First Sump Start Up Issues? Herbie Overflow Help needed

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
1" below is to little, take off those durso ends and try and get the main 6-8" below your e-drains. Then adjust your valve so that the water level is just below your e-drain. You should be using a pvc gate valve as it is easier to fine tune but just work with what you got.

Sent from my Inspire 4G.
 
malawi500 said:
that doesn't achieve anything. the only thing blocking the emergency drain would do is flood the tank unless the main drain valve is either fully open or spot on
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I only want him to block the emergency drain to see how high the water goes not to keep it on permanently.... He might have the emergency drain to low and water is going into both drains at the same time. This way he can see how high the water goes and determine if the emergency drain needs to be a little higher. or the main needs to be lower.... LOL I don't want him to keep it blocked...
 
I'm the original poster.

The e-drain is set at the right height, that was the first pipe I did for obvious reasons. It sits approx 1" above my main drain at present.
 
I'm starting to think whether I should have just got an Fx5 and be done with it. No messing with adjustments then ;-(
 
malawi500 said:
I'm starting to think whether I should have just got an Fx5 and be done with it. No messing with adjustments then ;-([/QUOTE

I run both a sump and an fx5..... I would go the rout of a sump anytime......An fx5 you have to lug to the sink and take apart... My sump I just open the lid take the filters out and clean the coarse one and put new fine ones in.... Took me a few tries to get mine adjusted.... Closed to much water rose to high... not closed enough water wasn't at the level I wanted... When you get the fine tuning done you will be happy with it.
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Well I've spent the last hour mopping up approximately 6 gallons of water lost as I thought it'd be a good idea to faff around with the pipework and pulled the standpipe out by 'accident'. Good job for laminate!!

Anyway, I dropped the e-drain by approximately 1/4" as I never really accounted for the slight angle in my front room compared to the garage when I trial ran it all.

I have dropped the main drain by approximately 2" and fitted a fluval strainer on top (no more fish loss):

71921518-260x260-0-0_Hagen+Fluval+Intake+strainer+with+check+ball+304+3.jpg

I have checked my levels in my sump with power off and also with the main drain blocked and I'm pretty happy. All the bio-media and pump are submerged although I've lost a bit of water quantity a s aresult of lowering the main drain but I guess it will still run smoothly.

I have again made some quick tweaks and hope I can get the water level in the tank right finally. Although basic maths will show the following:

Return > Drainage = Water Level too high
Return < Drainage = Water Level too low
Return = Drainage = Correct water level

I guess I really need a gate valve to get it spot on otherwise over several hours the levels are going to slowly go out.

We will see....

71921518-260x260-0-0_Hagen+Fluval+Intake+strainer+with+check+ball+304+3.jpg
 
so what is the problem here? I get that you can't find a happy medium because the height difference is only 1". However if 95% is going down the main drain and 5% through the emergency drain it is still fine. what is your actual gph? My 220 has a 1" main drain and It easily handled 1800gph. I now have it at around 1400 gph. I was setting it up as a herbie, but without the gate valve and running wide open is was dead quit and easily handled the flow. I set up the emergency just in case, but i doubt I will ever need it. I'm even still running the dusro from the mega overflow kit. all I did was switch the bulkhead from 1" in/.75" out to 1" in/1" out and hard plumbed it with pvc. So is it making to much noise? is it not draining fast enough? what is you specific problem?
 
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