water fluctuation red sea reefer 170

[seels]

hi,

first of all, im dutch speaking normally so forgive me if i use bad english

i bought a red sea reefer 170 second hand.. (maybe even 3rd hand)
Now ive set it up etc but my water level keeps fluctuating in my overflow and in my returnpump chamber..

not due to evaporating but constantly and fast ( around a minute or 1 and 2 between ups and downs) up and down, from overflowing tru the emergency pipe till gurgling because its to low on the main downpipe.
this fluctuation is also visible in the sumps returnpump chamber. it fluctuates between 1cm and 1.5cm (half an inch or so)

i installed a new pump (jebao mdp 2500) wich is running at 75% now..
i tried pausing all wavemakers but this doesnt change the fluctuations.
i cleaned the red sea valve, now i dont seem to recall if its did fluctuate before i opened and cleaned the valve. But because the valve knob is loose i ordered a new downpipe.

now i hope someone has more tips, dutch fora given up on me and i dont blame them

 

[lapin]

Welkom
Sounds like the pump is moving more water than your overflow to the sump can handle.
Try to dial back the pump to 50% , see if that helps.

 

[seels]

Welkom
Sounds like the pump is moving more water than your overflow to the sump can handle.
Try to dial back the pump to 50% , see if that helps.

I Will try that for sure. for fine tuning should i move the pump speed then or the valve?

 

[lapin]

I would open the valve all the way first. Set the pump speed so you have max flow without the whooshing cycle. Then dial back the valve to fine tune your flow to the sump.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Your overflow box is rated for 530gph. you have 2500gph at 75% which is 1875 minus the head pressure. way too much for your overflow box to handle

 

[seels]

Your overflow box is rated for 530gph. you have 2500gph at 75% which is 1875 minus the head pressure. way too much for your overflow box to handle

Wait. I think you are confused. I have a 2500lph not gph. Which is somewhat to much but at 75% its okay.
unfortunally even at 50% it keepster fluctuating

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

ah ok. thats liter . that should be alright then. You mentioned this may be 2nd or 3rd hand. I would remove the gate valve and make sure it is not clogged up.

 

[seels]

ah ok. thats liter . that should be alright then. You mentioned this may be 2nd or 3rd hand. I would remove the gate valve and make sure it is not clogged up.

I already cleaned the gate valve and it wasn’t that dirty, but the knob is a little loose so I ordered a new down pipe with new valve.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I already cleaned the gate valve and it wasn’t that dirty, but the knob is a little loose so I ordered a new down pipe with new valve.
I must say that after turning the pump to 50% it’s more stable. But water trickles trough the emergency valve and I don’t think I want that

Google how to adjust the Red Sea valve. It’s kind of tricky and a lot of people remove that valve and install a gate valve. It’s a trial and error of adjusting the valve to restrict flow into the sump, liquid level, and return pump flow. The water level in the overflow box should in be just below the emergency overflow but that just isn’t achievable in reality. A small trickle going down the emergency is acceptable, and just easier to set. Make small adjustments to the valve and then wait 20 minutes for the flow and water level to stabilize. I believe there are videos on YouTube on how to do this. It can be time consuming, but once set everything should be perfect and quiet. Best of luck

 

[seels]

Google how to adjust the Red Sea valve. It’s kind of tricky and a lot of people remove that valve and install a gate valve. It’s a trial and error of adjusting the valve to restrict flow into the sump, liquid level, and return pump flow. The water level in the overflow box should in be just below the emergency overflow but that just isn’t achievable in reality. A small trickle going down the emergency is acceptable, and just easier to set. Make small adjustments to the valve and then wait 20 minutes for the flow and water level to stabilize. I believe there are videos on YouTube on how to do this. It can be time consuming, but once set everything should be perfect and quiet. Best of luck

Thanks!
But after letting settle it for a night it was the same as before. Water going up and down fast in overflow and in sump.

 

[RavenSF]

I had this exact same issue with my tank after it’d been running for 4 years. Suddenly the water level in the overflow would go from correct, to mostly way too high going down the emergency drain pipe. I noticed the valve was very tight and cleaning it didn’t help (it wasn’t very dirty). I bought a new drain valve and it seems to working again, although it’s only been installed a few hours.

Did replacing the valve solve your problem? Has anyone else encountered this issue if so what fixed it?

 

[chipchipbro]

I had this exact same issue with my tank after it’d been running for 4 years. Suddenly the water level in the overflow would go from correct, to mostly way too high going down the emergency drain pipe. I noticed the valve was very tight and cleaning it didn’t help (it wasn’t very dirty). I bought a new drain valve and it seems to working again, although it’s only been installed a few hours.

Did replacing the valve solve your problem? Has anyone else encountered this issue if so what fixed it?

Yep, same issue here on my 200XL...
Is there any way to correct it??

Its like running correct for 3-4 days and then all of a sudden its either gurgling because its way too wide open OR its going down to the emergency...

im so lost.