DIY Sump Tubing

[Viper]

Hi all, its been a while and I hope everyone is doing well!

I know this may be a stupid question, but I built a sump filter for my turtle tank and I have a question about the input and output tubing.

Should they be the same size?

My return (from the pump) tubing needs to be 1/2 an inch as that is the size of the pump outlet. Should the intake (from the tank into the sump) be the same size? Again I know it may be common sense, but any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[pat8you]

No, your drain (from tank to sump) line should always be a bigger diamter. The pump line is under a higher pressure then the drain line and so the drain needs to be bigger in order to keep up with the flow. If your pump line is 1/2" i would make your drain 3/4"

 

[Viper]

No, your drain (from tank to sump) line should always be a bigger diamter. The pump line is under a higher pressure then the drain line and so the drain needs to be bigger in order to keep up with the flow. If your pump line is 1/2" i would make your drain 3/4"

Wow that was exactly my thinking and I bought those exact two sizes of tubing, but the tank drained faster than the pump could put the water back into the tank.

 

[pat8you]

Wow that was exactly my thinking and I bought those exact two sizes of tubing, but the tank drained faster than the pump could put the water back into the tank.

Do you have a standpipe in the tank? What does your set up look like? You want the drain to have to capability to let water out of the tank faster then the pump can put in if need be.

 

[Jimbo7]

It it an overflow type drain or is it just sucking it out from the bottom?

a paint sketch or something would be really helpful.

 

[cmor1701d]

Seems you need a more powerful pump. The pump must match the drain (close but not exceed) capacity.

You can use this as a guide GPH Flow based on PVC Pipe Size

A gravity fed 3/4" drain will reach about 660 gph. A ½" pvs pipe can return 840gph. You need a pump that can pump about 600 gph at the head height of your return line.

 

[Viper]

Thanks for all of the help! As jimbo described, I do not have an overflow and it is just sucking from the bottom of the tank. The tubes also are rubber and not pvc. I may also have to check for any crimping as I was trying to be as mindful of that possibility as much as I could while doing my test run, but its entirely possible that it could have happened.

Here is the pump that I have and it looks like it only puts out a max of 264 gph.

EcoPlus Submersible Pump - 264 gph - 6.3 ft. max - 20W - 1/2 - 3/4 in. ID | Water Pumps | Water Pumps & Power Heads | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

I only have about 30 gallons of water in the tank so would that be a suitable amount of water being filtered per hour?

By the looks of it, if this is a suitable amount of water turnover per hour, I will have to reduce the diameter of the drain tube.

 

[cmor1701d]

First of all you want to use a standpipe to extend the drain above the bottom of the tank. The top of the drain standpipe needs to high enough so you don's drain the tank in the event of a power failure.

Check out Durso standpipes

Second, you need a better pump. How many inches is it from the pump intake to the where the water is being returned to the water?
That is the head height. A pumps output is reduced for every foot it needs to pump vertically (horizontally too, but we don't have to worry about here).

You need to match the pump to the drain!
There should not be a significant difference between pvc and flex in how much water can pass through the diamter of the pipe.

 

[Jimbo7]

If I were you, I would change that bottom outlet to an overflow style. Matching the drain/pump exactly is going to be difficult and if there was ever a power outage/clog/anything you could be looking at serious flooding and/or empty tank. Its just a dangerous game. I would do it now and save yourself the worry.

boooo cmor. beat me.

 

[Viper]

I've already thought about the possibility of a power failure and flooding and all that good stuff and was wondering if I could just cut/drill holes in the rubber tubing to break the siphon in the case of a power failure?

 

[David S]

you could do that but to be honest its very cheap to build you own overflow pipe setup from pvc pipe,look at the other pvc overflow thread in DIY