Baffles in sump

[sean A.]

I was so seeing if you have to have baffles in your sump or not?

[LSBoogie]

I'm gonna step out on the edge and say you don't HAVE to have baffles in your sump BUT I would think that the likelyhood of filling your tank with micro bubbles would be extremely high.

[deflux]

It also is impacted by your skimmer. Do you have an internal skimmer whose efficiency depends on the water level in it (which is based on the water level in your sump)? If so, using baffles to ensure the necessary water level is critical.

I'd also say if it's a long sump, you have an external skimmer, and not much else that depends on water level or flow, you would probably survive. Of course, if you can afford it, there's really no reason (that I can think of) why you shouldn't.

[lolgranny]

YES... or else youll have ALOT of micro bubbles.

[moneytimetycoon]

+3 or 4 on the bubble reduction.

[Drjusc00]

If your sump is internal, you will need them. It will keep the water level for your skimmer at a constant level.

[perrl]

Also if you have baffles you have a temporary confinement location for livestock should it become necessary without worrying about pumps.

[FranktheTankTx]

Technically, baffles don't control the water level in your sump. You could have 8" baffles & still have 12" water level.

In other words, you can maintain a consistent water level without baffles. Baffles seperate sections of your sump (Skimmer, Refugium, Return) & create bubble traps to eliminate micro bubbles.

[sjm817]

A baffle can indeed control water level in a sump. The level in the section before the baffle will be the baffle height + the thickness of the water going over it. The water on the other side of the baffle will vary with system evaporation. Yes, you can overfill the sump above the baffles, but that defeats the purpose of using them.

Just a single baffle between the intake/skimmer section and the return works wonders. It keeps the skimmer water level constant and also forces all the water over the baffle forcing all bubbles to the surface where they can dissipate.

[FranktheTankTx]

My point was you don't need a baffle to control water level. Unquestionably, a single baffle or series of baffles would maintain water level in the first section &/or sections afterwards - as evaporation would only be noticeable in the return section.

Without baffles, you could simply draw a line on your sump & maintain water level with the use of a float switch/ATO. I wouldn't recommend it unless it was a very long sump that allowed for micro bubbles to come to the top & break prior to being sucked into the return.

[Gold Stripe]

Originally Posted by sjm817

a baffle can indeed control water level in a sump. The level in the section before the baffle will be the baffle height + the thickness of the water going over it. The water on the other side of the baffle will vary with system evaporation. Yes, you can overfill the sump above the baffles, but that defeats the purpose of using them.

Just a single baffle between the intake/skimmer section and the return works wonders. It keeps the skimmer water level constant and also forces all the water over the baffle forcing all bubbles to the surface where they can dissipate.

+1

[sjm817]

Yes, you could have one big open sump with ATO for level control. I would not recommend it either. Even just a single baffle can do a lot to make the sump work better. Another benefit is with the smaller return section, your ATO will be more sensitive to changes and topoff in smaller increments.