Sumpage plumbing help???

HarrsCars · 08/30/2009, 10:54 PM

Howdy,

Thanks for reading. I have two 125 gallon sumps in a room under my 300 gallon reef. They are designed to be run seperate as one is a filtration sump and the other is the refugium sump. They run off seperate overflows and have seperate pumps also. Do I need to level the last chamber (the pump suction chamber) with each other or can they run independent of each other with no problems. I have my filtration sump on-line now and am just starting to get the refugium hooked up. I am worried one sump might overpower the other and run it dry in the pump chamber??? Not sure and am looking for advice cause I can still drill a hole now. Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks Mike

JeF4y · 08/31/2009, 02:14 PM

If the sumps are independent of each other, you should treat them as such. If one sump pump runs a chamber dry, it is either too strong or you don't have enough flow down to that sump.

You're going to want to control the flow to the refugium so that is is pretty gentle, but the other sump could have a stronger flow through it.

Unless I'm missing something here, I'd think you would simply treat them as you state they are... 2 separate sumps.

HarrsCars · 08/31/2009, 10:10 PM

I am hoping that is the case. My fuge has a Marlin pump on it flowing about 1600 per hour through four penductors. My filtration/frag sump had a new blackfin pump on it flowing about 3800 per hour. I just am not sure which sump to put my top off on or if I need to do both. I dont have fuge online yet but did not want to redo a whole bunch of plumbing if someone had some input or examples.

Thanks for the input JeF4y.

Mike

justinm0424 · 09/01/2009, 09:40 AM

You would need both. Unless you hooked them together so they'll have the same water level. the sumps are plumbed seperately so they'll lose water seperately in each return compartment.
Is there a main reason you didn't plumb them together? Most people usually create a step and have one sump above the other and have the water overflow into the lower one then have only one large return pump on the lower one. Also people use 3 sumps and step them so the tallest is for filtration then middle fuge and lowest is the return. You could have them whatever sizes you want and even have the filtration partway plumbed straight into the return so the fuge will have lower flow. This might not be what you want but it'll make the system have less maintance and trouble as the top 2 sumps will be overflowing into the bottom return which would be where the water loss would occur.

HarrsCars · 09/01/2009, 06:19 PM

Thanks for the input justinm0424.

I dont mind having a ato in both I just was not sure if filling one would cure the level in the other one too.

I did not run them together due to my layout on my fish room. We dug a room under our house and put a step or ledge on it. My sumps sit on the ledge and the floor space is open. Having a open floor was important to me. Its about 10 by 10 on the floor and 15 by 15 on the step. Here shortly I will return to my build thread as its been a year or longer since update. My drains to my sumps are on each end and the pumps and whatnot are in the corner between them. Makes plumbing easier to do and check everything at a glance.

My only problem is my blackfin pump is overpowering my overflow teeth on one side so I have not got the full flow out of it yet. I am looking at a overflow tube to help me out but dont want to sacrifice my linear action through the teeth for top skimming. Any ideas??

Thanks for the help
Mike

08/30/2009, 10:54 PM	#1
HarrsCars Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ephrata WA. Posts: 128	Sumpage plumbing help??? Howdy, Thanks for reading. I have two 125 gallon sumps in a room under my 300 gallon reef. They are designed to be run seperate as one is a filtration sump and the other is the refugium sump. They run off seperate overflows and have seperate pumps also. Do I need to level the last chamber (the pump suction chamber) with each other or can they run independent of each other with no problems. I have my filtration sump on-line now and am just starting to get the refugium hooked up. I am worried one sump might overpower the other and run it dry in the pump chamber??? Not sure and am looking for advice cause I can still drill a hole now. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks Mike __________________ The cost of live rock.5.99lb The cost of a custom 300 gal wall install.10k The look on your wifes face when she forgets the tank window is up and she's on display to the neighborhood..PRICELESS Current Tank Info: 300 gallon 3 by 400 XM MRC Beckett Skimmer Mrc-6 Calcium Reactor Custom cover on tank and elevator going to fish room.

08/31/2009, 02:14 PM	#2
JeF4y El Conquistidor Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,057	If the sumps are independent of each other, you should treat them as such. If one sump pump runs a chamber dry, it is either too strong or you don't have enough flow down to that sump. You're going to want to control the flow to the refugium so that is is pretty gentle, but the other sump could have a stronger flow through it. Unless I'm missing something here, I'd think you would simply treat them as you state they are... 2 separate sumps. __________________ I've made a small fortune in Reefing! I just started out with a large fortune and the rest came easily. Want a Cleaner Wrasse? Consider a shower! ;-) Current Tank Info: 60 Cube!

08/31/2009, 10:10 PM	#3
HarrsCars Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ephrata WA. Posts: 128	I am hoping that is the case. My fuge has a Marlin pump on it flowing about 1600 per hour through four penductors. My filtration/frag sump had a new blackfin pump on it flowing about 3800 per hour. I just am not sure which sump to put my top off on or if I need to do both. I dont have fuge online yet but did not want to redo a whole bunch of plumbing if someone had some input or examples. Thanks for the input JeF4y. Mike __________________ The cost of live rock.5.99lb The cost of a custom 300 gal wall install.10k The look on your wifes face when she forgets the tank window is up and she's on display to the neighborhood..PRICELESS Current Tank Info: 300 gallon 3 by 400 XM MRC Beckett Skimmer Mrc-6 Calcium Reactor Custom cover on tank and elevator going to fish room.

09/01/2009, 06:19 PM	#5
HarrsCars Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ephrata WA. Posts: 128	Thanks for the input justinm0424. I dont mind having a ato in both I just was not sure if filling one would cure the level in the other one too. I did not run them together due to my layout on my fish room. We dug a room under our house and put a step or ledge on it. My sumps sit on the ledge and the floor space is open. Having a open floor was important to me. Its about 10 by 10 on the floor and 15 by 15 on the step. Here shortly I will return to my build thread as its been a year or longer since update. My drains to my sumps are on each end and the pumps and whatnot are in the corner between them. Makes plumbing easier to do and check everything at a glance. My only problem is my blackfin pump is overpowering my overflow teeth on one side so I have not got the full flow out of it yet. I am looking at a overflow tube to help me out but dont want to sacrifice my linear action through the teeth for top skimming. Any ideas?? Thanks for the help Mike __________________ The cost of live rock.5.99lb The cost of a custom 300 gal wall install.10k The look on your wifes face when she forgets the tank window is up and she's on display to the neighborhood..PRICELESS Current Tank Info: 300 gallon 3 by 400 XM MRC Beckett Skimmer Mrc-6 Calcium Reactor Custom cover on tank and elevator going to fish room.

09/01/2009, 09:40 AM	#4
justinm0424 Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Dublin, OH Posts: 358	You would need both. Unless you hooked them together so they'll have the same water level. the sumps are plumbed seperately so they'll lose water seperately in each return compartment. Is there a main reason you didn't plumb them together? Most people usually create a step and have one sump above the other and have the water overflow into the lower one then have only one large return pump on the lower one. Also people use 3 sumps and step them so the tallest is for filtration then middle fuge and lowest is the return. You could have them whatever sizes you want and even have the filtration partway plumbed straight into the return so the fuge will have lower flow. This might not be what you want but it'll make the system have less maintance and trouble as the top 2 sumps will be overflowing into the bottom return which would be where the water loss would occur.