How full do you fill your sump

[fallout]

So I just got my system set up last night. Filled it with tap water to check for leaks and make sure everything worked. I filled the tank and as it got full water starting filling the sump, as planned. When I turned on the pump everything worked and of course the water in the sump dropped slightly. When the water was being cycled back into the sump the water level was so low (maybe 5 inches from top) the water was making a splashing sound, no bid beal right! Well my girlfriend thought it was too noisey, so I topped of the sump to eliminate the splashing. When I turned off the pump all the water in the hoses flowed back into the sump causing it to overflow, doh.
so my question is , how full should you fill your sump? I'm assuming you can fill it up with the pump off.

 

[prime311]

Fake a power outage and see how much backflow you end up with. Then add enough water to fill the sump sans an inch or so. If you're having too much water coming back into the sump from backflow, then you might want to adjust the rim level of your overflow.

 

[chuckcac]

ok.... tricky.
have you calculated your allowable backflow....?
its a careful dance between;
1. allowable backflow (in case of a power outage)
2. allowable inflow to the DT (in the event of an overflow malfunction)
lets imagine you have a 55 gal tank..
case #1 power goes out.... water drains from the DT into the sump.... you need to know how much water is coming out of the tank.
example; your over flow is set 1" below the water surface - (1"x48"x13"/231 = 2.7 gallons)

[hr]
> do you have enough room in the sump for an extra 2.7 gallons?
case #2 a snail gets stuck in your overflow and clogs it....... water continues to pump OUT of you sump and INTO your DT......
how much water is leaving the sump? is there room in the display to take it?
example; your sump (LxWxH/231 = XX gallons ---> lets say 3 gallons just for fun).... 3 gallons leaves the sump.....
lets say your water surface level is 1" below the rim of the DT.... (1"x48"x13"/231= 2.7gallons.
3 gallons from the sump..... room for 2.7 gallons in the display.... 0.3 gallons on the floor...
now plug in your numbers & sizes of everything and we'll take it from there

 

[fallout]

thanks, I didn't calculate all of that but I will now.

 

[earlybird]

leave a few inches if you can so that the bubbles that pop in your sump don't throw salt out of the sump. Make sense?

 

[fallout]

That area on my sump has a lid.

 

[ccampbell57]

In case of an outage and ease of maintaining your tank and sump, add a cut-off valve from the drain to the sump. In this case you can just shut off the valve and there is no back-flow.
If this is not put in, then I agree with the people above saying that you need to fake an outage and see how high the water goes in the sump. Allow at least 1-2" from the top and then turn the pump back on. Mark a permanent line on the sump

 

[prime311]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but how is a cutoff valve between your sump and overflow going to help if your power goes out while you aren't at home? Is there an electrically managed one that automatically goes to off in the event of a power failure?

 

[earlybird]

Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2516144
Maybe I'm missing something here, but how is a cutoff valve between your sump and overflow going to help if your power goes out while you aren't at home? Is there an electrically managed one that automatically goes to off in the event of a power failure?
Maybe referring to a check valve?

 

[prime311]

A check valve would definitely be needed between the return pump and display to prevent backwash(assuming your return is below water level on the display), not sure how it would stop water from coming down the overflow though.

 

[chuckcac]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
http:///forum/post/2516133
In case of an outage and ease of maintaining your tank and sump, add a cut-off valve from the drain to the sump. In this case you can just shut off the valve and there is no back-flow.
If this is not put in, then I agree with the people above saying that you need to fake an outage and see how high the water goes in the sump. Allow at least 1-2" from the top and then turn the pump back on. Mark a permanent line on the sump
i have ball valves, check valves and unions in my plumbing just about everywhere you can imagine.... but if i'm asleep or not home when the power goes out , or a critter goes down the 'waterslide'...... they are useless
but CCampbell is right. there should be a ball valve on both the overflow line and the return line. you never know when one will come in handy....

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by chuckcac
http:///forum/post/2516214
but CCampbell is right. there should be a ball valve on both the overflow line and the return line. you never know when one will come in handy....

I have the same setup, and they are very handy.

 

[curve]

I have check valves on my return line and I fill my sump around half full. I only get about an inch rais in my sump when power goes out and I have about 6 inches of lead way.

 

[chuckcac]

mine is set so that if the system fails in any direction....
-nothing will overflow.... neither display or sump
-overflow system stays primed
-water cannot backwash, or siphon in either direction
i had both experiences... power loss - and a banggaii cardinal that got stuck in the overflow & clogged it... works like a charm