About to leak test....help!

Reefer2727 · 08/29/2009, 04:31 PM

I am finally at the point where I am ready to put some water in my tank.

My set up is a 'Bean Animal' style over flow. 75 gallon tank with a 36" overflow box across the back which has the three drains.

I have a 33 gallon sump below. I am wondering how I should conduct this leak test. Should I fill the tank then sump? Let it overflow naturally? How do I know when to stop filling? Power outage preparation?

How do I establish my min and max sump levels. I always see the markings on people's return sections for the min and max. I would also like to establish these.

I have never run a sump before so I need some help. The sump sections are from left to right. (fuge, return, skimmer).

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

100%hydrophylic · 08/29/2009, 04:36 PM

if your leak testing your tank, generally people put the tank outside and fill it with hose water....... that way if there is a leak it wont make a mess in your house. same thing with your sump? im kinda confused, are you wanting to put like RO water for your actually tank water in it right now? thats not a leak test, thats just filling it up >.<. but once you perform a leak test outside, you can put your tank on the stand, connect your sump, and just fill up your tank until it flows down into your sump and your sump fills up to the desired level.

Reefer2727 · 08/29/2009, 06:09 PM

I am going to do a freshwater leak test. I will do this inside my house as I don't see there being an issue.

My tank is all plumbed, glued and ready for a water test. I am still in the process of hooking up my RODI set up. I just want to confirm that everything is good before I put in RODI saltwater. There is no way I can do this outside as the stand, tank and sump are way too much of pain to move.

Just wondering how to fill the tank and when to know how much is enough as far as the sump is concerned.

noahm · 08/29/2009, 07:05 PM

What I did is fill the sump and the tank, then turned the pump on while I was still filling. Once I got it to the point where I thought it might be enough to keep the sump full and not overflow in a power outage, I cut the power to the pump. I just watched it fill the sump to make sure it didn't overflow. If it starts to get sketchy, just quickly turn the pump back on and siphon some water out before testing the power outage. Once you determine how much you can safely have in the sump, mark that line as your maximum fill line in the return section. Hope that makes sense.

Reefer2727 · 08/29/2009, 07:27 PM

Thanks noahm.

I guess I can fill the tank and sump to where I think it will run and fire up the pump. I guess I should be running my skimmer also. And cut power to it also. I also need to drill some antisiphon holes in my return lines. What size hole should I drill into the pvc? Should it be drilled as close to the waterline as possible?

Thanks

trexer · 08/29/2009, 10:40 PM

Drill the holes below the water line but near the top. You have some flexiblity with this but make sure that you have enough room in your sump since it will siphon until the holes are out of the water. I drilled my anit-siphon holes just below the water line about 1/4 inch.

trexer · 08/29/2009, 10:55 PM

You can always test the anti-siphon so if you are that unsure about where to drill the holes you should drill lower and test. Be ready to turn the pumps back on if the holes are drilled to low. The water level in your tank should be used for the basis of the holes. Good luck!

Reefer2727 · 08/30/2009, 07:38 AM

Should I fill the tank up first and get an exact idea of where the water line will be so I only drill antisiphon holes once? Mind you, I guess if they are below the water line it doesn't really matter if I have to drill more than once.

I have a very good idea of where the water line will be. Obviously it will run to where the overflow box starts but I would like an exact line.

noahm · 08/30/2009, 08:52 AM

I would guess about 1/4" below and on the side, or even right at the water level, because the level will raise slightly due to the overflow once the pump is on. That being said, I just have one of my returns running right near the surface instead of drilling holes. Not sure if your configuration allows for that. If you do drill holes, just make sure it is big enough not to get clogged. 1/4" at least.

08/29/2009, 04:31 PM	#1
Reefer2727 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 995	About to leak test....help! I am finally at the point where I am ready to put some water in my tank. My set up is a 'Bean Animal' style over flow. 75 gallon tank with a 36" overflow box across the back which has the three drains. I have a 33 gallon sump below. I am wondering how I should conduct this leak test. Should I fill the tank then sump? Let it overflow naturally? How do I know when to stop filling? Power outage preparation? How do I establish my min and max sump levels. I always see the markings on people's return sections for the min and max. I would also like to establish these. I have never run a sump before so I need some help. The sump sections are from left to right. (fuge, return, skimmer). Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

08/29/2009, 04:36 PM	#2
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	if your leak testing your tank, generally people put the tank outside and fill it with hose water....... that way if there is a leak it wont make a mess in your house. same thing with your sump? im kinda confused, are you wanting to put like RO water for your actually tank water in it right now? thats not a leak test, thats just filling it up >.<. but once you perform a leak test outside, you can put your tank on the stand, connect your sump, and just fill up your tank until it flows down into your sump and your sump fills up to the desired level. __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS

08/29/2009, 06:09 PM	#3
Reefer2727 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 995	I am going to do a freshwater leak test. I will do this inside my house as I don't see there being an issue. My tank is all plumbed, glued and ready for a water test. I am still in the process of hooking up my RODI set up. I just want to confirm that everything is good before I put in RODI saltwater. There is no way I can do this outside as the stand, tank and sump are way too much of pain to move. Just wondering how to fill the tank and when to know how much is enough as far as the sump is concerned.

08/29/2009, 07:05 PM	#4
noahm Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 2,736	What I did is fill the sump and the tank, then turned the pump on while I was still filling. Once I got it to the point where I thought it might be enough to keep the sump full and not overflow in a power outage, I cut the power to the pump. I just watched it fill the sump to make sure it didn't overflow. If it starts to get sketchy, just quickly turn the pump back on and siphon some water out before testing the power outage. Once you determine how much you can safely have in the sump, mark that line as your maximum fill line in the return section. Hope that makes sense.

08/29/2009, 07:27 PM	#5
Reefer2727 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 995	Thanks noahm. I guess I can fill the tank and sump to where I think it will run and fire up the pump. I guess I should be running my skimmer also. And cut power to it also. I also need to drill some antisiphon holes in my return lines. What size hole should I drill into the pvc? Should it be drilled as close to the waterline as possible? Thanks

08/29/2009, 10:40 PM	#6
trexer Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: PA Posts: 55	Drill the holes below the water line but near the top. You have some flexiblity with this but make sure that you have enough room in your sump since it will siphon until the holes are out of the water. I drilled my anit-siphon holes just below the water line about 1/4 inch.

08/29/2009, 10:55 PM	#7
trexer Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: PA Posts: 55	You can always test the anti-siphon so if you are that unsure about where to drill the holes you should drill lower and test. Be ready to turn the pumps back on if the holes are drilled to low. The water level in your tank should be used for the basis of the holes. Good luck!

08/30/2009, 07:38 AM	#8
Reefer2727 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 995	Should I fill the tank up first and get an exact idea of where the water line will be so I only drill antisiphon holes once? Mind you, I guess if they are below the water line it doesn't really matter if I have to drill more than once. I have a very good idea of where the water line will be. Obviously it will run to where the overflow box starts but I would like an exact line.

08/30/2009, 08:52 AM	#9
noahm Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 2,736	I would guess about 1/4" below and on the side, or even right at the water level, because the level will raise slightly due to the overflow once the pump is on. That being said, I just have one of my returns running right near the surface instead of drilling holes. Not sure if your configuration allows for that. If you do drill holes, just make sure it is big enough not to get clogged. 1/4" at least.