Return flow ?

Supramike

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Ok I know I need about 10-15x the volume in return flow. So my question is before I buy should I go with the mag 18 or 12? The 18 is about 1100 gph at 5' of head and the 12 is 800. I have a 112g DT and about a 30g sump -/+ rock and sand I'll say between 115-125. Could be wrong lol. I'm at bout 5' of head from bottom of sump up to the return tee adding in the length of the tee. I have a aqua c ev 240 with an 1100 gph pump on it. I'm trying to make up for the draining it does cause it wants to suck my sump dry on the pump side. I don't want the 18 to be overkill but I don't want the 12 to be to week for the skimmer and can't keep up wit the skimmer. So should I just get th 18 and if it turns out to powerful just in stall a valve?
 

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I would have a turnover equal to ur skimmer and definitely install a valve as it allows for easier cleaner. Sounds like the 18 would be a good choice as the flow at 5' is equal to the flow of the skimmer, sort of. The flow of the sump doesn't need to be 10-15x turnover. Around 5 is all that is needed but should be equal to the flow of the skimmer. hth
 

AZDesertRat

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Keep your return flow at 3 to 5x the display volume so the velocity is not so high in your sump and your skimmer works better. A 30G sump will contain 15-20 gallons or water an 1000+ GPH will be way too much flow, the velocity of the water will carry microbubbles back to the display and your skimmer will be very inefficient. I would lean towards no higher than 5x the display volume which is maybe 600 GPH and still 15 or more times the sumps actual volume so the detention time is very short which is not good. You want the velocity low enough to dissipate microbubbles amd to allow detritus to settle in the sump.
 
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Supramike

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Keep your return flow at 3 to 5x the display volume so the velocity is not so high in your sump and your skimmer works better. A 30G sump will contain 15-20 gallons or water an 1000+ GPH will be way too much flow, the velocity of the water will carry microbubbles back to the display and your skimmer will be very inefficient. I would lean towards no higher than 5x the display volume which is maybe 600 GPH and still 15 or more times the sumps actual volume so the detention time is very short which is not good. You want the velocity low enough to dissipate microbubbles amd to allow detritus to settle in the sump.
But my current return is is about 700ish gph it's a crappy pump that came with the tank I can't remember the specs. My sump is about 4.5' long with 5 chambers. It's a monster lol. I didn't want to tear the stand apart to get it out and make a different sump so I stuck with this one. And at the current drain speed the skimmer is to fast for the drain. I'll get a pic of what it did when I first put the skimmer in.
 
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Supramike

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1F6EC502-489D-4689-83E4-9C304A239186.jpg

Where my finger is is where the water level was pulled down to with the skimmer. And it kept going down slowly cause the rest of the skimmer filled up. It started to look backwards u know where the return side sits lower lol. I need a little more flow to keep up with the skimmer. Idk what to do. Smh lol. I traded my RO skimmer that didn't fit for this one.
 

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I'm assuming the output of the skimmer enters another compartment. Can u divert some of the output of the skimmer back to where the skimmer is? If so that should keep the water level where the skimmer from dropping.
 
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Supramike

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I'm assuming the output of the skimmer enters another compartment. Can u divert some of the output of the skimmer back to where the skimmer is? If so that should keep the water level where the skimmer from dropping.
I tryed that in the pic above is where the water level stayed at. It didn't completely suck it dry cause some of the water was comming back in from the other compartment. I ran the skimmer for about an hour to see if it dropped lower and it did just a little. I can't take the chance of it getting to low it might run the pump dry. So I moved the skimmer pump into the same chamber as it's drain and that worked for a few days the the skimmer just went nuts even when the gate valve was open all the way. So I was able to pick up a mag 18. It works great I just need to get a ball valve to tone it down a little and then play with the skimmer a little and hopefully it all works out lol.
 

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Ok As I am sure you already know the water entering the skimmer section has to be greater than the skimmer output unless the skimmer exits back into the skimmer chamber. Sounds like main pump was too weak for skimmer. The new pump should work out if still an issue divert some water from skimmer again to the skimmer chamber and you should be good to go
 
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Supramike

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Ok well it's still doing the same thing looks like I'll have to rethink this. I might need to take some more off the return tube.
 
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Supramike

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If the water level in the skimmer chamber is draining then u don't have enough flow entering it
That's the situation I'm in I belive but I have the mag18 now and it still drains the water on the skimmer side. The sump looks backwards now the return side is up and stays up wile the drain side where the skimmer pump is drains and gets lower with evaporation. Smh
 

Bluelobstor

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If I understand you correctly the skimmer side is draining due to evaporation. I don't think that's the case I think that the flow is still to low. Even with evaporation the skimmer side should be continually overflowing into the next chamber.
 

AZDesertRat

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How about some photos of the sump, equipment and plumbing arrangement including the overflow box, standpipe, piping to sump and the return plumbing. What is feeding the skimmer, where is it located and where does the skimmer discharge to?

Looking at the owners manual, figure 4 shows the skimmer pumping from and returning to the same sump chamber which is the way I prefer a skimmer personally. The water level would be constant in this scenario.
http://www.proteinskimmer.com/User's Manuals/EV-240.pdf
 
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Supramike

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How about some photos of the sump, equipment and plumbing arrangement including the overflow box, standpipe, piping to sump and the return plumbing. What is feeding the skimmer, where is it located and where does the skimmer discharge to?

Looking at the owners manual, figure 4 shows the skimmer pumping from and returning to the same sump chamber which is the way I prefer a skimmer personally. The water level would be constant in this scenario.
http://www.proteinskimmer.com/User's Manuals/EV-240.pdf
I'll get some better pics up in the morning. And how you suggest like the manual states I did have it that way and after a few days it started overflowing even when the gate valve was all the way open. And when I say it evaporates like the return I ment that it looks like the return side now the water levels changed sides. You'll see when I get them pics up in a few hours.
 
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Supramike

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Ok here's the pics.
Over flow is 8 1/4 x 5 1/2 in. The durso is made if 1 1/4 in pvc.
731C1926-C85D-467F-AE70-3F0B38EA226E.jpg


Chamber 1 drain with skimmer pump
87A0C725-1C79-4D9A-B01D-B43909F2C5D3.jpg


Chamber 2 skimmer sits in
4C50A007-6B5B-4EA3-94F1-0E0D94D8E474.jpg


Chamber 3 skimmer exits into my finger on left is where the water level is now. I filled it just above where the baffle is.
77057C66-6232-49D5-823C-B7AEAA9DDC97.jpg


Chamber 4 bio balls and heater notice the level of water at the baffle it's over it normally sits lower at least level with baffle
2A3293AF-474C-4E07-91D4-9F024F76B0CD.jpg


Chamber 5 return chamber only a mag 18 sits in it.
3559A122-9421-440F-8C0C-964B033AE1A9.jpg

That's where the water level stays it doesn't budge. The nopox box where the black part of the label is where I used to have the water level

Drain and return lines. 1" drain and 1/2" return. I made the return longer purposely to lower the gph some incase 1100 gph was to much but I'm going to take about a foot off to see if that'll help here.
67F6A05D-37AB-430E-8D80-0CD6997812D1.jpg


Skimmer feed line it's about 2.5' long. Did that to slow the water in skimmer to see if that'll help. I believe the pump is a 1100gph at 0 head I'll get specks on that in a few.
E3E74478-9B89-4F27-9E70-591B8935C09A.jpg


I did run the skimmer drain and skimmer feed pump in the same chamber (chamber 3) but that only worked for a little cause the skimmer went nuts even with the gate valve open all the way it would overflow.
So to day I think I'll remove as much tubbing as I can on return line to push the gph up more.
 
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Bluelobstor

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Are you positive skimmer is setup properly. I only ask because having the skimmer drain back into the skimmer chamber should have no effect on the skimmer. What is the recommended range in water level for skimmer operation. And what is the water level height for the skimmer chamber
 
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Supramike

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Ya it's hooked up properly. In the manual on page 3 it states it performs better if not re-skimming its own water so I stopped that. It doesn't need a specific water depth/level just needs the water level in the body of the skimmer to be just below the plate. It just needs pump of 1100+ gph hooked up. I have had a chance to play with it yet I've been working on cars all morning so far and probably won't be able to touch the tank till dinner time :-(.
 
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