Sump Setup Help

[EspoJTE]

Help! I just got a tank and have absolutely no idea how to use a sump. This is all the supplies I was given and this is the only setup I was able to get where the water flowed in what I believe to be the right direction! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Welcome to R2R!

Is there supposed to be a picture?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Help! I just got a tank and have absolutely no idea how to use a sump. This is all the supplies I was given and this is the only setup I was able to get where the water flowed in what I believe to be the right direction! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

There are a lot of different designs for sumps so the exact configuration depends on what you want to achieve.

The basics of it though is you have a weir/Overflow in your main tank that drains to one section of your sump. The water then flows through whatever you have in the sump to the return pump. This then puts the water back into the main tank to complete the cycle.

Some important things to note though:

Make sure that the overflow/weir is big enough to drain water as fast as your return pump can pump it. There are calculators on line to work it out but I always doubled it (literally, with 2 pipes) so if one gets clogged the tank wont overflow and the sump wont run dry.

Make sure that the output from the return pump is not too far below the water line in the main tank. Alternatively make sure there is a hole or two in the return pipe just below the water line. If you don't have this what can happen is that if you have a power cut or the pump fails the return line for the water suddenly becomes a siphon and it will drain your main tank into your sump up until the point it can suck air in. Having a hole or 2 just below the water line in the main tank means that if the pump fails it will only back siphon until it hits the hole and sucks in air to break the siphon. Don't ask me how I know this........

Last main thing is make sure you don't over fill your sump. You need to leave enough room for whatever water will back siphon from the main tank when the pump is off. Test as you are filling by turning the pump on and off. Make a mark on the sump tank for your max fill line and make sure to readjust if you move the return line in the main tank at all. Again don't ask how I know this...

Anything more specific will need a litt more information on what you are trying to do and what you have there.