return line question? retuning to fast

[karlyhui]

Hi

I currently have a 29 gallon sump and ocean runner 3500, with a 120 gallon display. With a double Hurricane overflow 1200gph.

when I turn the return pump at a higher rate, the sump return compartment water returns the water faster then the water from the skimmer compartment back to the return compartment.

How should I modify the sump?

The bubble trap is the divider from the compartment to my return.

I have the first and last glass at 9 inch same length.


Thanks for reading and helping. Any suggestion greatly appreciated

[SeanT]

Got a pic of your sump?

[limitdown]

Try to make the return compartment larger.

[EvMiBo]

What about using ball valves in your plumbing to tweak the flow??

[AZDesertRat]

You can reduce the flow of the pump with a valve on the discharge side only but thats not the answer to your problem.
Can you post a picture or diagram of your sump? Sounds like your baffle configuration is wrong or you are not getting enough through your overflow?
I use an OR3500 as a return from a 30G sump and never have any problems.

[EvMiBo]

Hmmmm pictures Karly??

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13499661#post13499661 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
You can reduce the flow of the pump with a valve on the discharge side only but thats not the answer to your problem.
Can you post a picture or diagram of your sump? Sounds like your baffle configuration is wrong or you are not getting enough through your overflow?
I use an OR3500 as a return from a 30G sump and never have any problems.

What is your sump setup like AZ? Maybe we could compare when Karly posts a picture.

[AZDesertRat]

Here are a couple pics of my sump during construction and the first month or so of operation.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/AJOIII/sump5-1.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/AJOIII/IMAG0043.jpg

The far right is the refugium fed from the overflow, center is where the skimmer sits and main overflow goes into and the left is the return section.
The overflow is 1" PVC and goes into a piece of 1" heavy clear tubing which sweeps down below the water level in the sump and lays along the bottom for smooth flow, you can see where it transitions from PVC to tubing via a 1" barbed nipple right next to the skimmer collection cup. Just below the 1" ball valve (which stays 100% open even though it was not in this picture) there is a 1"x1/2" tee feeding over to the refugium on the right. You can't see it but there is a 1/2" ball valve behind the stand center support for controlling refugium flow. The refugium overflows into the center section via slots I cut in the acrylic sheet using a router.
Between the center section and the return section there are three baffles to get rid of microbubbles in an over-under-over configuration. In the second picture there were some sponges there but they were temporary to fight initial new tank microbubbles. After a few weeks the bubbles went away on their own and have never been a problem.
The return section can drop 6 gallons before I need to top off for evaporation. I now have a Spectrapure UPLLC topoff system so the tank level takes care of itself. The return pump in the first picture is an old Rio I had laying around but the return is actually an OceanRunner 3500 similar to the OR 2700 used as the recirc pump on the Turboflotor 1000 skimmer.

[besl]

Either use a smaller (lower gpm) return pump, or T-off the return line with a separate line returning to the sump with a gate valve on it. With the output of the return pump T'd between the display and the sump, you will be able to regulate how much goes to the display. Another area to look at is the drain lines - can you add a second line or go with larger diameter pipes to increase flow? Be careful on this last apporach as too much flow through the sump will make your skimmer less effective. Hope this input helps!

[AZDesertRat]

Returning flow to the sump is a bad idea. It makes the pump work harder and draw more wattage than just valving the return flow down. A Kill A Watt meter will confirm this.
I don't think the problem is the return rate, its either the design of the sump or insufficient overflow rates.