Help With Reefer 350 Sump

[orbitee2015]

Ok I give up. Hello fellow reefer owners how bout some help. Today i decided to try to quiet down my drain noise and I messed myself up. I have a 350 with a lifeguard 3000 return pump. everything was fine except the noise so I though as I did my water change i's add more water to get the level up in the upper unit hoping to quiet the drain. well I closed my valve and kept opening it slowly but now it is fully open and the pump is returning water faster that its coming into the sump. now this pump is rated 700 something but i have it turned down to 400 plus i even tried using a ball valve. I think i have it stabilized but the ball is just about closed on the return and the water out of the spout is a trickle. I remember in the beginning the water coming down the pipe so fast it was gurgling, now i can't get it down fast enough. So I did reduce the noise but I have barely any flow back to the tank.

Who's got the answer. Can the reefer valve be bad or blocked,? Do I need to just add a bunch more water?

 

[mmw64]

On mine the water level where the return pump is located is a little over half way up. The knob on the back is turned very slowly until everything quiets. Don't know if extra water will help. Hope this helps.

 

[shadow1013]

You may need to add more water to your tank. I have the water coming down fast and make sure the water lever is just at the top of the middle overflow.

 

[dragon99]

More water is probably the answer. I'm running a Vectra M1 on my 350 and the overflow can more than keep up.

 

[DLHDesign]

Your water level should be controlled by your ATO float, so adding more water is temporary at best (eventually evaporation will level it all out).

First thing I would do is set your pump at the level you think it should be at. It's up to you, of course, but at 400 you're turning your water over at roughly 1x - which seems low to me. Fully-open, the pump you mentioned would have roughly a ~2x - which is still below Red Sea's recommended level (which is 790gph for the 350). I would start with your pump fully open unless there's a reason you want low flow in the tank.

Once you've got your pump set at the flow you want, close your primary drain 100%. It will be loud. There will be bubbles. It will make a mess. Now slowly open the valve - no more than 1/2 turn at a time. After you turn it, wait a few minutes. It will take time for everything to equalize. Things will get quieter as you get closer.As you get closer, turn the valve less and less for finer tuning. If it helps, the overflow chamber is made from mostly opaque acrylic - but not completely. Use a good flashlight and shine the beam through your tank onto the compartment and you should be able to see into it enough to gauge the water level.
Once the water level is within a few inches of the "emergency" drain, you should be making only the smallest of adjustments - always in the "close" direction (clockwise). If you go too far, re-open it a slight bit more than you last adjusted it, let it settle, then try again. The goal is to get the water level to be stable somewhere between 0.5-2" below the level of the emergency drain. It's not uncommon for me to have my water level settle right at the edge of the drain (until it appears that the water tension is the only thing keeping it from dropping in) and I've heard of others that run at this level intentionally. In general, I lean towards the water level being closer to 0-1" below the emergency drain; lower than that and I get an occasional gurgle.

Once you get your water stable, you might need to pull some water out (or add some in) in order to correct it. Your goal should be to add enough saltwater (of your desired salinity) so that the ATO float switch is just barely closed (look for water ripples from that direction while the system is running, or mark the water level in the ATO and watch for it to drop - though the latter is harder to notice, I found). Once you're there, you should be able to easily maintain your salinity. Otherwise, if you're over that volume, evaporation will eventually raise your salinity past where you want it.

Caveat: I've got a 525xL, so I apologize if there are differences in our systems I'm not aware of. The approach should be similar though, so I hope something above helps. Good luck!

 

[orbitee2015]

Thanks guy's I appreciate the help. I'm going to give it a try tonight. I'll report back.

 

[orbitee2015]

Well That was it. Closed the valve added water opened it to just below the drain and boom stabilizing. Now probably a few small adjustments and I'm dialed in. Thanks again

 

[MCooper]

Constant issue for me on my reefer, hate that valve

 

[rob2010]

Your water level should be controlled by your ATO float, so adding more water is temporary at best (eventually evaporation will level it all out).

First thing I would do is set your pump at the level you think it should be at. It's up to you, of course, but at 400 you're turning your water over at roughly 1x - which seems low to me. Fully-open, the pump you mentioned would have roughly a ~2x - which is still below Red Sea's recommended level (which is 790gph for the 350). I would start with your pump fully open unless there's a reason you want low flow in the tank.

Once you've got your pump set at the flow you want, close your primary drain 100%. It will be loud. There will be bubbles. It will make a mess. Now slowly open the valve - no more than 1/2 turn at a time. After you turn it, wait a few minutes. It will take time for everything to equalize. Things will get quieter as you get closer.As you get closer, turn the valve less and less for finer tuning. If it helps, the overflow chamber is made from mostly opaque acrylic - but not completely. Use a good flashlight and shine the beam through your tank onto the compartment and you should be able to see into it enough to gauge the water level.
Once the water level is within a few inches of the "emergency" drain, you should be making only the smallest of adjustments - always in the "close" direction (clockwise). If you go too far, re-open it a slight bit more than you last adjusted it, let it settle, then try again. The goal is to get the water level to be stable somewhere between 0.5-2" below the level of the emergency drain. It's not uncommon for me to have my water level settle right at the edge of the drain (until it appears that the water tension is the only thing keeping it from dropping in) and I've heard of others that run at this level intentionally. In general, I lean towards the water level being closer to 0-1" below the emergency drain; lower than that and I get an occasional gurgle.

Once you get your water stable, you might need to pull some water out (or add some in) in order to correct it. Your goal should be to add enough saltwater (of your desired salinity) so that the ATO float switch is just barely closed (look for water ripples from that direction while the system is running, or mark the water level in the ATO and watch for it to drop - though the latter is harder to notice, I found). Once you're there, you should be able to easily maintain your salinity. Otherwise, if you're over that volume, evaporation will eventually raise your salinity past where you want it.

Caveat: I've got a 525xL, so I apologize if there are differences in our systems I'm not aware of. The approach should be similar though, so I hope something above helps. Good luck!

 

[rob2010]

Here are 3 pics of my water level. My return pump is running at 100%, I cleaned the diaphragm. I have added over a few days about 3 gal of water and can't seem to fill the tank and can't quiet the noise. Any suggestions?

 

[rob2010]

Is there ANYONE that lives in Largo,FL area that has a redsea and understands how the water levels should be setup? I have tried all the great advice everyone has given me and have had no luck reducing the noise.