Draining issue

[Chris1998m]

Hi guys, my aquarium isn’t draining very efficiently, only a small trickle into the sump and my return pump keeps starving. If I add more water the water level in the aquarium rises to the point where it nearly overflows. I can get the balance just right, any ideas or tips thank you in advance

 

[19Mateo83]

Pictures are worth a thousand words

 

[Chris1998m]

Pictures are worth a thousand words

 

[Chris1998m]

So in picture 1 you can almost see the water draining into the pipe in it aquarium, picture 2 is obviously the return pump, it’s not usually that high I’ve just put some more water in it, there’s usually about a 1/4 less in there, and the video is the flow into the sump

 

[parclife]

Is that your emergency overflow pipe and is there a main pipe submerged?

Also what type of valve do you have and have you tried opening it more to let more water flow through?

 

[Chris1998m]

Is that your emergency overflow pipe and is there a main pipe submerged?

Also what type of valve do you have and have you tried opening it more to let more water flow through?

No there’s only one? Should there be another? And there’s no valve either.(set up bought used 2weeks ago

 

[19Mateo83]

I feel like this was meant to be a durso style overflow and parts are missing on the stand pipe.

Overflow Boxes and Drain Styles - Durso, Herbie, and Bean Animal

Decide which of the three most common types of drains and overflow boxes is right for you and your tank.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Chris1998m]

mine is just a pipe straight to the sump

 

[TheBear78]

Was the stand pipe installed when you bought it or have you reassembled it post transporting?
If I understand your description correctly, the water level in the tank is pretty much level with the top of the pipe?

 

[Chris1998m]

Was the stand pipe installed when you bought it or have you reassembled it post transporting?
If I understand your description correctly, the water level in the tank is pretty much level with the top of the pipe?

The person I bought it off came and set it up, the pipe was already installed, and yes it’s draining correctly just very slowly

 

[polywise]

That's a pretty large looking pipe

1.
look down into the overflow pipe.. Is there something stuck in there?
is there a ball valve connected to the drain pipe & its not fully open, or is clogged with debris
Where does the pipe end up in your sump?

2.
If the tank is slow to drain (not the pipe)
check to see if the overflow slots are not clogged- clean them with a toothbrush.

Jim C.

 

[Gomez Adams]

It looks to me like you built that yourself and you may have built it wrong.

It appears that the drain pipe is at nearly the same level as the slots in the overflow box. It's not supposed to be that way. The top of the drain pipe should be no more than a few inches above the very bottom of the box and it should have a strainer of some type on it.

 

[Chris1998m]

It looks to me like you built that yourself and you may have built it wrong.

It appears that the drain pipe is at nearly the same level as the slots in the overflow box. It's not supposed to be that way. The top of the drain pipe should be no more than a few inches above the very bottom of the box and it should have a strainer of some type on it.

Think the previous owner did, It came that way to me, I was thinking the same but didn’t want to go cutting pipes down without knowing, if I cut say 2inch off will it help?

 

[Gomez Adams]

if I cut say 2inch off will it help

Yes. Definitely.

As it is, the water level has to be higher than the drain pipe to drain. (Simple physics) Since the drain pipe is at the level of the skimmer box, that means the tank has to be overly full before any water will drain from it.

 

[Chris1998m]

Yes. Definitely.

As it is, the water level has to be higher than the drain pipe to drain. (Simple physics) Since the drain pipe is at the level of the skimmer box, that means the tank has to be overly full before any water will drain from it.

Nice one, these were my thoughts too, only thing is how do I get to that pipe to cut it down?

 

[Gomez Adams]

Nice one, these were my thoughts too, only thing is how do I get to that pipe to cut it down?

Very simple: get an inside pipe cutter for your drill. It takes about 5 seconds.

Husky Internal Diameter PVC Pipe Cutter 80-525-111 - The Home Depot

Husky's Internal PVC Pipe Cutter is used to cut drain stubs to floor or repair broken pipe. It features a heat-treated steel saw tooth blade for faster cutting. The 3 in. shaft can cut from 1-1/4 in. up to 10 in. for nominal PVC schedule 40 pipe. It is designed for use with a standard drill and...

www.homedepot.com

 

[TheBear78]

Maybe try 1/2 inch at a time!!

 

[Chris1998m]

Maybe try 1/2 inch at a time!!

Is this flow rate better? More? Or enough

 

[polywise]

Is the pipe loos where you can take it out of the overflow box to cut it?

 

[Dburr1014]

The farther down you cut it, the more splash from the overflow making it noisy.
There is a sweet spot, 1/2" to an inch below the weir. Clears the tank of the film and quiet. All the flow you need.

Did they seriously glue it in the bulkhead?
Doesn't need to be.
Did you try and pull it out?