SC Aquariums Owners Thread - Page 60

strat1960s · 12/31/2016, 10:21 PM

Pfan,

Could be a good time to take a break.

pfan151 · 01/01/2017, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strat1960s

Pfan,

Could be a good time to take a break.

Yea just annoyed me a little that I went to lowes 3 times in the last day but I never even thought to check the pump connections. I assumed a system that is sold as PNP would come with the necessary fitting to actually plug it in. Only a few dollar fix I guess. Everything else seems pretty nice with the system

pfan151 · 01/01/2017, 08:40 AM

Found my second frustration. The back chamber appear to have a slow leak which allows water to drain into the back chamber and then down to the sump. It's a very slow. Not sire if I'm going to bother trying to fix it. This was how much it dropped overnight:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

soulpatch · 01/01/2017, 08:43 AM

I would patch with silicone. If you were gine for a day or two your sump might not hold all the water.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

pfan151 · 01/01/2017, 09:11 AM

I'd like to but I would have to take everything apart again and I'm not dealing with that. My plan for now is to raise the primary drain pipe up a few more inches so the water can't drain beyond that height. I'm hoping I'll still be able to have enough of a difference in drain pipe heights for the herbie to work without constantly having to adjust the gate valve.

ryshark · 01/01/2017, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfan151

I'd like to but I would have to take everything apart again and I'm not dealing with that. My plan for now is to raise the primary drain pipe up a few more inches so the water can't drain beyond that height. I'm hoping I'll still be able to have enough of a difference in drain pipe heights for the herbie to work without constantly having to adjust the gate valve.

So water leaks under the bottom of your glass overflow box?

BryanS4 · 01/01/2017, 01:38 PM

Glad I stumbled across this thread. Tanks look really nice.

I just sent them an email for a 120 and a solid stand. I hate the dims of my current 125.

VGT · 01/01/2017, 02:03 PM

You have an opportunity to perform a proper repair now, otherwise you might pay for it later. Don't rush things in this hobby.

ReefCowboy · 01/01/2017, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfan151

Found my second frustration. The back chamber appear to have a slow leak which allows water to drain into the back chamber and then down to the sump. It's a very slow. Not sire if I'm going to bother trying to fix it. This was how much it dropped overnight:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Seems like a bulkhead leak, being that the overflow is glued to the rear glass and the only way water can escape from top to bottom is through the three drilled holes, unless Im not quite understanding the issue.

homer1475 · 01/01/2017, 02:16 PM

I would fix it now. All you would have to do is drain the overflow down to the bulkhead(pull the siphon drain), and reseal the the glass from the inside. Not to hard but it would take a couple days to for the silicone to cure. At least you would know it would never be an issue in the future.

ryshark · 01/01/2017, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfan151

Found my second frustration. The back chamber appear to have a slow leak which allows water to drain into the back chamber and then down to the sump. It's a very slow. Not sire if I'm going to bother trying to fix it. This was how much it dropped overnight:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I see, so overnight it dropped all the way down to the level of your main drain pipe? I wouldn't call that a slow leak. If water is leaking into the overflow box, I don't think rasing your standpipe is going to help much in the event of a power outage. Unless your main drain was slightly below the water in your tank. I'm sorry, what a rare headache to deal with.

strat1960s · 01/01/2017, 03:17 PM

Glad I did a 48 hr leak test in my garage.

If I understand the problem right, water is leaking into the overflow from a source other than the weir. To me that seems like a huge problem. The weir controls how far down the water can enter the overflow from. To me that seems like an uncontrollable source of water, which if anything would cause the sump to overflow.

PFAN, if you let the leak continue, you should be able to find how low on the overflow box the leak is. Once the water gets to the leak, it won't leak past it, unless there are multiple leaks. If the leak goes low enough, it shouldn't leak past the lowest drain pipe. If it were me, I'd still fix it.

Ted

pfan151 · 01/01/2017, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strat1960s

Glad I did a 48 hr leak test in my garage.

If I understand the problem right, water is leaking into the overflow from a source other than the weir. To me that seems like a huge problem. The weir controls how far down the water can enter the overflow from. To me that seems like an uncontrollable source of water, which if anything would cause the sump to overflow.

PFAN, if you let the leak continue, you should be able to find how low on the overflow box the leak is. Once the water gets to the leak, it won't leak past it, unless there are multiple leaks. If the leak goes low enough, it shouldn't leak past the lowest drain pipe. If it were me, I'd still fix it.

Ted

The leak stops at my main return pipe. I'm just not sure shooting some silicone on the inside of the overflow will fix the issue. Spent all day today messing with it. I'm doing a test now to see make sure it can't overflow the sump if the power is out for an extended time. The sump also has a small leak between two of the chambers. Not a big deal but it still makes me question the quality of this system even more.

soulpatch · 01/01/2017, 06:29 PM

Silicone the inner seam of the overflow glass. 5 minute repair and since its inside the box no need to be clean. Pop off your main drain and see how far it drops. Drain water from sump as needed. That 5 min repair will likely save you thousands later

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Reef Dude · 01/01/2017, 07:27 PM

Would raising the height of the drain pipe in the overflow box negate this issue? Or is water still seeping down at the bulkheads? I wouldn't consider this a slow leak. However, if the sump can handle the maximum amount of water drainage and no corals would be out of the water (if you are planning on corals) in the event of a power outage, this might not be an issue. Not that these overflows are noisy anyway, but raising the drain pipe (if possible based on your setup) could make the overflow even quieter in addition to reducing the amount of leakage.

pfan151 · 01/01/2017, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reef Dude

Would raising the height of the drain pipe in the overflow box negate this issue? Or is water still seeping down at the bulkheads? I wouldn't consider this a slow leak. However, if the sump can handle the maximum amount of water drainage and no corals would be out of the water (if you are planning on corals) in the event of a power outage, this might not be an issue. Not that these overflows are noisy anyway, but raising the drain pipe (if possible based on your setup) could make the overflow even quieter in addition to reducing the amount of leakage.

There is nothing leaking from the bulkheads. I did raise it up some. I have it set about 6" below the overflow. I think I may have found where the leak was when I let it drain down. It stopped draining at about a foot below the overflow so I put a bunch of silicone there. Not sure if that will fix it or not. I'll try filling the overflow in a couple days to see if it holds water.

sotexreef · 01/02/2017, 08:47 PM

Hey guys I have a question / idea I want some input on I have a 90g cube sca pnp but since they stop production for a little bit on the solid wood stand Steve had one built for me and long story short I now have the sump from the 80g instead of the original from the 90g but I was thinking today of cutting the second baffle from the return pump side out drill a hole on the top of the glass then silicone it back but all the way up to the short baffle then put the return pump in the middle chamber then turn the old return into a full refugium.

TprMoore · 01/02/2017, 09:37 PM

Still waiting to hear back from Steve on the MDF stand swap. Meanwhile I've been giving myself a complex going back and forth between keeping the MDF, building a wood stand, or buying one from Steve.

Can anyone with the MDF stand chime in?

On a different note picked up a Jebao DCT-6000 and Skimz Monzter SN123 DC Skimmer. Love the controllability of the DC.

pfan151 · 01/02/2017, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TprMoore

Still waiting to hear back from Steve on the MDF stand swap. Meanwhile I've been giving myself a complex going back and forth between keeping the MDF, building a wood stand, or buying one from Steve.

Can anyone with the MDF stand chime in?

On a different note picked up a Jebao DCT-6000 and Skimz Monzter SN123 DC Skimmer. Love the controllability of the DC.

I just got the MDF if I had it to do over I would have either bought a solid wood or made one. One of the hinges already pulled out of mine and I had to get some more substantial screws to fix it. I would have also probably got a smaller sump so there would be room for an auto top off container in the stand. I think the sump for a smaller PNP system would have probably been plenty big enough for my 90g. The wife isn't loving the idea of a 5 gal bucket sitting next to the tank.

zooman72 · 01/02/2017, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfan151

I just got the MDF if I had it to do over I would have either bought a solid wood or made one. One of the hinges already pulled out of mine and I had to get some more substantial screws to fix it. I would have also probably got a smaller sump so there would be room for an auto top off container in the stand. I think the sump for a smaller PNP system would have probably been plenty big enough for my 90g. The wife isn't loving the idea of a 5 gal bucket sitting next to the tank.

I wish the wood stands had been available when I bought my 50g cube, but oh well...

As for a slim ATO, take a look at Advanced Acrylics' "narrow fit" ATO resevoirs - they are only 4-5" thick for the larger sizes. I plan on turning my sump 90 degrees and fitting one of the 4"x16"x16" (3.5g-4g) versions beside it in my 50g cube PNP...

ryshark · 01/02/2017, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfan151

I just got the MDF if I had it to do over I would have either bought a solid wood or made one. One of the hinges already pulled out of mine and I had to get some more substantial screws to fix it. I would have also probably got a smaller sump so there would be room for an auto top off container in the stand. I think the sump for a smaller PNP system would have probably been plenty big enough for my 90g. The wife isn't loving the idea of a 5 gal bucket sitting next to the tank.

I'm about to have the same dilemma with my new 66g. Either I need to buy a 5" ATO container which can squeeze next to the sump or have the 5-gallon container next to the tank. Luckily for me, the location of my tank will allow for a furniture toy chest or storage chest and I can put the jug and other fish stuff in there to hide it. My wife will be okay with that, but not the 5-gallon jug

ryshark · 01/02/2017, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zooman72

I wish the wood stands had been available when I bought my 50g cube, but oh well...

As for a slim ATO, take a look at Advanced Acrylics' "narrow fit" ATO resevoirs - they are only 4-5" thick for the larger sizes. I plan on turning my sump 90 degrees and fitting one of the 4"x16"x16" (3.5g-4g) versions beside it in my 50g cube PNP...

yep, this is exactly what I was talking about. I've been to advanced acrylics, these units are nice. But as far as putting one outside my stand, that still wont look nice enough. I doubt my wife would go for that, better than a 5-gallon jug though.

pfan151 · 01/02/2017, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zooman72

I wish the wood stands had been available when I bought my 50g cube, but oh well...

As for a slim ATO, take a look at Advanced Acrylics' "narrow fit" ATO resevoirs - they are only 4-5" thick for the larger sizes. I plan on turning my sump 90 degrees and fitting one of the 4"x16"x16" (3.5g-4g) versions beside it in my 50g cube PNP...

I'm not even sure that would fit under my stand. Maybe if I stuck it in front of the sump but then it might block a lot of my access to the sump.

pfan151 · 01/02/2017, 11:30 PM

Just checked out those ATO tanks. Look great but I think my wife is going to have to get used to looking at the $2 five gallon bucket. She'd be even more ****ed if I spent $155 on a fancy water jug.

Potatohead · 01/02/2017, 11:49 PM

If you get a good pump like the Avast diaphragm pump you can put your top off container pretty far away. Hiding the 1/4" line is tougher if you have hardwood and pretty easy if you have carpet. My container is in a cabinet about 15' away from the tank.

12/31/2016, 10:21 PM	#1476
strat1960s Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Schertz, Texas Posts: 55	Pfan, Could be a good time to take a break. __________________ I always have fun. Sometimes are more fun than others. Current Tank Info: 240 Gal. mixed reef and 50g SCA

01/01/2017, 08:43 AM	#1479
soulpatch Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Downingtown, PA Posts: 4,017	I would patch with silicone. If you were gine for a day or two your sump might not hold all the water. Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk __________________ 150 SC tank build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550948 Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.

01/01/2017, 02:16 PM	#1485
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	I would fix it now. All you would have to do is drain the overflow down to the bulkhead(pull the siphon drain), and reseal the the glass from the inside. Not to hard but it would take a couple days to for the silicone to cure. At least you would know it would never be an issue in the future. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

01/01/2017, 03:17 PM	#1487
strat1960s Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Schertz, Texas Posts: 55	Glad I did a 48 hr leak test in my garage. If I understand the problem right, water is leaking into the overflow from a source other than the weir. To me that seems like a huge problem. The weir controls how far down the water can enter the overflow from. To me that seems like an uncontrollable source of water, which if anything would cause the sump to overflow. PFAN, if you let the leak continue, you should be able to find how low on the overflow box the leak is. Once the water gets to the leak, it won't leak past it, unless there are multiple leaks. If the leak goes low enough, it shouldn't leak past the lowest drain pipe. If it were me, I'd still fix it. Ted __________________ I always have fun. Sometimes are more fun than others. Current Tank Info: 240 Gal. mixed reef and 50g SCA

01/01/2017, 06:29 PM	#1489
soulpatch Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Downingtown, PA Posts: 4,017	Silicone the inner seam of the overflow glass. 5 minute repair and since its inside the box no need to be clean. Pop off your main drain and see how far it drops. Drain water from sump as needed. That 5 min repair will likely save you thousands later Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk __________________ 150 SC tank build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550948 Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.

01/01/2017, 08:40 AM	#1478
pfan151 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,897	Found my second frustration. The back chamber appear to have a slow leak which allows water to drain into the back chamber and then down to the sump. It's a very slow. Not sire if I'm going to bother trying to fix it. This was how much it dropped overnight: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

01/01/2017, 09:11 AM	#1480
pfan151 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,897	I'd like to but I would have to take everything apart again and I'm not dealing with that. My plan for now is to raise the primary drain pipe up a few more inches so the water can't drain beyond that height. I'm hoping I'll still be able to have enough of a difference in drain pipe heights for the herbie to work without constantly having to adjust the gate valve.

01/01/2017, 01:38 PM	#1482
BryanS4 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Hernando Beach, FL Posts: 944	Glad I stumbled across this thread. Tanks look really nice. I just sent them an email for a 120 and a solid stand. I hate the dims of my current 125.

01/01/2017, 02:03 PM	#1483
VGT Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 283	You have an opportunity to perform a proper repair now, otherwise you might pay for it later. Don't rush things in this hobby.

01/01/2017, 07:27 PM	#1490
Reef Dude Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: York, Pa Posts: 89	Would raising the height of the drain pipe in the overflow box negate this issue? Or is water still seeping down at the bulkheads? I wouldn't consider this a slow leak. However, if the sump can handle the maximum amount of water drainage and no corals would be out of the water (if you are planning on corals) in the event of a power outage, this might not be an issue. Not that these overflows are noisy anyway, but raising the drain pipe (if possible based on your setup) could make the overflow even quieter in addition to reducing the amount of leakage.

01/02/2017, 08:47 PM	#1492
sotexreef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 20	Hey guys I have a question / idea I want some input on I have a 90g cube sca pnp but since they stop production for a little bit on the solid wood stand Steve had one built for me and long story short I now have the sump from the 80g instead of the original from the 90g but I was thinking today of cutting the second baffle from the return pump side out drill a hole on the top of the glass then silicone it back but all the way up to the short baffle then put the return pump in the middle chamber then turn the old return into a full refugium.

01/02/2017, 09:37 PM	#1493
TprMoore Moved On Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 310 Blog Entries: 2	Still waiting to hear back from Steve on the MDF stand swap. Meanwhile I've been giving myself a complex going back and forth between keeping the MDF, building a wood stand, or buying one from Steve. Can anyone with the MDF stand chime in? On a different note picked up a Jebao DCT-6000 and Skimz Monzter SN123 DC Skimmer. Love the controllability of the DC.

01/02/2017, 11:30 PM	#1499
pfan151 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,897	Just checked out those ATO tanks. Look great but I think my wife is going to have to get used to looking at the $2 five gallon bucket. She'd be even more ****ed if I spent $155 on a fancy water jug.

01/02/2017, 11:49 PM	#1500
Potatohead Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Vancouver Posts: 1,596	If you get a good pump like the Avast diaphragm pump you can put your top off container pretty far away. Hiding the 1/4" line is tougher if you have hardwood and pretty easy if you have carpet. My container is in a cabinet about 15' away from the tank.