Eshopps sump help

[ENVY]

Hello, can someone please help with my issue. I feel like im losing my mind trying to figure it out. I recently bought a new Eshopps r-100 sump for a new 80 gallon tank. LFS owner recommended me to just get the small size sump since it's all I would need. Eshopps even rates this sump for 75 to 125 gallon tanks. Anyways, I have been having issues with the flow rate. I cannot increase the pump to a decent speed without the return pump going half way dry. I went back to the lfs ask for help and at the possibility of a refund. He blamed it on I was running the pump high. I told him i don't think so but I went back home to see if there was a way to see if I can measure the gph without a fancy sensor. I found out there was a way, get a gallon container measure the seconds it takes fill. use 60min x 60seconds/seconds it takes to fill = the gph. I can run it at 200 gph, any higher than not enough water is getting to the pump chamber. This would be 3 dots out of 10 on my jebao dcp-4000 (1056 gph max) controller for speed. When I turn on my skimmer, I have to lower it down to 2/10 on the controller. This is about 180 gph but even once in a while the pump sucks in air so I have run it lower if I don't want that to happen.

Equiment
Tank: Seapora 80 Gallon rimless reef ready tank. Dimensions: 48"x24"x16". Single overflow.
standard 1" drain and 3/4" outlet
Sump: Eshopps R-100 (3rd gen)
Return pump: Jebao Sine Wave DCP-4000 (Max Flow: 1056gph)
skimmer: Coralife 125g Super Protein Skimmer (used in sump)

Other things to mention:
- When everything is off, my sump is about .5 inch from being filled till the top.
- The loc line return nozzle is the absolute minimum depth for it not to spray outside and break the syphon quickly
- I did play with the adjustable skimmer baffle/door. Does not solve my problem
- I have minimum plumbing going on. I attached photo

Does anyone know why this us happening? is this sump just too small with not enough water volume? or is something odd how eshopps baffled this sump making it like this? im out of ideas. Again I feel like im going crazy and need an explanation.

 

[Peace River]

Tell us more about your return overflow and drain piping. If I am reading the scenario correctly it doesn't sound like either the the sump or the skimmer are the primary issue.

#reefsquad

 

[Billldg]

I would install some hand valves on the drain and return, this will allow you to meter the water volume better. I have a Trigger systems 34 sump on my 120 gal tank, I installed 1" supply and return lines and I also installed hand valves on both supplies and return. I have to throttle down the drain lines as they will over power the return.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Those sumps are way over rated on sizing, I have a RS-75 on a 40 and it’s barely enough however I can easily push 300-400 gph through mine without pump compartment going dry.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I would install some hand valves on the drain and return, this will allow you to meter the water volume better. I have a Trigger systems 34 sump on my 120 gal tank, I installed 1" supply and return lines and I also installed hand valves on both supplies and return. I have to throttle down the drain lines as they will over power the return.

May require doing this. What kind of drain system does this have inside the overflow box? Durso?

 

[ENVY]

Using the standard setup provided by the manufacturer. Just switched to slip bulkheads for hard plumbing. Also, I included a picture of the sump when the return pump was off. It's actually more like about an 1" from the top. All chambers are filled equally.

Side note, It seems seapora tanks and deep blue are somehow related since they sell the same exact tanks so maybe if someone had a similar issue with their tank, it will help.

 

[ReillyReef]

When i had that tank, i had to put a ball valve on the 1" drain and use the 3/4" return line as a emergency drain. It allowed me to crank up the flow. I then simply ran the return line over the top of the tank using lock line.

 

[Ron Reefman]

If your pump is really only running at 200gph and it's pumping the return pump section of the sump almost dry, then you are not even draining 200gph from the tank to the sump. Does that sound right? It sounds to me like that is the issue.

A 3/4" outlet on the drain from the tank to the sump, assuming no restrictions or elbows should drain 1380gph. Even given a couple of elbows it should drain over 1000gph. So how can your pump running at 200gph pump the return pump section almost dry?

I'd ask that you test the rate of flow for the drain from the tank to the sump. And maybe even double check the flow rate on the pump at the level you are using that is just 3 out of 10.

If you are running the return pump at 200gph and it's pumping the water level to low in the chamber, adding gate valves isn't going to help as it's already too slow!

Does this make sense or am I missing something?

 

[Peace River]

If your pump is really only running at 200gph and it's pumping the return pump section of the sump almost dry, then you are not even draining 200gph from the tank to the sump. Does that sound right? It sounds to me like that is the issue.

A 3/4" outlet on the drain from the tank to the sump, assuming no restrictions or elbows should drain 1380gph. Even given a couple of elbows it should drain over 1000gph. So how can your pump running at 200gph pump the return pump section almost dry?

I'd ask that you test the rate of flow for the drain from the tank to the sump. And maybe even double check the flow rate on the pump at the level you are using that is just 3 out of 10.

If you are running the return pump at 200gph and it's pumping the water level to low in the chamber, adding gate valves isn't going to help as it's already too slow!

Does this make sense or am I missing something?

I agree Ron. The issue seems to be something with the drain whether it is not working correctly or the tank was actually designed for a really low flow turnover.

I'm not sure what can be disassembled easily in the overflow, but if the Durso cap can be removed to let the water spill into an open drain tube then that would be a possible test to begin to help understand the flow.

The solution from @ReillyReef is reasonable and allows a conversion from a Durso style drain to a Herbie style drain. Here is a link that explains the difference:

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.

blog.marinedepot.com

 

[noobreefer2]

I also have a r-100 sump with a 75 gallon tank on top the pump I'm using is a eheim compactON 3000 when I put it in the flow rate was to high so I tuned the pump down. Then I realised that the water level in the return is adjustable via the gate from the skimmer chamber I believe letting more water into the return section will help.

 

[Slothman]

When i had that tank, i had to put a ball valve on the 1" drain and use the 3/4" return line as a emergency drain. It allowed me to crank up the flow. I then simply ran the return line over the top of the tank using lock line.

Do you think using the 3/4 as a full syphon and the 1” as an emergency would work?