so close!!! please help. my sump still doesnt work

[gio28]

Well...after yet another modification...my sump is still having problems...
SO...i finally got the sump running normally...but now there are HUGE noise issues. I have a standpipe (which got rid of the crashing water in the overflow box). But here is where the noise occurs now:
1) this is probably the pumps fault...but its real loud and i am not throttling it down at all. The pipe the pump is on has a T fitting on it and the part back to the tank is always fully open and the one that goes back into the sump is partially open. So i dont know how to quiet the stupid thing.
2) The overflow is making sounds as well as the pipe to the sump. I know that the water within the pipe is trickling down which is causing noise (how do i fix this?) and then there is this gurgling sound it does (the durso has a hole on top...i adjust the opening with duct tape).
3) There are bubbles coming into the tank which also irritate me
Thanks for any help you guys have!

 

[gill again68]

OK, I cant remember from your other thread on this. Did you have any curves or elbows in your down pipe from the DT to the sump?
Can you get a pic of what you have done so far?
The pump part, you have to help me more here. The only noise you should have there is possibly some vibration from the pump sitting on the sump glass. Is it a water noise?

 

[ryancw01]

What size is your tank and how many gph is the return pump?

 

[beaslbob]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3246359
Well...after yet another modification...my sump is still having problems...
SO...i finally got the sump running normally...but now there are HUGE noise issues. I have a standpipe (which got rid of the crashing water in the overflow box). But here is where the noise occurs now
1) this is probably the pumps fault...but its real loud and i am not throttling it down at all. The pipe the pump is on has a T fitting on it and the part back to the tank is always fully open and the one that goes back into the sump is partially open. So i dont know how to quiet the stupid thing.
I presume you have adjusted the air opening for max flow (bigger) and less noise (smaller). Air in the drain will cause a muffled water rushing sound as the water drains to the sump. So you might try water traps so the water only falls a foot or two before reaching a drain full of water. Or try throttling back the drain so the drain is almost all full of water. But that can be dangerous should the drain have a slight build up constricting the drain limiting the drain's capacity.
2) The overflow is making sounds as well as the pipe to the sump. I know that the water within the pipe is trickling down which is causing noise (how do i fix this?) and then there is this gurgling sound it does (the durso has a hole on top...i adjust the opening with duct tape). :
restrictions on the pump input or the pump running dry cause pump noise because the pump is working harder. Try increasing the size on the input pipe (if it is an in line") setup and/or decreasing restrictions do to pump pre filters and the like.
3) There are bubbles coming into the tank which also irritate me
check where bubles are coming from. If they are going through the sump/refugium from the drain you might have to add some bafles or even a wet dry ffilter. I use a wastbasket (with an open bottom with screen) full of crushed oyster shells as an input to my refugium. There is a water rushing sound but none of the bubles from the return make into the refugium.
Thanks for any help you guys have!

welcome.
ps I'm glad I thought of the air hole in your earlier thread.
.02

 

[saxman]

some standpipes require more than one hole to quiet them (we have one that has 3 holes in the cap).
as for the falling bleed-off water into the sump (from the return), does that pipe run down into the water, or is the water falling into the sump? if it's falling, just add a pipe that runs below the water level in the sump.
also, you can use the bleed-off valve to help match your return to the overflow rate for "max quiet", at which point everything should be quiet.
HTH

 

[beaslbob]

Forgot on pump noise
the usually needs to be isolated with rubber mounts and flexiable input/output for in line operations. Just tossing the pump on the floor of a cabinent usually results in the noise being amplified in the stand.
my .02

 

[gio28]

thanks for all the replies. I will try and give more detail the best I can. And i'll try and put up a pic later.
Gill - From my overflow the pipe goes straight down about 1 foot and a few inches. then there is a 45 degree elbow that brings it below the stand...from there there is a section (at 45 degrees) that is about a foot long and has a ball valve on it (which i dont use). Then i just slip on either a 45 or 90 degree elbow to bring the pipe underwater slightly. Also, my pump itself is making the noise...not the water going back up to the DT. IDK why...
and ill post a pic asap
ryan - my tank is a 36 gallon (bowfront). the return....well idk for sure but its less GPH than the 800 gph overflow...but i am sure the overflow is overrated
saxman-the pipe just barely goes into the water...i slip on an elbow to make it reach underwater.
beaslbob- can you give me a link or more detail on what water trap will work best or what it is? also...i have tried throttling back the overflow...and the box will overflow no matter how slightly i turn the ball valve. the pump is like a big powerhead so the pipe was meant to fit its size...i actually increased the size of the pipe by a 1/4" once it comes out of the pumps smaller fitting...so it should be less work on the pipe. Also...no bubble come back into my DT but they do make noise in the sump...i would like to stop this if possible.
and yes...thanks again for reminding me about the hole...it turned out i did have one drilled but it was so small i didnt even notice it lol...so i made it bigger.
oh...and the pump itself is making a majority of the noise...but there is some noise of it touching the sump. I was thinking of putting a sponge under it to stop the noise...but then it would probably become a nitrate problem later on.

 

[gio28]

bump...
i think i will have most of the problems solved by what im planning.
-i am putting a T fitting right about where the water goes into the sump to let some air out there as well...i think that will fix the gurgle.
-for the sump pump i am going to try a mouse pad for it to sit on (will it leak chemicals?) or does anybody have a better solution??
-the only thing i am not sure about is the sound the water makes when it rushes down through the PVC pipes into the sump...how can i stop the majority of this noise from happening? insulating the pipes??
-

 

[gill again68]

Take those 45 degree elbows out and replace them with 90s. I put 2 on mine and it helped a lot. Also the T fitting should help allow any pressure out. Before I added my fuge I had a T fitting with filter floss in the output side and it acted like a muffler. The mouse pad worries me. I would look for another solution like a piece of rubber from a hobby store.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3246652
..
beaslbob- can you give me a link or more detail on what water trap will work best or what it is? also...i have tried throttling back the overflow...and the box will overflow no matter how slightly i turn the ball valve. the pump is like a big powerhead so the pipe was meant to fit its size...i actually increased the size of the pipe by a 1/4" once it comes out of the pumps smaller fitting...so it should be less work on the pipe. Also...no bubble come back into my DT but they do make noise in the sump...i would like to stop this if possible.
and yes...thanks again for reminding me about the hole...it turned out i did have one drilled but it was so small i didnt even notice it lol...so i made it bigger.
oh...and the pump itself is making a majority of the noise...but there is some noise of it touching the sump. I was thinking of putting a sponge under it to stop the noise...but then it would probably become a nitrate problem later on.
reference:

A"water trap" is just a "u" shaped pipe that traps water instead of running dry. Number 2 above is the water trap. My untested idea on the drain is to just let water drop down a couple of feet then have a U the goes back up that will fill up with water and help prevent noise.
The sponge----is the pump in the sump? Mounting the pump on a sponge should not make a nitrate trap. That is for a sponge filter where all the water rung through the sponge. That converts the wastes to nitrates. And with macro algaes all those resultant nitrates should be consumed.
Does the pump make noise when just pumping water like in a sink? If it runs quiet then perhaps there is some restriction in the plumbing.
my .02