Water Level in Sump

[garnet13aj]

I've seen a lot of pictures of people's sumps and they seem to be filled about 2/3rds of the way or less many times. Is there any reason to leave the sump that low, or is it okay to fill it almost to the top, leaving just enough room for the extra water to drain if the pump is unplugged.
Thanks.

 

[wangotango]

A lot more water will drain from the tank than most people think. Better be safe than sorry and not have an overflow.
-Justin

 

[brandan]

I run the Refuge section to the top, the Skimmer section at 12", and then the return section at about 10-11". My sump is a 75gal, I have no problems with flooding.

 

[veni vidi vici]

Simulate a power outage,wait for all the water to stop draining into sump and then see how much room you have to top of sump. That will give you an idea of how much more water you can add to sump when its full and running.

 

[garnet13aj]

Great. I did that, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some other reason to keep it low.

 

[al mc]

One other thing to consider. Most in sump skimmers have a depth of water in which they work at maximum efficiency. For most it is about 9-10". So many sumps are made with 9" baffles to keep the skimmers in the best possible depth of water.