max height of 4ft. All my other chambers in my sump are fine and the return section looks like a wave pool. I check the impeller and it is fine and i also removed my filter so i could see if the impeller was skipping which it is not. Im going to call Eheim on monday but i wanted to see if someone could help me please.
Here is a video of what is happening.

 

[Roy 9121]

Do you have a check valve in line?

 

[bradenr]

i have a ball valve to control the amount of water pumping but not a check valve

 

[Flippers4pups]

Looks like your running two return pumps, correct? Why? More flow? Has this always happened or just started? What happens when you turn off the smaller pump? Does this still happen?

When this condition is happening, what's the return back into the DT tank like? Is it interment and pulsing water back into the DT? If so, I would completely take it apart and inspect the impeller shaft to see if it's cracked.

The other would be inspection of the impeller blades for cracked or missing blades.

 

[bradenr]

Looks like your running two return pumps, correct? Why? More flow? Has this always happened or just started? What happens when you turn off the smaller pump? Does this still happen?

When this condition is happening, what's the return back into the DT tank like? Is it interment and pulsing water back into the DT? If so, I would completely take it apart and inspect the impeller shaft to see if it's cracked.

The other would be inspection of the impeller blades for cracked or missing blades.

The smaller pump is running my carbon and gfo reactors. I have just started the tank so it just started. the flow in my DT is good and i can not feel a pulse in my DT return nozzle. i have taken the pump apart and the impeller shaft looks good but ill more closely inspect it and see if it is cracked

 

[Flippers4pups]

i have a ball valve to control the amount of water pumping but not a check valve

Can't see in the video, where's the ball valve at on the return line? What happens when you open up the ball valve all the way? Still pulses?

 

[bradenr]

The ball valve is about 6 inches above the return pump. Let me turn everything off and let it settle and i will open it all the way up and see if it still does it.

 

[bradenr]

So everything is wide open and it no longer does it but i have a ton of bubbles coming into the sump from the overflow and they are splashing all over my wall. Do i need to get a smaller return pump?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Okay, so we have found the problem, that's good.

So here what I suggest doing.

When a return pump has a little more head pressure than needed going to the DT, (which is a good thing and here's why...)

We can use that excess pressure to run a manifold that we can run thing like media reactors and algae scrubbers, etc.......your feeding those with a maxi jet, why not use some excess pressure from you return pump instead?

The ehiem doesn't like being throttled back, but if there isn't enough excess pressure to run a manifold, just dump the excess back into the sump at the return section. If you look closely at mine, the end of the manifold dumps back into the return/skimmer section.


If I ran my return pump straight up without any restrictions, my drains into the sump would be like a hurricane.

If you don't want to tee off for a manifold, you could use filter socks to control the bubbles/splashing coming into the sump.

 

[bradenr]

Okay, so we have found the problem, that's good.

So here what I suggest doing.

When a return pump has a little more head pressure than needed going to the DT, (which is a good thing and here's why...)

We can use that excess pressure to run a manifold that we can run thing like media reactors and algae scrubbers, etc.......your feeding those with a maxi jet, why not use some excess pressure from you return pump instead?

The ehiem doesn't like being throttled back, but if there isn't enough excess pressure to run a manifold, just dump the excess back into the sump at the return section. If you look closely at mine, the end of the manifold dumps back into the return/skimmer section.


If I ran my return pump straight up without any restrictions, my drains into the sump would be like a hurricane.

If you don't want to tee off for a manifold, you could use filter socks to control the bubbles/splashing coming into the sump.

Ok sweet im going to make a trip to Home Depot and make a manifold.
I have a questions with that. My media reactors use 3/8 tubing so if i go from return at 3/4 PVC and donwsize it to 3/8 with that not create back pressure just like my ball valve?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Flow to the DT would be open always and can be controlled by the ball valve on the tee feeding the manifold. Closing the ball valve a little adjusts flow to the DT and the manifold at the same time. Excess flow then flows through the manifold to feed the reactors or wastes back into the sump. This allows for fine tuning your flow through both.

There would have to be two ball valves on the manifold like I have, the one closest to the tee controls flow to the DT and the one at the end of the manifold controls pressure in the manifold.

Both would have to be adjusted to fine tune flow to the DT and pressure to the reactors. When the reactors are not in use, the last ball valve on the reactor would be open all the way.

Seems like a lot, but once you play with the valves, you'll fine that sweet spot for both.

To answer your question, no should be no problem. 3/4" tee off the return, 3/4 tees for reactor reducing after the ball valve to 3/8" barbed fitting for the reactor hose.

The reason I went with 1/2" on my manifold is that my return pump is pressure rated and can handle the head pressure. Stick with 3/4" on yours and reduce to 3/8" at the reactor fittings.