Tiny Bubbles

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shookONES

shookONES

Casper... the not so friendly ghost
MFK Member
Jul 12, 2005
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Totowa, NJ
My tank has 1000s of tiny bubbled shooting from the return from the wet/dry. I'm pretty sure I've got a tiny air leak somewhere in the return plumbing but I can't put my finger on it. Anyone care to offer a suggestion?

Also, it might help to mention that I don't have the final sponges in my sumps yet. So its possible the splashing water from my dripping bioballs is created bubbles that get chopped up by my pump, however unlikely.
 
I have teflon tape on every threaded piece in the system. I also used metal clamps to secure any rubber or otherwise soft tubing. I'll try the plug thing tonight though.
 
maybe something is too tight like the metal clamps causing a gap?
 
sometimes the pumps produce bubbles....is the pump at the return or intake ???

i had a magdrive in a tank and the output stream of water had millions of tiny bubbles in it.....i believe its from cavitation at the impeller...
 
johnptc;839746; said:
sometimes the pumps produce bubbles....is the pump at the return or intake ???

i had a magdrive in a tank and the output stream of water had millions of tiny bubbles in it.....i believe its from cavitation at the impeller...
Click to expand...

Cavitation may be occuring at the impeller however bubbles caused by this would most likely collapse in the system before you ever saw them exit the plumbing

The bubbles have to come from somewhere, its most likely you have a small hole somewhere and the system is ingesting air; consider the law of conservation of mass................
 
IITUFFTOBEATII;839792; said:
Cavitation may be occuring at the impeller however bubbles caused by this would most likely collapse in the system before you ever saw them exit the plumbing

The bubbles have to come from somewhere, its most likely you have a small hole somewhere and the system is ingesting air; consider the law of conservation of mass................
Click to expand...

except the mag drive was totally under water.........the air must have come out of solution with the change in pressure and did not redisolve before existing the pump.....

as for the conservation of mass.........i am sure mass was conserved however water contains many gases in solution.....think what happens when you open a soda can....co2 comes out of solution with the change in pressuer ( opening)...many bubbles:popcorn: :popcorn:
 
The air has to be coming from the input (suction) side or you would have a water leak. Plugging the output of the pump should not show anything. Now if you plug the intake and pressurize it (reverse flow) you'll find a leak.

You can try a little food coloring around the joints to see if they leak ( I use a syringe).

Dr Joe

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