Sump Design Check

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I don't see the need for baffles at all.
I put bio-media in mesh bags so there is unrestricted flow to beneficial bacteria and pumps, I find baffles restrictive for a host of other reasons, and find them to be only be of some pseudo aesthetic property, not any real value to the working of the system.
 
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Almost any of these various designs will work; there are probably as many different designs as there are sumps out there. Personally, I see no need for the middle two partitions on each side, i.e. if the partitions in your drawing were labelled from 1 to 8, I would eliminate 2, 3, 6 and 7. The flow through the biomedia would then be from bottom to top, which works just fine; in fact, it would allow fine sediment to settle to the bottom beneath the biomedia rather than actually entering and clogging up that chamber. You'd probably want to extend 1 and 2 upwards a bit.

All those little channels and baffles and passageways appeal to some folks; others prefer simplicity. Either way can work.
 
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Not a bad design, it should work. But there's keeping it simple and working efficiently, and making it more complicated than it needs to be and working efficiently. They both are effective but in this game keeping things simple is always best. Yours falls into the latter imo.

I'm a stickler for even and unrestricted flow through my media and there's an area with your design that could be problematic if i'm reading it right. As the water flows over your very first baffle into your first section of media all the clogging up will occur at that end. Unless you have some kind of a drip tray which will evenly distribute the water down through that section.

That clogging at one side of your media, leaving the other side lovely and clean, isn't efficient and would do my head in. But of course if you are putting some kind of a tray there then all's good.

Good luck.
 
jjohnwm said:
Almost any of these various designs will work; there are probably as many different designs as there are sumps out there. Personally, I see no need for the middle two partitions on each side, i.e. if the partitions in your drawing were labelled from 1 to 8, I would eliminate 2, 3, 6 and 7. The flow through the biomedia would then be from bottom to top, which works just fine; in fact, it would allow fine sediment to settle to the bottom beneath the biomedia rather than actually entering and clogging up that chamber. You'd probably want to extend 1 and 2 upwards a bit.

All those little channels and baffles and passageways appeal to some folks; others prefer simplicity. Either way can work.
Click to expand...
Agree that simpler is better, appreciate the input
 
Sorry, I meant to say extend 1 and 8 upwards; noticed the error too late to edit.
 
Simplified it a bit, appreciate everyone's input. Everybody has a different approach but this is what makes sense to me. Here's the final config. Blue line is water level which will always be above the center baffle & below the first 2 side baffels. The whole center section 18" x 11" x 6" will be mechanical filtration (where the blue sponge is shown). I'm using PVC couplers to support the egg crate that keeps the mechanical filtration & bio media 2" off the bottom for unrestricted flow.
sump.JPG


The short little baffle in front of the bio media section and the baffle right before the pump is just there to direct all the flow through some bio media. If those weren't there most of the water would bypass that media as the water level may be several inches higher than the media.
sump2.JPG
 
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Flow test came out good. Just need to calm the flow a little where the drains come in to eliminate any trickling sounds. My filter pads didn't come in yet so I'm using those pads as a placeholder. Overall I'm pretty stoked. IMG_20200627_153002_01.jpg
 
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jamesucla said:
Overall I'm pretty stoked.
Click to expand...


Did you mean "pretty stoked" or "pretty soaked"? ;)

Looks great!

I like putting a filter pad on the bottom of the tank under the filter pad section. Gunk will settle out of the water underneith there. It is a lot easier to pull the pad on the bottom of the tank, rinse it, then put it back in than pull out all the filter pads to get down there so you can wipe it up.
 
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