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NeenahFoxxe

Houston we have a problem...

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6 Comments
by
NeenahFoxxe
, 06-02-2012 at 10:22 PM (1682 Views)
Today I got to work on my sump. Fun times until I hit a snag... ugh... again. OK I don't have pics to post so I will need you guys to put on your imagination hats on. My sump is a 110 gal tank 6 feet long. My original plan was to place the external pump next to the sump making the total length of sump and dart pump about a little less than 7 feet. After measuring it all out it fits perfect inside the stand (without the plumbing parts). After trying to add all the plumbing it will not fit.
SO MY BIG QUESTION IS.... Can I build a shelf and place the external dart pump on top of the sump with a 90 degree elbow and a check valve? I know dart would need to be primed prior to getting it going, and with the check valve it would not need to be primed again in case of a power failure (I think?). The other option is to drill the sump on the back right hand side place the pump behind the stand (basically in between the wall and the stand) making it much harder to access. I would also have to place the tank about 8-10" away from the wall - instead of my planned 4-6".

I'm open for suggestions and advise! HELP!

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Categories
‎ Tank Entry , ‎ Plumbing , ‎ Questions - Need some input , ‎ Equipment

Comments

  1. Midnight's Avatar
    What if you placed the pump front to back and used two inch plumbing for the intake since you will need an elbow right there? I would not recommend the shelf and check valve method you propose.
  2. NeenahFoxxe's Avatar
    Scratch the shelf over the sump idea.... I found this online.
    [IMG][/IMG]

    Basically its a backwards PVC U. Top picture is check valve going into sump. Second picture shows T with a plug to prime the pump and pump sits on the floor next to tank. This set up would actually work perfectly for the space I have to work with. I still need to do a bit more research on this before deciding to go this route. I would love to get feed back from anyone who has tried this. Right now my concern is: if this set up would restrict the flow to the pumps input?. I have read that restricting the input flow is detrimental to the life of the pump. If I was to try this, should I try plumbing the sump part of the pvc with a larger PVC and then reducing to the actual size needed by pump intake? I hope this makes sense.
    Midnight - If I try what you propose I still end up with the pump outside of the stand. Unfortunately for me the metal stand restricts the front to back space in the interior of the stand.
  3. melev's Avatar
    That system should work, if you can get a good seal on the cap. You want it to stay primed at all times, so that if there is a power failure and later resumes, all works as it should.

    We want pictures of the sump & pump in the stand. Maybe there are plumbing fittings you haven't tried that would do the task?
  4. NeenahFoxxe's Avatar
    Pics of sump in stand?.... Eh No can do right now... Pics to come when the 120 is moved. The new stand is placed where it will go, and i find about 4-6 strong men to drop the sump into the tank from the top.

    If you only knew the troubles I have encountered trying to find a sump for this tank. My number one issue has been the metal stand. It has 8 legs 4 in the front 4 in the back. At first I contemplated buying 2 acrylic sumps 30x14x14 (because it was the only thing that would fit thru the stands legs). 1. They were too small to handle 265 gal DT and they would have been around 500.00. Then I thought what if I have a custom acrylic sump made 5 feet in lenght and drop it into the stand from the from the top. AWESOME IDEA! Right?!!! NOT! I was quoted a jaw dropping 700.00 dollars. I was upset I wasn't going to have the money to continue this build. A couple of weeks went by and I scored a 110 gal tank for 80 dollars. Call it luck or good Karma. After getting the glass cut the sump the total cost was 160.00. only problem with glass sump...it's SUPER HEAVY!!
  5. OneReef's Avatar
    Do you have any side to side room in the stand. I put the pump on one of my old tanks next to the sump since I ran out of room on the end.......

  6. NeenahFoxxe's Avatar
    Yes, the pump will go next to the side of the sump. The problem I ran into with drilling the sump, was having to drill more towards the middle of the glass to avoid cracking it. Adding a bulkhead then a 90 degree elbow would end up pushing the pump too far back.