Adding more sump tanks - question! - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T15:10:47Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/adding-more-sump-tanks-question?groupUrl=ibc-aquaponics&commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A639834&groupId=4778851%3AGroup%3A392501&feed=yes&xn_auth=noNo replies ?
What have you…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-06-27:4778851:Comment:6423042017-06-27T15:09:23.867ZYaacov Levihttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/YaacovLevi
<p>No replies ? </p>
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<p>What have you done ? My suggestion would be two totes, side by side, connected at the bottom. With Bell Siphons to keep them level. Dont mess up your drain field.</p>
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<p>Good luck,</p>
<p>Jake</p>
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<p>What have you done ? My suggestion would be two totes, side by side, connected at the bottom. With Bell Siphons to keep them level. Dont mess up your drain field.</p>
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<p>Good luck,</p>
<p>Jake</p> Hi
Jeff - yes - you need a U-…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-28:4778851:Comment:6397792017-02-28T07:36:22.652ZPieter Swanevelderhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PieterSwanevelder
<p>Hi</p>
<p>Jeff - yes - you need a U-bend at each end of the water bridge to keep it from taking in an air bubble if one of the ends are exposed. It also makes filling it a lot easier as you don't need a high volume flow to get the air out.</p>
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<p>Blake - a more correct term for the flow valve is probably a "ball valve" - the passive (non electrical) working on water troughs, toilet cisterns - although if you use the toilet one (at utility water pressure ~4bar?) you'll probably need…</p>
<p>Hi</p>
<p>Jeff - yes - you need a U-bend at each end of the water bridge to keep it from taking in an air bubble if one of the ends are exposed. It also makes filling it a lot easier as you don't need a high volume flow to get the air out.</p>
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<p>Blake - a more correct term for the flow valve is probably a "ball valve" - the passive (non electrical) working on water troughs, toilet cisterns - although if you use the toilet one (at utility water pressure ~4bar?) you'll probably need to modify the entry hole in the valve to allow more flow at lower pressure of your two tank sump system. It's low maintenance - as long as your have some sort of filter/settling system keeping out the gwak. you can add structures in your sump to add in settling of fines.</p>
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<p>My system is a bit exposed to leaves - so think of some sort of filter at the inlet of your water bridge - and the level switch for your pump is a great idea. You can rig the Normal Close (NC) to the pump control circuit, with the other contact Normal Open (NO) of the level switch to an alarm or such. </p>
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<p>Regards,</p> The water bridge is operated…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-28:4778851:Comment:6398402017-02-28T04:31:05.342ZJeff Shttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JeffSullivan
<p>The water bridge is operated as a water level equalizer. Once it's primed (by filling it with water) it operates by gravity and keeps the level in the 2 tanks at the same level. If either end of it goes above water level it looses it's ability to function (loose it's siphoning ability). It would work with both tanks at the same height.</p>
<p>The water bridge is operated as a water level equalizer. Once it's primed (by filling it with water) it operates by gravity and keeps the level in the 2 tanks at the same level. If either end of it goes above water level it looses it's ability to function (loose it's siphoning ability). It would work with both tanks at the same height.</p> Pieter - I am not familiar wi…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-28:4778851:Comment:6396712017-02-28T00:36:47.395ZBlake Allenhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BlakeAllen
<p>Pieter - I am not familiar with the water bridge, but perhaps the water flow valve is what I need.... I assume you mean an automatic/powered one - and I could hook it to some sort of a float switch so when water gets low it opens and closes when water reaches another level?<br/><br/>Any extra information you could share about one of these would be most helpful :) Thanks!</p>
<p>Pieter - I am not familiar with the water bridge, but perhaps the water flow valve is what I need.... I assume you mean an automatic/powered one - and I could hook it to some sort of a float switch so when water gets low it opens and closes when water reaches another level?<br/><br/>Any extra information you could share about one of these would be most helpful :) Thanks!</p> Hi Blake
Not sure how much s…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-27:4778851:Comment:6396642017-02-27T08:22:41.022ZPieter Swanevelderhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PieterSwanevelder
<p>Hi Blake</p>
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<p>Not sure how much space you've got available to sink your extra sump - but you can use a water bridge to connect the two sumps. Just an inverted U with a U bend at each end to keep water in the bridge in the event the sump runs dry. </p>
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<p>If there is enough head from your GB to run into an above ground sump before your pump sump- you can use a water flow valve (as used in WC) to regulate the water running from your extra sump into your pump…</p>
<p>Hi Blake</p>
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<p>Not sure how much space you've got available to sink your extra sump - but you can use a water bridge to connect the two sumps. Just an inverted U with a U bend at each end to keep water in the bridge in the event the sump runs dry. </p>
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<p>If there is enough head from your GB to run into an above ground sump before your pump sump- you can use a water flow valve (as used in WC) to regulate the water running from your extra sump into your pump sump</p>
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<p>Regards,</p> If you can put in the second…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-26:4778851:Comment:6397672017-02-26T03:16:40.391ZJeff Shttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JeffSullivan
<p>If you can put in the second sump just do like Jim said and put in a larger tank and just use the one sump and one pump. You don't have to bury it all the way, just below the grow bed level. The original sump can be used for make up water. </p>
<p>If you can put in the second sump just do like Jim said and put in a larger tank and just use the one sump and one pump. You don't have to bury it all the way, just below the grow bed level. The original sump can be used for make up water. </p> Hrm, I had not though about j…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-25:4778851:Comment:6398352017-02-25T20:32:22.315ZBlake Allenhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BlakeAllen
<p>Hrm, I had not though about just directly replacing the sump - that will be a bit tricky with the grow bed over top of it which is to heavy to move and positioned dangerously on some cinderblocks - if the tote wasnt below it the weight could cuase the blocks to slide in and collapse. I'd also have to add some plumbing but not a big deal.<br></br><br></br>I was thinking I could add a second tank next to my fish tank, connect the 2" valves - that would give me some extra water in the system overall,…</p>
<p>Hrm, I had not though about just directly replacing the sump - that will be a bit tricky with the grow bed over top of it which is to heavy to move and positioned dangerously on some cinderblocks - if the tote wasnt below it the weight could cuase the blocks to slide in and collapse. I'd also have to add some plumbing but not a big deal.<br/><br/>I was thinking I could add a second tank next to my fish tank, connect the 2" valves - that would give me some extra water in the system overall, and I could put a small pump in there with a reverse float hooked up such that when the water dropped it turned on and trained from the fish tank and when it reached a certain level filling up it would shut off. That requires a second pump which isnt my favorite idea - but Im a bit outta options. I see how adding more grow beds would help - cant do that just yet though.</p>
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<p></p> Any chance you could replace…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-25:4778851:Comment:6398342017-02-25T19:31:37.872ZJim Fiskhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JimFisk
<p>Any chance you could replace the existing sump with a full size IBC? Of course the more growbeds you have the LESS likely they will all dump at once. My sump never varies more than about 10" with my five 12" deep media IBCs and 12" bell siphons. (unless a clog backs up water and overflows a FT or something and that is where the float sw comes into play) Not sure why you are having trouble.</p>
<p>Now by my calcs my GBs are about 15CF each and that equals about 60g each at about 50% granite…</p>
<p>Any chance you could replace the existing sump with a full size IBC? Of course the more growbeds you have the LESS likely they will all dump at once. My sump never varies more than about 10" with my five 12" deep media IBCs and 12" bell siphons. (unless a clog backs up water and overflows a FT or something and that is where the float sw comes into play) Not sure why you are having trouble.</p>
<p>Now by my calcs my GBs are about 15CF each and that equals about 60g each at about 50% granite gravel so you should be about the same but ya that comes to 180g so you are cutting it close if all fill at once. Add 2 more GBs LOL. Kidding but not. Like I said the more the better in some ways. BUT I would try to replace that sump with a full size even a 330 for safety sake. I know that's a lot of work but it would fix the problem for sure and allow for more GBs down the line.</p>
<p>Also, leave the lid on the IBC and just cut an access hole.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772270330?profile=original"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772270330?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a></p> Jim,Thanks for the responses…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-25:4778851:Comment:6396592017-02-25T18:12:49.231ZBlake Allenhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/BlakeAllen
<p>Jim,<br></br><br></br>Thanks for the responses and all your help getting my system up the first time around :) <br></br><br></br>In my fish tank I do have a gravity train with the T describe - the fish tank will never run out of water, just as you described.</p>
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<p>I do need to get a float switch for the main pump, my problem is water gets to low and causes the pump to be exposed and burn up. From what I can tell this occurs when all 3 grow beds are lets say 95% full - there is not enough excess…</p>
<p>Jim,<br/><br/>Thanks for the responses and all your help getting my system up the first time around :) <br/><br/>In my fish tank I do have a gravity train with the T describe - the fish tank will never run out of water, just as you described.</p>
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<p>I do need to get a float switch for the main pump, my problem is water gets to low and causes the pump to be exposed and burn up. From what I can tell this occurs when all 3 grow beds are lets say 95% full - there is not enough excess water in the system to support getting the last 5% across the beds and the pump runs dry. I've tried toying with the timing on the draining but there is basically always going to be a time, over time, when all 3 beds line up like that and I have my problem - unless you know a way around the timing issue.<br/><br/>All beds drain back via bell siphons as well.</p>
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<p>Total volume is <br/><br/>Fish tank - 275gal<br/>3x grow bed - roughly 150gal/ea - but filled will lava rock - not sure how to calculate displacement.</p>
<p>Sump Tank - 2/3 of an 275gal IBC, so roughly 200ish gallons.</p>
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<p>Hope this helps</p> Here is the float switch I am…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2017-02-25:4778851:Comment:6395642017-02-25T17:13:30.053ZJim Fiskhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JimFisk
<p>Here is the float switch I am referring to</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/SJE-RHOMBUS-P-N-1017956-Aerobic-Septic-Alarm-Float-Switch-/301686905515?hash=item463df0daab:g:Bd4AAOSwu4BVowSF" target="_blank">http://www.ebay.com/itm/SJE-RHOMBUS-P-N-1017956-Aerobic-Septic-Alarm-Float-Switch-/301686905515?hash=item463df0daab:g:Bd4AAOSwu4BVowSF</a></p>
<p>There are many kinds that will do you.</p>
<p>Here is the float switch I am referring to</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/SJE-RHOMBUS-P-N-1017956-Aerobic-Septic-Alarm-Float-Switch-/301686905515?hash=item463df0daab:g:Bd4AAOSwu4BVowSF" target="_blank">http://www.ebay.com/itm/SJE-RHOMBUS-P-N-1017956-Aerobic-Septic-Alarm-Float-Switch-/301686905515?hash=item463df0daab:g:Bd4AAOSwu4BVowSF</a></p>
<p>There are many kinds that will do you.</p>