Help!  i'm a plumbing idiot

D

dnkygirl

[I spent half the night trying to setup my new sump. My first issue was that the sump wouldn't fit in under the stand.... ah.. if only i had it before i set up the tank... So i set it up behind the tank. Went over to home depot got all the pipping for the return. I have no experience with plumbing so i found the sprinkler system area with lots of precut hosing and tubing that you can screw together.. yippy!!! So i get all the parts needed and the right length. Ok.... get home get everything setup and test the pumps. Pumps test ok but got some air getting in there from some where.... I tighten all the connectors then try again.. same deal. I have some clear hosing plumbed up to the return into the tank so i can see that it's some where in the intake... I also noticed that the pump works so hard that it creates a tornado suction that causes air to mix as well... any ideas on how to kill the bubbles? The fish think it's hurricane season and are just riding the waves...


Demi]
 
[The bubbles could be entering from the plumbing if you didn't use tape, I'm amazed you have no leaks without using tape. Sometimes depending on the fittings, the lack of tape would act as a venturi and suck air in, rather then leak water out.

If you didn't use tape and there are no leaks, I would say this is deffinetly the issue.

It could also be bubbles in the sump getting sucked up the pump. Pick up a roll of teflon tape and wrap each threaded male piece with a layer or 2 of the tape and put it back together and see. The tape is cheap, like $1.00 at home depot for a roll.]
 
[Your tornado suction drawing air is what you need to address. The best way to do this is to try and reduce the overall flow at this pump input or ensure that you sump has a higher volume of water within the sump so it can't create the tornado effect. Here are a couple of ideas:
1.) Increase the water level in the sump, it will be harder for the pump to make the tornado at a higher water depth.
2.) Redirect the pump intake, is the intake at the lowest point possible in the sump? If not try to extend the pump intake lower.
3.) Reduce the surface area of the pump intake, If the pump is pulling from a larger surface area then the flow will be less at each input meaning that the tornado will be reduced. The easiest way to do this is to add a tee or cross at the pump input and let it pull water from two or more places rather than one. For my sump I added a 4 way cross at the intake within the sump to reduce this effect.

Hopefully this makes sense if you have any questions let me know]
 
[Hi Andy,

Those are some great tips. Yes the intake is at it's lowest point. The water level in the sump on the return end is low. I will add more tonight to see if that does it. Thanks!!!]
 
[Hi all!! It's working!! I resealed all the piping with teflon tape. I added a ball valve... cause the pump is crazy strong. I added a T elbow to the intake, and I also added more water to the sump. I think my problem was a combo of the amount of flow returning to the tank and the intake being too restrictive. Thanks for all the help...

Ok now i have a new problem.... the hob overflow sounds like a toilet flushing all the time. It has a bubble trap then the water flows over into the drain.. that's a 1" pipe with 3 1/2 slots drilled into it. I have 1 U tube. Any ideas on this one?

:idea:]
 
[Hi Damon,

Yes! I have a sump/refugium.... and to think i wasn't going to do one. I am really loving my new setup. Thanks again for the great tank and stand!]
 
[Hi all,

Ok i resolved the flushing noise from the HOB overflow. I looked at all the other muffler designs and made my own. I also got my old autotop off setup in the sump... It looks like i'm going to have to drain the tank one weekend and move the sump underneath the stand... all this stuff is taking up alot of space... and it looks like a science project when you walk around the side of the tank. Here's some pics of my new setup.

My New 40 Gallon Tank]
 
[Looking good Demi, You have put in alot of work on this tank and I know that you are going to enjoy it when you can sit back and just watch. I think it makes all that more worth while when you are able to do the work yourself.

Good luck and keep up the pics.]
 
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