Sump Planning and Location Advice

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Folks,

Now that my tank has arrived, and is ready to be plumbed, I have a few decisions to make. My RO/DI and mixing station is in the basement, so I've been wrestling with ideas on how to manage water changes. I have two options, I can drill 2 holes into the bottom of my cabinet, and through the hardwood floor into the basement, and place the sump there, or by a ton of vinyl tubing, and pump the water upstairs to the first floor.

My return pump is a Vectra L2. The distance is as follows if I drill through the floor - 13 feet vertically, with a 21 foot horizontal run to reach the sump. Not sure of this pump would be sufficient, but I think so.

I'm struggling with what to do, as I'm not crazy about drilling into the floor, but also not crazy about a cumbersome approach to rolling out 50 feet of hose to do a water change, as I have no place to put my RO/DI on the first floor where the tank is.

Curious what others have done, and seeking advice and pro's/cons.

Regards,
-B

 

[JoshH]

I will be doing the same thing with my build, I had to weigh the options and decided the ability to work on the sump and equipment on a shelf instead of under a cabinet FAR outweighed the disadvantage of drilling through the floor. I might be slightly concerned about the L2 given the head height involved as the Vectras aren't known for there ability to handle head height all that well but the L2 is a larger pump so maybe. I'm going with a Reeflo Swordtail for my seup, it should put me around the 1200GPH mark with the head height I'm looking at.

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Thanks, what is your head height?

 

[JoshH]

Roughly 10-12 Ft, I'm only guessing as I'm not sure how much head height 3 90s adds to the mix.

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Thanks, the more I look at it, and calculate it, it looks like it may be too much for the Vectra, and looking at other pumps, I may need something with a 39 foot head loss, which will get pricey in terms of electrical consumption. I may need to rethink this, although the basement sump does look cool, and is easier to work on.