Sump Question...where is the water going?!

[Dowtish]

I recently hooked up a sump to my existing system. It has been running for a couple of weeks now, and I think I have things dialed in correctly. The skimmer took a few days to break in, and I have a ball valve on the overflow box. The box has 2 one inch bulkheads and is rated for 1200 gph. My return pump is a ecoplus 1056, and is rated at 1056 gph. I also have a ball valve on the return. I currently have the overflow box ball valve just about open all the way, it's just barely turned as little as possible. But I have the return closed off a bit more. The reason for this is that I am losing water out of my return section WAY too fast. If I open it up anymore the return section drops quick. I work on the road quite a bit, and my gf just called me and told me she top offed the return section up to the line I have on it and it was 2 inches below the line in about an hour and half. I know it's not evaporating that fast, so where is the water going?!

Is the fact that the overflow is rated higher than my return causing this? Should I try cutting back the overflow?

90 gallon DT with a 20 long sump...here are a few pics

 

[aquafrags]

Opening and closing the discharge of the pump will raise and lower you sump levels

Invest in a nice top off and when you are away, worry free, just keep the reservoir filled

I recommend the tunze osmolator

 

[bct15]

Is it a gravity fed overflow or a siphon overflow? If it is gravity fed it should be draining at the same rate it is being fed (should be impossible to do otherwise), if it is siphon overflow it is going to need to be tweaked.

 

[Dowtish]

It's a siphon overflow...cpr cs102

Tweaked as in cutting off some flow?

 

[bct15]

Yes, you will have to adjust both flows to be equivalent. Siphon is at a constant rate depending on the pressure head (height of the water) above the siphon inlet. You will need to get the siphon to match the flowrate of the return pump. You also may want to invest in an ATO to keep your water level constant, therefor keeping your siphon rate constant. My buddy built his own siphon and it was a PIA to tweak, now he has designed his own fail safe that sort of eliminates the variable siphon problem. We are working on our engineering PhDs together but he isn't on the boards here.

 

[Dowtish]

So why is it that I have the overflow operating at almost full capacity, and the return is dialed back, and I'm still having water drop? Should it not be going up in the sump? instead of down?

 

[bct15]

Like I said you need to get the siphon to match the return pump, whether that is turning down the siphon or turning down the return I don't know. Once they are matched you will want to keep you water level constant because as the water level gets lower from the inlet of the siphon the slower it will siphon. Matching may be easier by slowing everything way down than slowly turning everything up, but I don't know the particulars in your exact set up. Water getting low in your return section will cause your return pump to start to cavitate, and that may ruin it. If the water is leaving the sump faster then entering then you need to dial your return pump back a little (slow down the exit rate since you can't speed up the siphon rate).

 

[Dowtish]

Right on, making more sense now. I have to get home first! hahaha...should be there Wednesday night. Thanks for the info

 

[bct15]

Good luck, siphon overflows can be a PIA to get exact but pretty easy once you get past the first hump.

 

[beaslbob]

You should need no adjustment valves in either the return or overflow. And most definately not in the overflow/drain.

I recommend you open both valves and adjust the system to see how it works.

and adjust water levels in the display/upper container and sump/lower container untill you don't get floods power out or with the return blocked.

my .02

 

[AZDesertRat]

NEVER NEVER EVER restrict the overflow!
If you have valves on the overflow, they are to be used for maintenance only. All the way open for operation and all the way closed for maintenance. Never try to adjust the overflow rate with a valve.
The display level and overflow rate are determined by the return pump once the internal part of the overflow box is adjusted to the correct elevation. You use the valve on the return pump to trim flows if the pump can outrun the overflow box but leave the overflow alone.

 

[btkrausen]

Additionally, I'll add that with that smaller area for your return (the right side of that picture) and with that reactor sitting in that chamber as well, that is actually very little water in that chamber. Once you evaporate from both the tank and the sump it'll drop fairly quickly.