I ended up lowering the water level in the tank and in the sump. That way, there is less water draining to the sump in case of pump failure. In the other way, the pump has less water to pump back to the pump if in case the overflow stops working.
How do you start a pvc overflow?
- Thread starter arkmann
- Start date
what i do is fill the vent tube and the intake. then suck on the valve. takes a few big sucks but it starts
arkmann;1916790; said:
With the intake 1.5" below the water line, that would be 7 gallons to your sump if you lost power, plus whatever is in your output line (about 1 gallon depending on your run). I keep my sump real low because I am paranoid and we lose power a lot here.
Trippingpara;1918413; said:
Exactly my concern. That's great news because I have 30 gallon sump and 7 gallons should easily be contained. Now the water line in my sump is just at the level of the intake of the pump. Now, air is also sucked in by the pump and the outtake tube going to the 100G now also serves as a "bubble maker."
Now will that mess up the pump in any way?
It is submerged but not totally and only up to the level of the pump/propeller intake.
By the way, the wet/dry is working great. Its a little bit ghetto but it does its purpose.
And another thing, is there such a thing as too much bubbles or too much current? I'm liking the current because the corners of my tank are no longer dead spots thus there is more water circulation. With regards to the bubbles, I have a 48" bubble wand, the outtake pipe from the pump/sump, and a small powerhead.
Thanks for all the input.
arkmann;1918594; said:
It depends on your pump. I keep my water level just a fraction above the top of the pump. Must submersible pumps will be fine with some air entering it, provided that mostly water is entering.
arkmann;1918594; said:
Are you referring to inside the tank? I don't believe there is a problem with too many bubbles (except for noise) provided the bubbles are caused by an air pump and not from a chemical. As for current, some fish don't like a lot of current. I accidentally killed a pair of young peacocks by putting them into a tank with an exceptionally strong current. I first I thought they liked the current as they seemed to be playing in it. I didn't realize that they couldn't swim out of it and they died of exhaustion.
Trippingpara;1918731; said:
It is mostly water. I would say that about a millimeter of the pump intake is exposed to water. The water line is not on top of the tank. I would say its 3/4 of the total height of the tank because that's where the top of the round intake of the propeller is.
I mostly have dats and I think they are liking it too because they seem to be a little bit more stable this morning.
you may need to drill more holes in you spray bar or what ever you are using for the return. I am using the normal quiet one 4000 and I just had to drill a few extra holes in the spray bar and now they are perfectly balanced...
BushFishRox;1918992; said:
I don't have a spray bar or anything special for the return. I have clear hose with an elbow at the end facing towards the acrylic pointed downwards. I actually have plans of making a spraybar and placing it in the corner of the tank. I am using the clear hose as a return connected to a two-way valve (not too bright of a decision) and then to the hose and at the end it has a regular pvc elbow.
if yer worried about overflowing yer sump in a poweroutage/pump failure just save yerself the headach and turn off the power and see what happens.... drilling a hole in the pump line will keep it from acting as a syphon if the power/pump goes out..
the water level in the tank should not change.. the overflow sets the water level.. the only water level that should change is the sump water level.. if the overflow is underwater then its not able to keep up.. adding a T to the pump line with a ball valve to send some of the water from the pump back into the sump.. this is the best solution to this (also it keeps you from having to rebuild your overflow/get a different pump)...
also a piece of tape on the side of the sump to mark water levels is the greatest thing ever.. such a time/worry saver
the mark on the left is water level if the power goes out/pump fails
top mark on the right is the "fill to here" line
bottom mark on the right is the "do not go to work with the water below here" line
and yes... overflow and a syphon line... i rent and would rather have an extra tube than a mad landlord... however in all reality the sump would run itself dry before it overflowed the tank... but i built it so it stays
the water level in the tank should not change.. the overflow sets the water level.. the only water level that should change is the sump water level.. if the overflow is underwater then its not able to keep up.. adding a T to the pump line with a ball valve to send some of the water from the pump back into the sump.. this is the best solution to this (also it keeps you from having to rebuild your overflow/get a different pump)...
also a piece of tape on the side of the sump to mark water levels is the greatest thing ever.. such a time/worry saver
the mark on the left is water level if the power goes out/pump fails
top mark on the right is the "fill to here" line
bottom mark on the right is the "do not go to work with the water below here" line
and yes... overflow and a syphon line... i rent and would rather have an extra tube than a mad landlord... however in all reality the sump would run itself dry before it overflowed the tank... but i built it so it stays
