Red Sea Reefer gurgling... Return Pump broken?

[Basementreefer]

Hey Guys!
I have a Red Sea Reefer and I have the very common overflow "gurgling" problem.
For the first year it was all fine! I had to adjust the down flow valve from time to time, but nothing that bothered me. Though recently I have a very hard time with the overflow. I set it up with the water level just where I want it and in a matter of hours (!) it raises to the point it overflows into the emergency drain. The problem started roughly three weeks ago. I thought the valve is clogged and cleaned it two weeks ago. But it wasn't better afterwards. I have a DC return pump from aqua medic and was adjusting the flow down and the water still overflowed into the emergency drain. I then set it faster again and same story. Today I cleaned the valve again in vinegar thinking I didn't do it thoroughly enough. Set it back in and adjusted the waterline to roughly 2 1/2 inches below the emergency drain. Now like six hours later its almost at the edge of the overflow AGAIN. One thing I did change was I set the flow pump closer to the back glass so the water shoots from the left side to the right just beneath my overflow. Could that be the reason as when the pump surges it makes more water go into the overflow? Could it also be the DC pump that is malfunctioning? Maybe it is increasing the speed very slightly over time and that's why its overflowing?
I really hope it is not the valve although it is very hard to dial in, but I never really had a problem with that.
Has anyone of you a suspicion to what the cause is?

I would really appreciate your help as it is really bugging me so much :mad:

Thanks in advance!

 

[Montiman]

You need a slight trickle going through the emergency just a little. If you are trying to perfectly match the flow with the valve you will never be happy.

Decide the pump speed you want and then leave it alone. Use the valve to almost match the return but leave a slight trickle through the secondary overflow.

 

[Basementreefer]

You need a slight trickle going through the emergency just a little. If you are trying to perfectly match the flow with the valve you will never be happy.

Decide the pump speed you want and then leave it alone. Use the valve to almost match the return but leave a slight trickle through the secondary overflow.

Thanks Montiman!
I will try that but when I set it up it will not stay at a small trickle. And when I want to adjust it so it only goes down the main drain, I have to adjust quite a lot.

 

[Montiman]

The problem is that it is impossible to match the return pump flow exactly. You can come close but the pump will clog slowly or the sponges/worms growing in the drain will restrict flow and then everything will get out of wack.

If you adjust the flow so it is just going down the main drain then eventually the pump will slow down a little and the water level will drop leading to gurgling. If you have a slight trickle through the main drain then the noise will remain at a constant level.

In theory with just a constant trickle the drain will be silent. In practice I find it very hard to dial in the flow. On my 750 XXL I added a Maggie muffler to the emergency stand pipe. This gives me just a little bit more wiggle room when dialing in the drain. I will try to send a pic when I get back to the tank.

 

[Basementreefer]

The problem is that it is impossible to match the return pump flow exactly. You can come close but the pump will clog slowly or the sponges/worms growing in the drain will restrict flow and then everything will get out of wack.

If you adjust the flow so it is just going down the main drain then eventually the pump will slow down a little and the water level will drop leading to gurgling. If you have a slight trickle through the main drain then the noise will remain at a constant level.

In theory with just a constant trickle the drain will be silent. In practice I find it very hard to dial in the flow. On my 750 XXL I added a Maggie muffler to the emergency stand pipe. This gives me just a little bit more wiggle room when dialing in the drain. I will try to send a pic when I get back to the tank.

I understand, it sounds plausible. Photos would be really appreciated! So I can also look out for such a muffler.

 

[Rubberfrog]

I have the water level set 1/4" below the emergency.

 

[Jeffcb]

2nd. Mine barley trickles down the overflow. If you let too much go down the emergency it gurgles.

 

[Basementreefer]

I have the water level set 1/4" below the emergency.

That’s what I am also aiming for, but the water level keeps raising until it flows down the emergency drain

2nd. Mine barley trickles down the overflow. If you let too much go down the emergency it gurgles.

That’s my problem. It keeps raising until it gurgles. I then open the valve further to lower the water level. After some time it raises again and gurgles.

 

[Rubberfrog]

That’s what I am also aiming for, but the water level keeps raising until it flows down the emergency drain

That’s my problem. It keeps raising until it gurgles. I then open the valve further to lower the water level. After some time it raises again and gurgles.

Keep opening the drain valve a little at a time. Open it one degree and wait a few hours. Repeat until it's quiet.

 

[djray77]

I could never get my red sea 200XL to dial in right, that gate valve is junk. My water box however you can get perfect and it never fluctuates. Love the red sea tanks wish they would update that valve though.

 

[Basementreefer]

I could never get my red sea 200XL to dial in right, that gate valve is junk. My water box however you can get perfect and it never fluctuates. Love the red sea tanks wish they would update that valve though.

It is an absolute PIA. I love my tank, but this is a big con, sadly. Did you do anything to change it or did you just live with it?

 

[Basementreefer]

Keep opening the drain valve a little at a time. Open it one degree and wait a few hours. Repeat until it's quiet.

I will try that, maybe I am not patient enough. I sometimes wake up at night because it gets so loud. It’s hard to cope with the last few weeks.

 

[MichaelReefer]

You have to play with your pump speed and your drain valve. Every time you adjust it, it will take about 10 minutes to equalize out.

 

[djray77]

It is an absolute PIA. I love my tank, but this is a big con, sadly. Did you do anything to change it or did you just live with it?

I sold it and got a waterbox

 

[Basementreefer]

I sold it and got a waterbox

Well thats one way to deal with it ;Hilarious

 

[Basementreefer]

You have to play with your pump speed and your drain valve. Every time you adjust it, it will take about 10 minutes to equalize out.

I will try my best, thank you!

 

[Rubberfrog]

Buy a metric to standard pipe adapter and switch out to a gate valve if it's really bothering you.

 

[Basementreefer]

Buy a metric to standard pipe adapter and switch out to a gate valve if it's really bothering you.

I will first try out the suggestions you all made and if that doesn’t satisfy me, I will consider changing out the valve. Thank you Rubberfrog!
And thanks to everyone else!

 

[metzer]

are you monitoring the flow at the return pump? I am not saying this is a problem but if the gate valve is set and say it works for a day, or even a few hours, your flow may be changing. Are you using an ATO too? Is the water height in your return chamber staying at a constant height?

 

[Basementreefer]

are you monitoring the flow at the return pump? I am not saying this is a problem but if the gate valve is set and say it works for a day, or even a few hours, your flow may be changing. Are you using an ATO too? Is the water height in your return chamber staying at a constant height?

No, I can only adjust the pump via a controller in 8 increments. I wanted to upgrade to a more advanced dc pump in the coming months like the Ecotech vectra or something where you can see the current flow. I also thought about the flow changing. I use the stock ato from Red Sea with a flow valve, but it has worked well for me for as long as I have it. The water in the ato lasts about 3-4 days and there has nothing changed. Thats why I don’t think it’s part of the problem.

The water level in the pump chamber is constant with the float valve, except when I close the valve on the main drain slightly it raises a bit as the water in the overflow lowers. But nothing has changed here since I have this tank. So no noticeable problems with the ato.
My theory is that the flow either is getting constantly lower on the main drain or the pump is slightly speeding up over time.