I don't know what to do next, I'm in despair

[Joko]

Hello
Unfortunately, I can't get my problem with the water level in the overflow shaft under control. I just don't understand why my water level in the overflow shaft drops by a few cm after a few days or even after a week. I have a ball valve in the basement and turn it Then again and again a little when the water level in the overflow shaft sinks, but it happens again and again that the water level sinks. And since there is more water in the technical basin, my water level rises and then disrupts the function of my skimmer. Nobody really knows why the water level in the shaft is dropping? Should the drain pipe perhaps suck in air and thereby the water level drop? I don't know what else to try. Maybe someone of you can help me.
thanks

 

[sunken3]

my first guess is that you have a small leak in the stand pipe (either at the bulkhead or joint (depends on how low the water drops). This would cause a drop in the overflow box, but no actual leak in your plumbing setup.

 

[Joko]

But the water suddenly drops a few inches. But it was fine for a few days. If I had a leak in my standpipe, the water would slowly go down, or am I getting it wrong?
thanks

 

[sunken3]

that is a good point (assuming you are correct and didn't just miss the slower drop). How many pipes do you have? another thought (a bit wild) is that one is getting clogged (or something) and then the second one becomes primary AND has the slow leak which gets exploited by the first's clog.

I mean there has to be a leak of some sort somewhere.

I had an issue last week with my sump levels, and it turned out the microbubble sponge (between the skimmer and the pump) had clogged. Always comes down to a leak or clog.

second thought, is your return pump set on a schedule that allows it to slow down? I had a variable return pump that slowed and therefore returned water to the tank slower... this caused the sump level to rise.. if you had a standpipe leak, this could cause the water to drop "quickly" as the return pump was no longer compensating for the leak.

 

[Snoopy 67]

A basic diagram would help also.

 

[Joko]

that is a good point (assuming you are correct and didn't just miss the slower drop). How many pipes do you have? another thought (a bit wild) is that one is getting clogged (or something) and then the second one becomes primary AND has the slow leak which gets exploited by the first's clog.

I mean there has to be a leak of some sort somewhere.

I had an issue last week with my sump levels, and it turned out the microbubble sponge (between the skimmer and the pump) had clogged. Always comes down to a leak or clog.

second thought, is your return pump set on a schedule that allows it to slow down? I had a variable return pump that slowed and therefore returned water to the tank slower... this caused the sump level to rise.. if you had a standpipe leak, this could cause the water to drop "quickly" as the return pump was no longer compensating for the leak.

Hello,

Thank you already for your answer and your efforts
You asked me how many tubes I have?I have three tubes,drain,inlet and emergency overflow.
The pump has no time setting and should permanently pump up the same amount of water.A leak in my Instalation I can not imagine, because I would have to see or do I understand it wrong?
Fact is if my water level in the overflow shaft falls, then I have to set my pump in the basement stronger so that it pumps up the amount of water where too much in the sump is again, and I have to leave the pump then also set so, otherwise my water level in the aquarium after a few days falls again.And after a few days, this game starts again from the beginning.No idea what I can still do

 

[Joko]

A basic diagram would help also.

Hello,

What kind of diagram do you mean?

 

[WVNed]

Hello,

What kind of diagram do you mean?

Something that would tell us what the pipes in the pictures do.

You have long horizontal sections of pipe. The simplest answer is one of them is holding an air bubble that eventually goes away allowing the drain to run slightly faster. Whatever you do to get the levels correct again lets another air bubble in and it starts over.

 

[hhaase]

Hello,

What kind of diagram do you mean?

Some kind of sketch that shows us what all the pipes do, and shows where you have valves. Do you have two drain pipes? or three? What sizes are they?

What shape/fittings do you have where the water enters the drain in your tank?

If you look at this picture, which style overflow do you have?

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

 

[Joko]

Something that would tell us what the pipes in the pictures do.

You have long horizontal sections of pipe. The simplest answer is one of them is holding an air bubble that eventually goes away allowing the drain to run slightly faster. Whatever you do to get the levels correct again lets another air bubble in and it starts over.

Should I perhaps make my drain pipe even shorter? Does it perhaps draw in air bubbles from above?

 

[Joko]

Some kind of sketch that shows us what all the pipes do, and shows where you have valves. Do you have two drain pipes? or three? What sizes are they?

What shape/fittings do you have where the water enters the drain in your tank?

If you look at this picture, which style overflow do you have?

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

Drain pipe is 40
Inlet pipe 32
Emergency overflow 25
Pump Jebao DCP 20000

 

[WVNed]

Should I perhaps make my drain pipe even shorter? Does it perhaps draw in air bubbles from above?

That is possible.
A drain with air in it runs slower. The level in the top would rise if the drain gets air in it. Then it would speed up as the air is pushed out. Then it would swallow more air and repeat.
This usually results in a level that goes up and down over time.
The way most people have their system the water levels change in the overflow shaft or the pump return section. Where the skimmer sits the water level is constant because it is a separate chamber that the water level is controlled in another way.

 

[WVNed]

If you turn off your return pump and the system drains down what happens when you start it again. Does it immediately come back to the right levels or does it take a while?

Are you perhaps running some mode of wavemakers that causes them to change how water goes into the overflow box and makes bubbles the drain can swallow?

 

[Joko]

If you turn off your return pump and the system drains down what happens when you start it again. Does it immediately come back to the right levels or does it take a while?

Are you perhaps running some mode of wavemakers that causes them to change how water goes into the overflow box and makes bubbles the drain can swallow?

No, I have not tried to turn off the water pump, the Wavemaker does not make air bubbles, and the water flows into the shaft without causing air bubbles.
I will try my exhaust pipe to shorten, and then hope that it is good.This is just annoying because the whole then also changes the water level in my filter tank, and my skimmer then just more skimming, as I have set it.

 

[hhaase]

I'm a bit concerned with how high the water level is on the weir, and that's a fairly large pump. What speed is the pump set at?

Also, on the drain pipe, what kind of fitting is that on the top?

 

[Joko]

I'm a bit concerned with how high the water level is on the weir, and that's a fairly large pump. What speed is the pump set at?

Also, on the drain pipe, what kind of fitting is that on the top?

The pump is set to 85%,138Watt
This valve above my drain is for water change.I turn this valve closed,so my dirty water goes into the canal immediately.

 

[Joko]

I must have such a powerful pump, because my technical tank is in the basement, and that is 5 meters away from the aquarium.

 

[eggplantparrot]

How old is this whole set up? Have you cleaned your return pump since setup? Pumps will pump less water over time as stuff grow inside.

This sounds like when I didn't clean my return pumpin a long time. The water in the overflow box slowly dropped down until I either close the full siphon drain's valve a bit or clean the pump.

 

[Snoopy 67]

OK -- So you have a Herbie drain system with the return coming back through the overflow box.
There should be a minimum of 6 inches difference in the height of the drain to the emergency.
The main drain should be open @ the top, I run without anything, no restriction. Remove whatever the black thing is on the main drain & go from there. YOU WILL HAVE TO turn off your pump to check if your sump can handle all the water that will drain back into it if the power fails. That is why all sumps run near the 1/2 full mark.

 

[Joko]

OK -- So you have a Herbie drain system with the return coming back through the overflow box.
There should be a minimum of 6 inches difference in the height of the drain to the emergency.
The main drain should be open @ the top, I run without anything, no restriction. Remove whatever the black thing is on the main drain & go from there. YOU WILL HAVE TO turn off your pump to check if your sump can handle all the water that will drain back into it if the power fails. That is why all sumps run near the 1/2 full mark.

Hello
The black one on my drain is a grille so that no fish or anything goes into the pipe. My sump can hold all the water in the event of a power failure. Do you think that this protective grille will be the problem? I don't think so but will now my drain pipe put it lower and remove this black protection