Sump Water Level Randomly Changed

[rja]

Hey all,
Riddle me this:
My sump has had the same water level in the return section since I set it up a year ago. Yesterday we had a power outage and for whatever reason, my return section is now half height.

I have tried adjusting my gate valve on my main overflow line but nothing is working. Ive even tried shutting off the pump and turning it back on a few times. Should I just add more water? I prefer my return chamber to be slightly high.

 

[VintageReefer]

If your return pump was partially clogged / dirty, it wouldn’t be full power, and the return section would be higher. Cleaning the pump would allow it to work more efficiently, pumping faster, making the water line lower in that section

Knowing nothing about your setup, my hypothesis is you had gunk in it, the power outage happened causing backflow down the return line, flushing out the pump, and now it’s cleared and running full strength.

 

[rja]

If your return pump was partially clogged / dirty, it wouldn’t be full power, and the return section would be higher. Cleaning the pump would allow it to work more efficiently, pumping faster, making the water line lower in that section

Knowing nothing about your setup, my hypothesis is you had gunk in it, the power outage happened causing backflow down the return line, flushing out the pump, and now it’s cleared and running full strength.

Well unfortunately my return is not adjustable. Gosh this tank is one thing after the other man. Should I try adding more water to the system?

 

[homer1475]

Do you add fresh water to compensate for evaporation?


As water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind. So we add fresh water to compensate for evap, and to keep the salinity level the same all the time.

 

[rja]

Do you add fresh water to compensate for evaporation?


As water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind. So we add fresh water to compensate for evap, and to keep the salinity level the same all the time.

Yeah I have it on an ATO, In fact, I am very thankful I have a Tunze that shut off instead of filling the return section with three gallons of water.

 

[RocketEngineer]

If the level in the return dropped, the ATO should have refilled it back to the proper level. If it cut off based on time, that means it was asked to add more water than it should. Where did that water go? I’m hazarding a guess it’s in the display and you have a clogged drain.

Check everything. I had a snail once get lodged in the elbow in the overflow box.

 

[Dburr1014]

Well unfortunately my return is not adjustable. Gosh this tank is one thing after the other man. Should I try adding more water to the system?

Check your salanity before adding any water.

 

[VintageReefer]

Is the display higher than normal ? Is salinity normal ?

 

[javajaws]

And what kind of overflow do you have on your tank - have you checked the water level in it? My guess is that's where the missing water is. Check your salinity and make sure your ATO doesn't start pumping without knowing what's going on.