SWC sump (vintage!) with built-in skimmer - Intended flow + purpose of chambers

[Richard ML]

Hi! I just got a great deal on this SWC acrylic sump with a bunch of chambers including a very simple built-in needlewheel skimmer.
Note that pics are pre-cleaning, just after I got it into the house.

Could anybody help me with the intended flow direction and the purpose of the various chambers?
This is what I've worked out so far, not sure how correct I am. I guess I'd have to buy a sock holder or roller to fit the chamber with the skimmer pump?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bleigh]

It's hard to tell from the picture. Is it possible that one of the chambers is a built in ATO? My sump has one.

I also put Marine pure blocks in one of my sections before my slotted baffles.

 

[Richard ML]

It's hard to tell from the picture. Is it possible that one of the chambers is a built in ATO? My sump has one.

I also put Marine pure blocks in one of my sections before my slotted baffles.

None of the chambers are completely sealed off from the others, but that'd be pretty cool! The guy I got it from (who never really used it) says it flows the other direction, but I don't see how you could control the water level in the skimmer that way. There's no manual adjustment, so the only way you can do it is with the water level in the return chamber. Edit: Wait - then the way the seller says it works makes more sense than the way I worked it out. I just want to be totally certain before I hard plumb drains so I don't have to redo it while livestock is waiting for filtration in the DT above.

There's a spillover from the bubble trap into the skimmer "feed section" where the needlewheel pump is. I'm... baffled by these baffles. ;Clown

Has anyone had a sump like this before? Would sure love some more info.

 

[Richard ML]

Also, come to think of it, I suppose I could also have the main drain going into the skimmer "feed" section and the emergency drain going into the adjacent section. I suppose the layout is sorta flexible, but what would everyone else do?

 

[Bleigh]

I put an extra drain line that is open at about 20% that goes directly to my fuge and bypasses my mechanical filtration to have pods going both directions. (In and out of the sump). Also, could you take the picture from slightly further up? The right side is cut off a little. Also, which section is the built in slimmer at?

This is what my built in ato looks like... FYI.

 

[Richard ML]

Wow, that's super cool. Beats my bucket in a wicker basket

Here are a couple photos of it running. Don't mind the rotten deck... she's a fixer-upper!

Green = Skimmer
Red = chamber with skimmer pump

Edit: Also, the bubbles it's making aren't very fine at all. And the pump is SUPER loud. I'll probably have to just stick a standalone skimmer in the sump eventually.

 

[Bleigh]

Wow, that's super cool. Beats my bucket in a wicker basket

Here are a couple photos of it running. Don't mind the rotten deck... she's a fixer-upper!

Green = Skimmer
Red = chamber with skimmer pump

Edit: Also, the bubbles it's making aren't very fine at all. And the pump is SUPER loud. I'll probably have to just stick a standalone skimmer in the sump eventually.

That’s awesome! You should have all the chambers for anything you want in there!
And my deck looked the same way about a year ago. Fixer uppers are.... fun?

 

[gabrieltackitt]

Also, the bubbles it's making aren't very fine at all. And the pump is SUPER loud. I'll probably have to just stick a standalone skimmer in the sump eventually.

you could always pick up a reef octo skimmer pump and Venturi and try that? It’d definitely be quieter

 

[Richard ML]

you could always pick up a reef octo skimmer pump and Venturi and try that? It’d definitely be quieter

For sure! It's actually an Octopus otp 3000. Pre reef octopus I guess? I'm gonna give it a very thorough scrub and hope that quiets it down.

 

[Richard ML]

That’s awesome! You should have all the chambers for anything you want in there!
And my deck looked the same way about a year ago. Fixer uppers are.... fun?

Haha... Fun. I could have paid for like five 200 gallon reef tanks at this point! Definitely fun though.