Red Sea REEFER G2+ Plumbing Issues

[Sdoutreefer]

Curious if anyone has these issues with their Red Sea Reefer, but the plumbing gate valve has to be adjusted every time I turn off my return pump, making the water level in my return chamber incredibly low. So, I open it completely up, let the water get into the sump, then fine tune.

It's incredibly annoying and seems like something is off, due to the fact that I have to do this literally ANY time the return pump is shut down.

Anyone have any pointers? I'm sure I'm leaving out some information, so let me know what other information you could need.

 

[TX_REEF]

with no intention to be snarky, have you considered not turning off the return pump frequently?

I agree the reefer drain is quite touchy to tune.

 

[LPS Bum]

Have you ever taken apart the gate valve and cleaned it? I do that at least once a year, and it's pretty gnarly in there. Only takes 5 min, but that could be what's giving you problems.

I have a Gen 2 Reefer 625 XXL that has been set up for about 2 years now, and while I do have to make adjustments to the water level in the overflow, I've never experienced the issues that you have. If you haven't cleaned your gate valve in a while, give that a shot.

 

[Sdoutreefer]

with no intention to be snarky, have you considered not turning off the return pump frequently?

I agree the reefer drain is quite touchy to tune.

You're good. I like to turn it off when I feed, but ya I've considered never turning it off if possible :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

I just feel like something is off with the plumbing on my system. It takes ages for the water level in the sump to adjust whenever the return is offline.

 

[TX_REEF]

I do notice that large turns of the gate valve are needed to make the initial adjustments to water level, then follow up with fine tuning. Each time your return pump is turned off, anything that was restricting flow in the return or drain lines can move around, potentially affecting the flow rate when the pump is turned back on, changing the water level resting level. The only ways around this are to leave the return pump on or to thoroughly clean the lines frequently to ensure there are zero obstructions and therefore zero (or close to it) variables to affect the flow rates...

 

[Sdoutreefer]

Have you ever taken apart the gate valve and cleaned it? I do that at least once a year, and it's pretty gnarly in there. Only takes 5 min, but that could be what's giving you problems.

I have a Gen 2 Reefer 625 XXL that has been set up for about 2 years now, and while I do have to make adjustments to the water level in the overflow, I've never experienced the issues that you have. If you haven't cleaned your gate valve in a while, give that a shot.

Dang...! I never did think of cleaning just the gate valve. I'm assuming it is pretty easy to pull off and clean? Never done it before.. I'm relatively new to tanks with sumps (first sump tank I ran was 13-14 years ago). I came from the AIO world, which I miss dearly :flushed-face:

 

[LPS Bum]

Dang...! I never did think of cleaning just the gate valve. I'm assuming it is pretty easy to pull off and clean? Never done it before.. I'm relatively new to tanks with sumps (first sump tank I ran was 13-14 years ago). I came from the AIO world, which I miss dearly :flushed-face:

Yes, it's very easy. There is a Red Sea video on YouTube that will walk you through the steps.

Basically you just turn off your return pump, remove the rubber grommets in the corners, and use a hex key to remove the bolts. Give everything a good scrubbing and wipe down, and put it back together. Takes 5 min.

Note that you will definitely need to adjust the valve (to get the proper water level in your overflow) once you put it back together and turn the return pump back on. Give a try. I think it'll help.

 

[Sdoutreefer]

Yes, it's very easy. There is a Red Sea video on YouTube that will walk you through the steps.

Basically you just turn off your return pump, remove the rubber grommets in the corners, and use a hex key to remove the bolts. Give everything a good scrubbing and wipe down, and put it back together. Takes 5 min.

Note that you will definitely need to adjust the valve (to get the proper water level in your overflow) once you put it back together and turn the return pump back on. Give a try. I think it'll help.

That's what I'll do. Thanks for the advice!!

 

[Peair]

I have a problem with my gate valve, it has to be adjusted every time I do a water change or turn off the return pump, I guess there is nothing you can do to make it better and you have to get use to it, my main issue is the noise.

 

[Lavey29]

Haven't cleaned my gate valve in 4 years. Never have a water issue in the overflow box when I turn the pump off for water changes.

 

[exnisstech]

I have a reefer 300 and a reefer 170. While the valves can be finicky I never have to adjust them just because I turned the pump off. I turn both of my return pumps off twice a day when I feed and do not have adjust afterwards.