Overflow Help

[Snowsrfr]

O.K., it's been a while since I've had a tank with an overflow, so I'm trying to remember how to contend with all the issues I've had in the past.

I have a rimless tank, so my goal is to keep the water line 3/4-1" below lip due to my MP10's wave action.

My issue is that whenever I turn off my return pump, the water level in the tank/overflow rise and stay that way even after the pump is turned back on. Then my ATO kicks in to raise the water level in the sump. Now I either have to drain some water from display so I don't get water splashing over the sides from the waves, or turn my MP10's wave down. Even then the water level is still higher than when I started before. The water level in the over also is over the durso part of the overflow too.

What am I doing wrong? What can I do to eliminate this problem?

 

[fenderguy1]

Sounds like your return pump is too large. What size tank, drains,returns and pump do you have?It may help

 

[Snowsrfr]

That's what is starting to become apparent to me too. I have a 50 gallon C.A.D cube. 3/4" return, 1" overflow (with durso) and Rio 14HF as my return pump.

Maybe try throttling back the return pump?

 

[beaslbob]

As I understand it when you turn off the power, the ato kicks in, add water, and creates problems.

During power outage the upper tank level goes down and lower tank level goes up.

Are you pumping water from the tank to a container above?

anyrate ATO can create these types of problems. Usually I test my system with the normal power out and return cycles and also overflow failure (blockage, syphon break). In the second case the sump level goes down and and display up assuming the sump is a container below the tank. As opposed to the sump being the display tank below the seperate container. (By definition the sump is always the lowest container in the system.).

So IMHO you need to design your system so the ato does not kick in when the upper container is high and the lower container low. Only with the upper container at operating levels and the lower container is low. Under those contidions you have evaporative effects and just need to replace that top off.

Or change the ato to some kind of drip system.

my .02

 

[AZDesertRat]

Why does the water level in your overflow go up? It should siphon down to the sump and lower the overflow level not raise it? Maybe if you explain your plumbing arrangement and sump it would help.