I'm an R-tard...please help me

[LD50]

So I built a DIY siphon overflow for my 90 and put a 29 under it. I used 1 - 1/2" for the drain and I got a 700gph pump on 1/2" pipe that at 4'5" head should give me about 460ish gph according to the manufacturer's spec's. Siphon works great, its quiet...and the return has a nice strong current.

My problem is I sat in front of the outlet ball valve tapping and tapping trying to get the flow's to balance out for hours and I could NOT get them to balance out. Is it b/c the flow rates of the two pipes are so far apart? or is this just the way overflow siphons are?

 

[LD50]

Anyone? ...............Beuler?

 

[nfored]

You flow rates should never balance out in any type of sump system. The return should always be slower than the drain. I don't know exactly what you mean by balanced though, as long as when you turn on the system the tank doesn't overflow and when you turn it off the sump doesn't over flow; your good.

Are you trying to make it to where the water level doesn't change much from the of and on position?

 

[imusuallyuseless]

Can you post a pic of what you built??? Hard to tell, but it sounds like you're trying to use a regular siphon to drain your tank, that doesn't have a proper "overflow" mechanism. If you can't post a pic, perhaps you can have a look at the sticky above to see how your design differs because you really shouldn't need to adjust your output at all w/what you're describing(in a properly functioning overflow)

 

[johns]

You Might try using a Gate valve.
I understand Your Pain. I used to have the same problem when doing water changes. I used 2 valves in line one i never touch and the other to turn off for water changes.
A picture might also help.
I think what Your saying is the sump is either to full or to empty. As I am typing I am thinking Your overflow may not be correct.

 

[LD50]

Yea, it was a bad build....I think I'm just going to drop the 50 bucks and get a proper HOB overflow. Thanks anyway guys.

 

[TheCanuck]

no dude, its quite easy. You have to think of it this way, the drain is like a hole in your tank. Once you fill it so full the water will escape threw the hole into another bin. Then you pump that water back into the tank and it will fall through the hole again into the bin. Thus your water level in your tank will never change, only the water in the bin because the hole (drain) in your tank will never be able to rise above that, but it should always drain faster than your pump otherwise your tank will flood, or your bin will deplete.

 

[johns]

Right. You are only draning as much water that You Pump in.

 

[LD50]

Yea but thats just it it was not working like that, it was actually siphoning water out of the tank. much faster than my pump could push it back in.

 

[TheCanuck]

Yea but thats just it it was not working like that, it was actually siphoning water out of the tank. much faster than my pump could push it back in.

Then you need to raise the drain, that way the drain will stop gulping so much water. It shouldn't break siphon, and should continually dump water as fast as your pump pushes.