Major Sump water level issues for 2 years

[Eggpaul]

With a herbie setup, you set the display height by how high your emergency pipe is. The lower the pipe, it will either crash into the overflow(emergency pipe lower then weir teeth), higher the pipe the higher the display up to crashing over the overflow and not through the weir teeth.

This is why your sump keeps lowering, and the display rises. Once it equals out(from ATO addition) the sump lowers because you never have it going high enough to use the trickle of the emergency.

Hope that makes sense? I'm not the best at describing things. lol

Ok, so do I have to use the trickle of the emergency ? I didnt think I did. The emergency is always higher than the water level. I just thought it's there in case something bad happens and you dont want it overflowing into the home. Please stay with me, I think I'm getting this. The water is going through the teeth of the box, but always is lower than the emergency pipe. It has to trickle down it? Right now it's right at the tip. I might have to cut a bit off the length?

 

[homer1475]

Yes it should just "trickle" down the emergency. Like I said I like a high water level in the rimless, but it still has to be lower then the weir teeth.

Even in a bean animal, the trickle pipe handles the small fluctuations from waves and such. Same in a herbie, otherwise the display with 100% fluctuate, and you'll see the sump level lower while the display rises after the system normalizes(nothing going down the emergency to normalize so the display just keep rising till you hit the height of the emergency).

If you kept adding water till you had a trickle going down that emergency, you wouldn't be seeing the fluctuations like you are. Only thing that would change is the return section of the sump(like it supposed to work).

Now with a gate valve, you can fine tune the overflow to match your return pump so the water just "trickles" down the emergency.

I would cut the emergency to like an 1/8" below the weir teeth, then test for a few days. But I think you'll find a gate valve will be a better fit in the long term in conjunction with the lower emergency.

 

[homer1475]

Also you could still run the reactor off the return, you would just turn the gate valve on the siphon to match the output of the pump.

100% positive its the height of your emergency messing with everything.

 

[Eggpaul]

Also you could still run the reactor off the return, you would just turn the gate valve on the siphon to match the output of the pump.

100% positive its the height of your emergency messing with everything.

Ok great. Going to order the gate valve (will have to cut some pipe to install it, ugh), and lower the emergency pipe a bit. Will take about a week to get it from BRS. Will update everyone then. Thanks a lot.

 

[Eggpaul]

Also you could still run the reactor off the return, you would just turn the gate valve on the siphon to match the output of the pump.

100% positive its the height of your emergency messing with everything.

Question, one other reason to have a gate valve is to make adjustments now and then? I doubt you set it and forget it. For instance, today I changed gfo/carbon and turned the reactor on and water levels changed , which they should. I can't really make adjustments with the ball valve. All I can do to correct levels is to change the pump speed (which isn't really for fine tuning) or add water right now. So with a gate valve anytime I turn on the reactor or change a filter sock it will be easy to make fine adjustments to correct changes?

 

[Hydrored]

Question, one other reason to have a gate valve is to make adjustments now and then? I doubt you set it and forget it. For instance, today I changed gfo/carbon and turned the reactor on and water levels changed , which they should. I can't really make adjustments with the ball valve. All I can do to correct levels is to change the pump speed (which isn't really for fine tuning) or add water right now. So with a gate valve anytime I turn on the reactor or change a filter sock it will be easy to make fine adjustments to correct changes?

yes, fine tune adjustment for things like that

 

[homer1475]

Question, one other reason to have a gate valve is to make adjustments now and then? I doubt you set it and forget it. For instance, today I changed gfo/carbon and turned the reactor on and water levels changed , which they should. I can't really make adjustments with the ball valve. All I can do to correct levels is to change the pump speed (which isn't really for fine tuning) or add water right now. So with a gate valve anytime I turn on the reactor or change a filter sock it will be easy to make fine adjustments to correct changes?

100% why you would use a gate instead of a ball. A ball valve does not allow for fine tuning, they are more for on/off use. Where as a gate valve has that fine tuning ability.

 

[homer1475]

Curious how things worked out for you?

Even 1 day of evap with the shortened emergency pipe should have given you a good idea if that was the issue.

 

[Eggpaul]

Curious how things worked out for you?

Even 1 day of evap with the shortened emergency pipe should have given you a good idea if that was the issue.

I haven't had a chance to shorten it yet. Busy week at work. Waiting for the equipment to get here from BRS in the next few days so I can do it all at once.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Does the water level in the overflow box fluctuate,

 

[Eggpaul]

Curious how things worked out for you?

Even 1 day of evap with the shortened emergency pipe should have given you a good idea if that was the issue.

This weekend I put in the gate valve and my life has changed, lol. Thanks to everyone for all the help.

I cut half an inch off the emergency drain valve, and did the gate valve replacement. Definitely nerve reckoning cutting the pipe down below and measuring, etc. I did not want to mess up because I had 1 coupler. With patience I got it the correct length the first time.

For the first time since I did my 150 build my Ato filled and stayed at the same level. Gate valve is amaaaaazing. I set it where water is trickling over the emergency pipe. No more adding RO water manually! No more chasing salinity and parameter issues. When I bought everything for my tank I was handed the ball valve so I went with it. Didn't know how important a gate valve was. Thanks so much!

 

[Hemmdog]

This weekend I put in the gate valve and my life has changed, lol. Thanks to everyone for all the help.

I cut half an inch off the emergency drain valve, and did the gate valve replacement. Definitely nerve reckoning cutting the pipe down below and measuring, etc. I did not want to mess up because I had 1 coupler. With patience I got it the correct length the first time.

For the first time since I did my 150 build my Ato filled and stayed at the same level. Gate valve is amaaaaazing. I set it where water is trickling over the emergency pipe. No more adding RO water manually! No more chasing salinity and parameter issues. When I bought everything for my tank I was handed the ball valve so I went with it. Didn't know how important a gate valve was. Thanks so much!

Woooo! Well done!

 

[fishface NJ]

Congrats!

 

[homer1475]

Glad after a year and a half, we finally got it figured out for you.