SUMP FLOODS TWO NIGHTS EXACT SAME TIME

[bleublaze55]

Hey forum,

New to sump building. I will post a couple pictures later today. I have a 30 gal sump. PVC piping with a 1.25" durso drain with a 1" conversion on the end to the bulk head. The drain goes into two 45 deg because the flow is better than the 90 deg i had after the bulk head. I have it splitting into two filter socks. The returns are 2x aquatrader 700 gph pumps. They do a pretty good job being quite and getting ample flow in my 120.

NOW for the issue. The last two nights AFTER i installed the durso pipe listed above the tank actually floods at 11:45pm pst!! haha. Seriously tho, the last two nights the sump has emptied directly into the tank causing massive flooding!! i can't seem to figure out why it would happen two nights in a row at the same time. Its worth mentioning they are connected to a power plug that has a timer, however, these pumps are obviously connected to the constant side.

I can't seem to figure out WHY this thing is flooding, im thinking increased power supply from the power strip after the lights go off? (9pm) and its just enough increase to push out more than what my wastegate is set at......???

Like i said im new to sump building and could probably use a lot of advice. also is there a way to prevent flooding when the power goes out, without having a huge water line at the top of your tank? I'd like to have no water line, a decently filled sump and no worries if the power goes out or if the drain gets clogged. (thats probably asking too much)

Thanks for all your help!!!! hopefully i can get this solved before 11:45 tonight!

 

[jcardona1]

Very strange to say the least. You sure nothing is clogging the Durso? There is no other reason I can think why the tank would flood, other than a blockage in the drain line...

 

[bleublaze55]

I thought the same thing the first night. I opened the wastegate, flow was strong. Then yesterday afternoon i put more water in the combo, had everything dialed in for about 4hrs plus, no water level change. Then 11:45 hit, and BOOM!!! from my bedroom i hear buckets of splashing water!!
im very frustrated and really don't know why the exact same thnig happened at exactly the same time at night, exactly!!! so strange. im thinking power surge from the 2hr difference the strip has between 9 and 11? like it slightly increases the supply. BUT that wouldn't explain why it is all the sudden a huge rush of water....

 

[jcardona1]

I thought the same thing the first night. I opened the wastegate, flow was strong. Then yesterday afternoon i put more water in the combo, had everything dialed in for about 4hrs plys, no water level change. Then 11:45 hit, and BOOM!!! from my bedrrom i hear buckets of splashing water!!
im very frustrated and really don't know why the exact same happened exactly the same time at night, exactly!!!

What do you mean "wastegate" Do you have a valve on the drain line that you are closing off?

 

[bleublaze55]

yes there is a wastegate valve just before the split into the two filter socks.

 

[jcardona1]

And you have this valve closed off, to reduce noise? BAD BAD BAD!! By closing off the valve your drain isn't handling 100% of the pump's flow. The water level in the tank is rising slowly, very slowly. I know because I tried this setup before. It's asking for trouble. You either need to leave the drain line unobstructed or having an emergency line in place. I'm pretty sure that is what your problem is

 

[bleublaze55]

If i left the drain all the way open my pumps would not be able to pump enough water into the tank to keep up. I have that basically setup right now, after the tank floods. theres about 10gals flooded. Then since the water line is lower the drain can not drain more than the pumps can pump. Which im assuming is natural. This method leaves me with like 1.2 inchs of water line space... looks horrible....

Its worth mentioning that it does work the way i stated initially for a good 4+ hours.... with no water level change. I know this because i mark the water level to check this, since its a new idea for me....

 

[jcardona1]

If i left the drain all the way open my pumps would not be able to pump enough water into the tank to keep up

There is something very wrong with your setup. That is not how a sump works. Do you have an overflow box? What you are describing above is not even an issue with sumps, because the amount of water the pumps are returning is exactly the amount of water going through the returns, not less, not more, but exactly the same amount. That's why I say there's something wrong.

Do you have pics of the entire sump, setup, and plumbing? The only time a sump can flood your tank is if you lose siphon when using a hang-on type of overflow system, or the drain line becomes blocked.

 

[bleublaze55]

I am using an overflow box. it is built into the tank. I can post pictures of my setup in a little while. Im not home so i don't have access to the tank. And i see what your saying. I think where im coming from is that i expect 0 water line like in my old 75g with a canister filter. Im assuming thats where my misconception lies. I will post pictures up soon.

 

[jcardona1]

Yeah pics would help, or even a sketch if you're not home.

I'm a little confused when you say 0 water line. What do you mean? If your tank has built-in overflows, then opening that valve all the way shouldn't give you problems. It should be flowing exactly the amount of water that is entering the tank. That's why it's called an "overflow". As the water enters the tank, it 'overflows' into the box, which flows down to the sump. So there should not be any flow equalization issues.