For those whose sumps are on a lower floor from DT

frogdog · 06/02/2014, 10:05 AM

Do you worry about leaks if the water has to travel up and down 10'?

Is it a pain not to able to see the DT when you're working down below?

What about if the sump is not directly under the DT but some horizontal feet away? Is that workable?

thegrun · 06/02/2014, 10:09 AM

Leaks are no more or less a problem, but you have to oversize your return pump to compensate for the head pressure loss from the elevation change and the added fittings and pipe length. I'm not sure why you need to see the DT when working on the sump.

frogdog · 06/02/2014, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegrun

Leaks are no more or less a problem, but you have to oversize your return pump to compensate for the head pressure loss from the elevation change and the added fittings and pipe length. I'm not sure why you need to see the DT when working on the sump.

Thank you, thegrun

When you turn on and off your pump, don't you want to see if it's working properly with returning water to the tank?

Would you have an emergency pump shut-off upstairs?

Wouldn't a pump that size pull an enormous amount of amps?

thegrun · 06/02/2014, 10:59 AM

If your pump is working water will start draining back down to your sump shortly after turning on the pump.
A good controller will allow you to access and control your equipment from both locations ( Ilike the Apex neptune system).
Yes, you will have to get a bigger pump and it will use more electricity to overcome the added pipe length and elevation. A wild guess is you would use 25% more power for your return pump, but we would need a lot more infromation to give an accurate number.

bnumair · 06/02/2014, 11:17 AM

Not just the electric use is higher also the initial cost of pump will be much higher as well and always have a replacement of a return pump handy so cost goes twice high.just my 2 cents.

SGT_York · 06/02/2014, 11:31 AM

You also need to oversize your final sump chamber to handle the additional water.

For those with a tight space in the display area you can work wonders by using a large basement room for the filtration stuff.

There are some great external pumps that are efficient just a bit more pricey for the initial purchase. Look into head loss charts as well as some pumps perform better than others at different heights of pressure.

Adding a lightswitch to turn off the pump is a quick $30 fix if you don't have a $600 dollar controller.

Sk8r · 06/02/2014, 12:22 PM

A friend upstairs with a cellphone is sometimes a good thing. Pounding on the wall works.
I have about a 15 foot run involving a jog. But I love having the sump below: all sorts of room to work with. To fill, add to the sump and pulse the pump upstairs, or have that friend with the cellphone tell you how it's going up there. Water change? draw from the dt and add to the sump.

06/02/2014, 10:05 AM	#1
frogdog Relentless Question-Asker Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Courtenay, British Columbia Posts: 151	For those whose sumps are on a lower floor from DT Do you worry about leaks if the water has to travel up and down 10'? Is it a pain not to able to see the DT when you're working down below? What about if the sump is not directly under the DT but some horizontal feet away? Is that workable? __________________ Warmly, Cynthia

06/02/2014, 11:17 AM	#5
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	Not just the electric use is higher also the initial cost of pump will be much higher as well and always have a replacement of a return pump handy so cost goes twice high.just my 2 cents. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

06/02/2014, 11:31 AM	#6
SGT_York Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Washington State Posts: 1,746	You also need to oversize your final sump chamber to handle the additional water. For those with a tight space in the display area you can work wonders by using a large basement room for the filtration stuff. There are some great external pumps that are efficient just a bit more pricey for the initial purchase. Look into head loss charts as well as some pumps perform better than others at different heights of pressure. Adding a lightswitch to turn off the pump is a quick $30 fix if you don't have a $600 dollar controller. Last edited by SGT_York; 06/02/2014 at 12:25 PM.

06/02/2014, 12:22 PM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	A friend upstairs with a cellphone is sometimes a good thing. Pounding on the wall works. I have about a 15 foot run involving a jog. But I love having the sump below: all sorts of room to work with. To fill, add to the sump and pulse the pump upstairs, or have that friend with the cellphone tell you how it's going up there. Water change? draw from the dt and add to the sump. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/02/2014, 10:09 AM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Leaks are no more or less a problem, but you have to oversize your return pump to compensate for the head pressure loss from the elevation change and the added fittings and pipe length. I'm not sure why you need to see the DT when working on the sump.

06/02/2014, 10:59 AM	#4
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	If your pump is working water will start draining back down to your sump shortly after turning on the pump. A good controller will allow you to access and control your equipment from both locations ( Ilike the Apex neptune system). Yes, you will have to get a bigger pump and it will use more electricity to overcome the added pipe length and elevation. A wild guess is you would use 25% more power for your return pump, but we would need a lot more infromation to give an accurate number.