salty cheese
Active Member
Is it still flowing? or like Sqidd said is there an air pocket in the tube?
U Tube
- Thread starter new2u
- Start date
squidd
Active Member
"If" the overflow was working before (balanced) and you did not change the pump or return line...
The overflow should work again and you should not need to "restrict" the flow with a ball valve (band aid)
Re read the two discriptions above on starting the siphon in a U tube with the air line method...
The overflow should work again and you should not need to "restrict" the flow with a ball valve (band aid)
Re read the two discriptions above on starting the siphon in a U tube with the air line method...
salty cheese
Active Member
If you have a powerhead you can use that to start the siphon, much easier than sucking on the tube.
salty cheese
Active Member
Band aid? Every sump design and pic I've ever seen has had a ball valve on it.
salty cheese
Active Member
Hook up the line like this.
The other end is inserted into the u tube.
The other end is inserted into the u tube.
salty cheese
Active Member
Originally posted by New2u
mines just a wet dry not a full fleged sump
I was talking to Sqidd sorry
squidd
Active Member
Band aid? Every sump design and pic I've ever seen has had a ball valve on it.
Not mine...
A"balanced" system should not need an effeciency reducing restriction to function properly...
Perhaps on a "T"d off line to regulate flow to a fuge or other function, but not on the main return line..
Unless you have the wrong sized pump or overflow...:yes:
Not mine...
A"balanced" system should not need an effeciency reducing restriction to function properly...
Perhaps on a "T"d off line to regulate flow to a fuge or other function, but not on the main return line..
Unless you have the wrong sized pump or overflow...:yes:
salty cheese
Active Member
Originally posted by Squidd
Not mine...
A"balanced" system should not need an effeciency reducing restriction to function properly...
Perhaps on a "T"d off line to regulate flow to a fuge or other function, but not on the main return line..
Unless you have the wrong sized pump or overflow...:yes:
I thinks there is a flaw ins me design then.
But like I said I've seen many set ups with them I thought it was the norm.I learned something new today.
salty cheese
Active Member
Originally posted by Squidd
Good idea on the powerhesd though...:yes:
Can save somebody from a mouth full of saltwater..
But it taste so good and the fish seem to like it.
squidd
Active Member
Originally posted by Squidd
Not mine...
Let me clarify this a bit...
I do have ball valves on my hard lines and closed loop..They are placed just ahead of the "quick disconects" and are "only" used to shut water off from draining when I remove a pump for service...
Perhaps that's what your seeing on some of these other systems...
A"balanced" system should not need an effeciency reducing restriction to function properly...
dragonboy
Active Member
I use a simple technique to get it going no siphon with tube to get it going or a powerhead. What I do is get two corks from a hardware store and then fill up the tube with water and cork both ends. After its been filled and corked I place it in the overflow box and remove the corks as it is submerge in water. As soon as you remove them the water will start running.
broomer5
Active Member
Here's the basic "suck out the air" procedure.
Get yourself a length of airline tubing, 3-4 feet long works pretty good.
Return pump off - obviously.
Sump should have "some" saltwater in it - like around 1/2 full or so.
Fill the outer box until the saltwater stops running down the drain. A properly designed overflow will allow some saltwater to remain in the outer box.
Pour some saltwater in the inner box too.
Place the siphon tube in the overflow. There must be saltwater covering both open ends of the siphon tube. Must.
If so, remove the siphon tube again and slip one end of this airline into the siphon, and push it up there until it's open end is just a little past the highest point of the siphon tube.
Hold everything so it doesn't move around on you, and return the siphon tube to the overflow.
Both ends of the siphon are now under saltwater with this airline hanging out a couple feet.
Slide the airline out a little so the end that's in the siphon is at the HIGHEST point in the U tube siphon.
Now - suck the air out of the siphon tube by sucking on the airline with your mouth.
A spit cup is handy right about now - if this is your first attempt.
You'll notice as you draw the air out, that the saltwater in both inner and outer box begins to raise up in the U tube. When you get all the air out, pinch off the airline tubing with your teeth or fingers and pull it out of the siphon tube.
Keep the airline pinched off while you're doing this or air will rush back in through the airline tubing and you'll lose some of the saltwater in the siphon tube.
Once the U tube is filled - you have now "primed" the siphon, and it should be safe to turn on your pump.
ANOTHER PROCEDURE **********************
prime the overflow U tube.
To do this, you'll need a 3-4 foot length of airline tubing. Take one end of this airline tubing and run it up into the curved section of the U tube. Push it in a little past the curved sections works best for me.
Now carefully place the U tube with this airline sticking out into the inner and outer box, leaving the 3 feet of airline sticking out still. If the inner box is not full of water - fill it with a cup.
Fill the outer box with a cup too. When you pour water into the outer box, depending on the design of the outer box, you'll probably hear water start draining down to the wet/dry.
But the outer box and inner box must be full of tankwater before this next step. These boxes will not be FULL FULL, but there will be a point where they both have enough water in them to completely cover both ends of the U tube.
If you now have the inner and outer box full of tankwater, place the free hanging end of the airline tubing in your mouth, and begin to suck the air out of the U tube. Since both ends of the U tube are under water ( one end in inner box - one end in outer box ) water will begin to rise in the U tube as you evacuate the air with your mouth.
Try and position the end of the airline tubing at the highest point in the arched curved U tube. Suck out all of the air, trying to get the last little bubble.
Once done - bite the airline tubing and pull it out of the U tube.
The tankwater should now be in the U tube, inner box and outer box. Water will most likey begin flowing once you get the U tube full of water. This is natural, and how it works.
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Your tank water level may start adjusting itself now, meaning water may start flowing down to the sump. Watch it close.
Don't let it overflow the sump. It may not even flow at all.
It all depends on how deep you have the inner box postioned in the tank. That's why I like to do a new start up with the inner box at it's highest position.
Okay - now you have everything hooked up primed and ready to go.
Look at the wet dry water level. If there is no water in the sump wet/dry yet, losen the plastic wing nut(s) on the inner box, lowering it more into the tank.
Now you'll see even more water begin to fall over the teeth of the inner box, up and over the U tube, into the outer box and down to the sump.
Let it do this until the water stops draining. Now you have a new level in the tank again. Look at the sump. See how full it is. If there is some water in the sump, enough to cover the return pump, then turn on the return pump and watch the sump level go down.
Once some water begins pumping back to the main tank, turn off the pump again and watch the tankwater siphon back to the sump. See how much siphons back.
If the sump's not full ( it shouldn't even be close to full yet ) add a little of the new saltwater to the sump. Maybe a quart or so.
Repeat this turning on the pump on and off and adding new saltwater to the sump until you get to a point where you've added enough saltwater that the pump will not run dry when you turn it on, and tankwater begins to fall through the teeth of the overflow. Once this starts happening - you're almost done.
Let the thing run for a couple minutes.
Notice how much water is in the sump, and where the water level is in the display tank.
If the tank water level looks good to you ( tank is full ) then you're done messing with the overflow. If the water level is too low in the display tank, and you want to raise it, again loosen the plastic wing nut and lower the inner box a little.
Each time you lower the inner box, more water will begin to flow down to the sump - so keep an eye on the sump water level too.
Each time you lower the inner box, you are establishing a new "normal operating" level for the display tank.
Once you're pleased with the water level in the tank, look to the sump. Where is the new water level in the sump now that you lowered the inner box ???
If is halfway up the sump ?
One third up the sump ?
Now you can add or remove water from the sump.
You want as much water in the sump as you can get, but here's the most IMPORTANT thing to do.
You must allow enough room in the sump for water to drain back to it from the main tank, when you shut off the return pump.
Turn off the return pump and watch the level in the sump begin to rise. Get ready to plug the return pump back on, should the water level in the sump look like it's going to overflow into the tank stand.
If the water level rises in the sump, and you still have enough "safety", where the sump will not overflow - you're really getting close to being done.
If you need to add a little more new saltwater do it.
Keep repeating this procedure. Turn off pump watch sump level go up. Add or remove water from the sump until it looks good and the sump will not overflow.
Once you get the proper amount of water added to the system - you're done.
It's a trial and error mostly. Hopefully no error.
I mark the side of the sump with tape or something where the highest point is when I turn off the pump. Then I mark the other level in the sump with tape to indicate where the water level should be under normal operation.
Then as water evaporates, you'll start to see the water level in the sump drop below this normal operating level. I mark the lowest level the sump will operate before the return pump starts to suck air.
This helps with top offs, and if someone is watching your tank for you while you're away .... all you have to do is show them how to add water and keep it at the middle piece of tape.
Pretty foolproof at that point
Get yourself a length of airline tubing, 3-4 feet long works pretty good.
Return pump off - obviously.
Sump should have "some" saltwater in it - like around 1/2 full or so.
Fill the outer box until the saltwater stops running down the drain. A properly designed overflow will allow some saltwater to remain in the outer box.
Pour some saltwater in the inner box too.
Place the siphon tube in the overflow. There must be saltwater covering both open ends of the siphon tube. Must.
If so, remove the siphon tube again and slip one end of this airline into the siphon, and push it up there until it's open end is just a little past the highest point of the siphon tube.
Hold everything so it doesn't move around on you, and return the siphon tube to the overflow.
Both ends of the siphon are now under saltwater with this airline hanging out a couple feet.
Slide the airline out a little so the end that's in the siphon is at the HIGHEST point in the U tube siphon.
Now - suck the air out of the siphon tube by sucking on the airline with your mouth.
A spit cup is handy right about now - if this is your first attempt.
You'll notice as you draw the air out, that the saltwater in both inner and outer box begins to raise up in the U tube. When you get all the air out, pinch off the airline tubing with your teeth or fingers and pull it out of the siphon tube.
Keep the airline pinched off while you're doing this or air will rush back in through the airline tubing and you'll lose some of the saltwater in the siphon tube.
Once the U tube is filled - you have now "primed" the siphon, and it should be safe to turn on your pump.
ANOTHER PROCEDURE **********************
prime the overflow U tube.
To do this, you'll need a 3-4 foot length of airline tubing. Take one end of this airline tubing and run it up into the curved section of the U tube. Push it in a little past the curved sections works best for me.
Now carefully place the U tube with this airline sticking out into the inner and outer box, leaving the 3 feet of airline sticking out still. If the inner box is not full of water - fill it with a cup.
Fill the outer box with a cup too. When you pour water into the outer box, depending on the design of the outer box, you'll probably hear water start draining down to the wet/dry.
But the outer box and inner box must be full of tankwater before this next step. These boxes will not be FULL FULL, but there will be a point where they both have enough water in them to completely cover both ends of the U tube.
If you now have the inner and outer box full of tankwater, place the free hanging end of the airline tubing in your mouth, and begin to suck the air out of the U tube. Since both ends of the U tube are under water ( one end in inner box - one end in outer box ) water will begin to rise in the U tube as you evacuate the air with your mouth.
Try and position the end of the airline tubing at the highest point in the arched curved U tube. Suck out all of the air, trying to get the last little bubble.
Once done - bite the airline tubing and pull it out of the U tube.
The tankwater should now be in the U tube, inner box and outer box. Water will most likey begin flowing once you get the U tube full of water. This is natural, and how it works.
/>
Your tank water level may start adjusting itself now, meaning water may start flowing down to the sump. Watch it close.
Don't let it overflow the sump. It may not even flow at all.
It all depends on how deep you have the inner box postioned in the tank. That's why I like to do a new start up with the inner box at it's highest position.
Okay - now you have everything hooked up primed and ready to go.
Look at the wet dry water level. If there is no water in the sump wet/dry yet, losen the plastic wing nut(s) on the inner box, lowering it more into the tank.
Now you'll see even more water begin to fall over the teeth of the inner box, up and over the U tube, into the outer box and down to the sump.
Let it do this until the water stops draining. Now you have a new level in the tank again. Look at the sump. See how full it is. If there is some water in the sump, enough to cover the return pump, then turn on the return pump and watch the sump level go down.
Once some water begins pumping back to the main tank, turn off the pump again and watch the tankwater siphon back to the sump. See how much siphons back.
If the sump's not full ( it shouldn't even be close to full yet ) add a little of the new saltwater to the sump. Maybe a quart or so.
Repeat this turning on the pump on and off and adding new saltwater to the sump until you get to a point where you've added enough saltwater that the pump will not run dry when you turn it on, and tankwater begins to fall through the teeth of the overflow. Once this starts happening - you're almost done.
Let the thing run for a couple minutes.
Notice how much water is in the sump, and where the water level is in the display tank.
If the tank water level looks good to you ( tank is full ) then you're done messing with the overflow. If the water level is too low in the display tank, and you want to raise it, again loosen the plastic wing nut and lower the inner box a little.
Each time you lower the inner box, more water will begin to flow down to the sump - so keep an eye on the sump water level too.
Each time you lower the inner box, you are establishing a new "normal operating" level for the display tank.
Once you're pleased with the water level in the tank, look to the sump. Where is the new water level in the sump now that you lowered the inner box ???
If is halfway up the sump ?
One third up the sump ?
Now you can add or remove water from the sump.
You want as much water in the sump as you can get, but here's the most IMPORTANT thing to do.
You must allow enough room in the sump for water to drain back to it from the main tank, when you shut off the return pump.
Turn off the return pump and watch the level in the sump begin to rise. Get ready to plug the return pump back on, should the water level in the sump look like it's going to overflow into the tank stand.
If the water level rises in the sump, and you still have enough "safety", where the sump will not overflow - you're really getting close to being done.
If you need to add a little more new saltwater do it.
Keep repeating this procedure. Turn off pump watch sump level go up. Add or remove water from the sump until it looks good and the sump will not overflow.
Once you get the proper amount of water added to the system - you're done.
It's a trial and error mostly. Hopefully no error.
I mark the side of the sump with tape or something where the highest point is when I turn off the pump. Then I mark the other level in the sump with tape to indicate where the water level should be under normal operation.
Then as water evaporates, you'll start to see the water level in the sump drop below this normal operating level. I mark the lowest level the sump will operate before the return pump starts to suck air.
This helps with top offs, and if someone is watching your tank for you while you're away .... all you have to do is show them how to add water and keep it at the middle piece of tape.
Pretty foolproof at that point
T
thomas712
Guest
Broomer5 - would you email me please.
aceshigh
New Member
Originally posted by chriscobb
I found the easiest way for me to prime my U tubes is to take plastic wrap to pieces alittle bigger than sandwich bags;(sandwhich bags also work in a pinch) and then put the U tube in the tank to fill with water and then cover 1 end of the U tube with plastic and make sure the U tube is full of water and then before you remove it from the tank cover the other end of the U tube while it's still in the tank and and then put it in your overflow and the pull the front piece of plastic closest to you first and then pull the plastic in the back side of the overflow box. Works like a charm everytime!!!!!
Yep Yep, works for me too!