gate valve in sump

[anamilasti]

i have an mrc mr 3 r skimmer
i was wondering if i placed the skimmer in the sump since the gate valve woudl be under water would i run into trouble adjusting the skimmer?
woudl i be better off makign a standpipe fot the skimmer?
any advide or points

 

[trippkid]

I would say yes, you will create more backpressure in the skimmer, you can just make a stand out of eggcrate or something for the skimmer to sit on, so the output is just out of the water. Adding additional plumbing to make the water go up will create backpressure too. You may be able to do it(adjustments) but I would not trust it, too easy for it to go into a very wet-skimming mode and overflow collection cup or container, IMO.
Matt

 

[psbrent2]

My MRC is inside my sump, the water level is above the valve outlet, just even with the top of the blue box on the base of the unit. It works just fine.

 

[trippkid]

there you go, I guess I am wrong, I still would be a little careful, especially if it is not recommended by the manufacturer for the gate valve to be below the water level. Good luck

Matt

 

[acrylic51]

Call MRC and ask them directly.......why second guess it, they build and design and test them.......Give them a call!!!!!

 

[trippkid]

Pretty sure the owner was busted for soliciting a minor for --- or something like it. Online predator. There was a thread about 2 months ago about it. Don't know if the company is still a viable entity, give them a call like said.

 

[scsinet]

Yep, the owner of MRC is in a bit of trouble right now. They are a local company here so our reef club is going nuts over it.
Regardless, Andy is only one of the owners... I know there is one, possibly two other owners. They are still selling, still operating. I know many people have a huge ethical issue with giving money to the company given what's happened. I'll say in advance that as reprehensible as what this person is accused of, he has not been proven guilty yet. Of course this is a moot point if you already have the skimmer.
Anyhow, back to the topic at hand...
The valve allows you to adjust the water level inside the box. No matter what, if the skimmer is sitting in the sump, in water, there is no way that the water level in the skimmer can be lower than the water level of the water outside the skimmer. Depending on what level you require, and how deep the water in the sump is, this may or may not be a problem.
I have an Aquatecture skimmer that is pretty similar to the MRC. I placed mine on a little acrylic stand so it sits high in the water, just so that it would never become an issue. A couple hunks of 3" PVC pipe will work just the same. It's cheap and it adds that level of flexibility. I'd do it.

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by SCSInet
Yep, the owner of MRC is in a bit of trouble right now. They are a local company here so our reef club is going nuts over it.
Regardless, Andy is only one of the owners... I know there is one, possibly two other owners. They are still selling, still operating. I know many people have a huge ethical issue with giving money to the company given what's happened. I'll say in advance that as reprehensible as what this person is accused of, he has not been proven guilty yet. Of course this is a moot point if you already have the skimmer.
Anyhow, back to the topic at hand...
The valve allows you to adjust the water level inside the box. No matter what, if the skimmer is sitting in the sump, in water, there is no way that the water level in the skimmer can be lower than the water level of the water outside the skimmer. Depending on what level you require, and how deep the water in the sump is, this may or may not be a problem.
I have an Aquatecture skimmer that is pretty similar to the MRC. I placed mine on a little acrylic stand so it sits high in the water, just so that it would never become an issue. A couple hunks of 3" PVC pipe will work just the same. It's cheap and it adds that level of flexibility. I'd do it.