Tank turnover......baffled

[The ReefBox]

So tank is wet and running. Something odd is going on and can’t seem to figure it out.  First a little about tank, pump and plumbing

rank is 120 gallon sump is approx 50 gallon

pump is vectora L1 rated max at about 3000 GPH with zero head pressure 

my overflow is bean animal with 1” bulkheads and pipe 

 

when viewing sump it appears not much turnover happening, pump is at max speed  I have a total of about 3’ vertical pipe 2 45 degree elbows to for a long sweeping 90 then a 90 degree elbow up into bulkhead. The pipe running from pump is1” and reduces to 3/4” at tank bulkhead and rises 16” at 3/4” into tank locline and into tank

question is why are all the chambers in sump at same water level, appears to be moving very slow to return chambers. I would think the L1 would suck the chamber empty pretty quick at max speed  included is short video 

[SuncrestReef]

This might be a dumb question, but could the water level in the sump chambers being at the same level be due to you filling the tank with more water than necessary?  If you drained a gallon or two out, then the return pump chamber would be noticeably lower than the other chambers.  The rate that water is pumped out of the sump should match the rate of the water draining back into the sump, so in my opinion the turnover rate should have no impact on the water level in the sump chambers.

[The ReefBox]

18 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said:

This might be a dumb question, but could the water level in the sump chambers being at the same level be due to you filling the tank with more water than necessary?  If you drained a gallon or two out, then the return pump chamber would be noticeably lower than the other chambers.  The rate that water is pumped out of the sump should match the rate of the water draining back into the sump, so in my opinion the turnover rate should have no impact on the water level in the sump chambers.

Not a dumb question at all. The prob is the pump is so tall, if I lower much it creates a vortex in return section and starts sucking air 

[SuncrestReef]

7 minutes ago, River City Corals said:

Not a dumb question at all. The prob is the pump is so tall, if I lower much it creates a vortex in return section and starts sucking air 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that your original question asks why the sump chambers are at the same level even when the pump is running at full speed.  If your plumbing is set up so the pump can overload the drain, then I would expect the sump return pump chamber to empty and your display tank water level would increase beyond what the drain could accommodate.  This seems like a dangerous situation as it could either cause the pump to run semi-dry, or cause the display tank to flood over the top depending on the overflow height.  Most tanks are set up so the primary drain plus the emergency drain combined could handle the full rate of flow produced by your pump, so the water level in the sump chambers will never actually change when the pump is running, even at full speed.

[The ReefBox]

I get what your saying.  However if the output capability of the pump is higher than that of the overflows.  Thecreturn chambers would empty out quicker and the tank level would rise if the drains cannot handle that amount of water. This is not the case   I am running basically 3 1” drains (bean animal) and  should be able to handle everything I throw at it. 

[jtarmitage]

It looks right. The only place you'd see the flow is the 2nd to last baffle, and the flow is spread over the entire length, and that looks like a good sized sump. First, test by removing s bit of water so you can see the flow, or add some food to the middle chamber of the sump to see the flow. 2nd, I'd add an elbow to the input of the pump to draw water from lower in the return section. The water level in the last baffle section and the return compartment will always be the same as it's an under flow baffle. The water level in the rest of the sump is dictated by the 1 over flow baffle. 

[JimmyK]

Looks good..... as suggested above drop some food pellets in and you will get a better idea of the flow rate. Also when your water level drops due to evaporation the flow rate over the weirs will be more obvious.

[Sailingeric]

I think what you are getting is head loss and the rate of water going into your tank is far less than 3000 gph and your overflows drains can easily handle what you are throwing at it, from what I found at 1 inch drain with a 3 foot drop at full siphon is about 1200 GPH, I am going to confirm with my plumber neighbor on that and I also found this calculator at Reef Centeral http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/head-loss-calculator and putting in a pump that does 3000 gph based on your turns and pipe diameter, your are actually getting close to 1300 gph into the tank. 

[mrk13p]

Pump into a 50 gal container or whatever you have and confirm the flow rate of the pump. L1s notorious for impeller housing probs. Hopefully you have the redesigned one. 

[The ReefBox]

35 minutes ago, mrk13p said:

Pump into a 50 gal container or whatever you have and confirm the flow rate of the pump. L1s notorious for impeller housing probs. Hopefully you have the redesigned one. 

Not sure what one I hv but my Jebeao pump moves a lot more water  I think it’s plenty of turnover just disappointed I have to run it at 100 % to get about 10x 

[Mvincent]

I had some issues resembling this, I had to drain the entire sump and refill it. Found a couple points where my chamber welds had leaked,. Caused a even water level through the whole sump.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Mvincent

[The ReefBox]

1 hour ago, Mvincent said:

I had some issues resembling this, I had to drain the entire sump and refill it. Found a couple points where my chamber welds had leaked,. Caused a even water level through the whole sump.

Interesting. I hope this is not the case. Brand new sump!!

[mrk13p]

2 hours ago, River City Corals said:

Not sure what one I hv but my Jebeao pump moves a lot more water  I think it’s plenty of turnover just disappointed I have to run it at 100 % to get about 10x 

Redesigned impeller housing is black with vent holes. Old is white no vent holes

 

[The ReefBox]

Old!!! 

[The ReefBox]

Also noticed these pumps can be calibrated so gonna give that a shot 

[Exodus]

11 hours ago, River City Corals said:

Also noticed these pumps can be calibrated so gonna give that a shot 

I was just going to ask if you calibrated it, thats a must when you 1st set up a vectra

[The ReefBox]

Going 

16 minutes ago, Exodus said:

I was just going to ask if you calibrated it, thats a must when you 1st set up a vectra

Going to do that today.  Most people I’ve talked to that own a vectra say they never have. What would be noticed if you never did?

[Exodus]

33 minutes ago, River City Corals said:

Going 

Going to do that today.  Most people I’ve talked to that own a vectra say they never have. What would be noticed if you never did? 

I think so when i first got mine i put it in the bathtub to try and see what kind of flow i could adjust and it really didn't seem like it was pushing much water, compared to after i calibrated. Though I'm using an S1, and on full speed my Apex Flow sensor after a 45 Degree Bend reads about 850GPH, and I I really don't notice any flow in my sump either.