Started sump for first time- how do I level out the flow?

[DracoKat]

It's hard for me to explain what's going on.. but here's a video. How do I stop the ebb and flow in the overflow?

I started the sump for the first time today, so far all good. no leaks, outage test passed. I have the skimmer going to break it in as well.

any suggestions? it's noisy as you can hear in the video.

http://vid891.photobucket.com/album...7-F33E-4E83-80A9-EB8F02327039_zpsei8gsdsy.mp4

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

I can't see the top of the pipe, but do you have a hole drilled in the top as well? If not I'd recomend adding a hole and running a piece of airline tubing partially down to see if that prevents the siphon build and break from starting and stopping. You can test this by pushing a piece of airline tubing into the pipe before drilling top to see if this resolves the issue.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

You may have to play with the depth of the airline tube in your overflow pipe when testing

 

[Irsug1]

I think that air hole should have been on top out of the water for a consistent flow. Basically you have a siphon until that hole gets air.
Maybe patch the hole or run a tube or fitting up out of the water from that hole.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

Exactly what I was thinking but wasn't 100% sure. The water level drops till it hits the air hole then begins to fill back up after it gets a gasp of air.

 

[DracoKat]

There is an airline pipe at the top of the overflow, here's a photo. it was already there when I got the tank. it's stuck so I can't push it down or up

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

Ah, possible its undersized or may need to adjust the depth of the tubing? What size return pump are you running. I have a whole different type of overflow but did tooooooons of research as I wanted to change mine. Ended up not changing due to not being broke so didn't wanna fix it. Lol

 

[DracoKat]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OWX3J0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

this is the pump I have. think I need to adjust the flow? Reduce it?

 

[AZDesertRat]

How far is the piece of airline tubing stuck down in the standpipe? I find it only needs to stick down an inch or so, about the surface of the water in the overflow box, to get the best air/water mixture. I would cut the airline tubing long enough to tape to the tank trim or hang slightly over the back so any sucking sound is muffled.

Watch that Quiet One pump very very closely. I had two of them literally burn up, sparks, smoke, electrifying the tank and all. I would never ever recommend one to my worst enemy. They run very hot, are not all that Quiet, are not very efficient as far as electrical consumption and have a bad record of not restarting well after a power outage.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

I would say based On what I see:
1) plug the hole on the side of the downpipe (this may not be necessary and would do this last if all else doesn't resolve the issue)
2) adjust the airline inlet to about an inch as dezertrat stated (that'll break your siphon in an outage event, but test test test just in case)
3) install ball or gate valve in line with pump and adjust output until a constant level is maintained

 

[DracoKat]

I put my fingers over the holes (on both sides), it drained the water below the main overflow line.
I covered the hole on top, it leveled out just at the holes on the sides, sucking in both air and water. I can't push the line in more as it appears to be glued tight.

I will adjust the valve and see if it helps. I shall report back.
RE pump, thanks for the advice! I heard opposite and raving news from other people. I guess it's a risk with any pump- but I will keep an eye on it!

 

[Irsug1]

What size tank?
Try covering the hole on the side with your finger and seeing how that works.
Also is the overflow adjustable?

 

[Irsug1]

I put my fingers over the holes (on both sides), it drained the water below the main overflow line.
I covered the hole on top, it leveled out just at the holes on the sides, sucking in both air and water. I can't push the line in more as it appears to be glued tight.

I will adjust the valve and see if it helps. I shall report back.
RE pump, thanks for the advice! I heard opposite and raving news from other people. I guess it's a risk with any pump- but I will keep an eye on it!

3 air holes is a bit excessive!

 

[DracoKat]

it's a 75 gal reef-ready tank with a 30 gal trigger sump

I adjusted the ball valve that I installed- to nearly closed and all the way open with no improvements

should I cover the top hole? Since that seems to work best?

 

[AZDesertRat]

See if you can break the ridgid airline tube out and replace it with vinyl so you can adjust it up and down, you will be amazed at the difference it produces.

I would also plug the holes in the sides, they don't serve any purpose anyway. Once the 90 degree elbow is exposed to atmosphere the siphon breaks so at most you gain an inch of water volume inside the overflow box, a quart maybe?

 

[Irsug1]

I think your pump may be a bit under sized when you account for head pressure.

 

[DracoKat]

I'm trying to upload a video showing what happens when I plug the holes. give me a moment please

 

[DracoKat]

http://vid891.photobucket.com/albums/ac116/pencil2print/Mobile Uploads/trim.6A675D33-5A1D-4489-99F4-6E72CE7C7E35_zpsrc35hdnh.mp4

I hope this video gives a better understanding

 

[carlos esparza]

I had the same issue, I drilled the whole on top, and it stoped

 

[carlos esparza]

Slow the flow down