Plumbing help! - return water into the sump is noisy

[austinsdad]

The boss (wife) won't like the noise.

The 1" return plumbing into the sump comes back with flexible hose into an elbow, and down in thru bulkheads into the sump return chamber. After the elbows go down thru the bulkhead, the water drops into the sump about 4 " or so.

This pic was before the finished pumbing, but see the left side of the sump/fuge w/the black fles into the elbows. It's there I want to put either hard pipe (not glued if not needed) or flex hose going down beneath the water level so as not to get that crashing water when it drops from the height you see here.

Can't I put hard pipes under the water line for this return water? Do I have to worry about any vaccum if so?

[dskidmore]

I'd think you'd only need to worry about vaccum if you didn't have air flowing into the top of the return. The problem then becomes the big bubbles. What kind of standpipe are you using?

[austinsdad]

Homemade 1 1/2 dursos above.

That's right, the holes in the top/end of the standpipes would prevent any vacuum.

Hoping this works for the noise.

[BillyZ]

Yea a vacuum shouldn't be too much of a concern and as dskid pointed out, you will have the issues of air trapped in that line. That could either result in glugging bubbles in the sump, or air backing up through the line and slowing your overflow (that would be my bigger worry)

You could throw an elbow onto that line where it comes through the top, directing the flow towards the wall of the sump instead of straight down. You could also look into having the flow fall onto a sponge rather than directly into the body of water. You have a few options i think.

[austinsdad]

Cool. Thanks. I'll try the "catch" sponge or the elbow to the wall first and see what happens.

[dskidmore]

Might terminate the line just above the water surface, so it doesn't have a significant drop, but still can let air out.

[noteworthy]

I think you should do something like me.. it works well... put a t in the line and a small standpipe for air to escape.. put a cap on it with a small hole.. I think mine is 1/4" or so hole. then put a valve on the other end past it to adjust how much air is forced to go out.

Close it enough where water drips out... then have it backed off just enough where you only hear air.

The other pipe past that where water comes out just goes down into the water. Mine goes all the way to bottom of the sump.

Check it out.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/download.php?id=19955

[austinsdad]

Ended up using 6" or so hard pipe from the bulkhead fitting to under the water level. The added socks. Bubbles and noise solved.