Need help with pump

[Viper3166]

I have a little giant 4MDQX-SC Water Pump and have it plumed over my wet/dry filter not sure if this is a self priming pump?? if it isn't how would i go priming it since the pluming goes over the side of my wet/dry filter?? I didn't want to intall a bulkhead in the wet dry filter. any help would be great

[Tangster]

Originally Posted by Viper3166

I have a little giant 4MDQX-SC Water Pump and have it plumed over my wet/dry filter not sure if this is a self priming pump?? if it isn't how would i go priming it since the pluming goes over the side of my wet/dry filter?? I didn't want to intall a bulkhead in the wet dry filter. any help would be great

Not totally self priming if I'd have to see how you have it plumbed to say for sure , and if you are trying to lift with the pump from the wet end it won't happen unless you add a foot valve and they won't last in a marine tank. But if you have a little power head and a section of tubing and a check valve you may get it going ?? You blast that in the inlet fitting at the sump and start it up .. that will prime it I don't like to run them dry as it can warp the plastic/nylon impeller housing on the magnetic drive ..
If you can post a picture of what you have ??

Now if you are saying you want to pump it up and over the sumps rim with the pump at the waterline setting on the floor beside the sump then the power head and tubing will do just fine until the pump is ever turned off. then the prime will be lost from lack of a foot valve..

[Viper3166]

here are some pics tangster, still some work that needs to be done but this was just a concern.

[Tangster]

Just get a hole saw and drill the sump looks to be plexiglass and would be easy to do. What you are trying to do will come back to bit you in the A$$ when you least want it to.. And you'll loose the pump and tank if you are gone when it happens.. Best to put a bulkhead in there.. I also see a breas boiler drain up there in a 1inch tee that has to go also ASAP!

[Viper3166]

Tangster do you mean the 1in tee on the output of the pump??

[Otty]

The inlet to the Little Giant needs to come straight out of the w/d instead of going up over the rim like that. If power goes out and you get air in there when you are gone that pump will burn up. If you drill a hole in the bottom and let gravity feed the pump you will get more gph out of the pump because it won't have to work at getting water.
Hook it up like this:

[Tangster]

Originally Posted by Viper3166

Tangster do you mean the 1in tee on the output of the pump??

In the fisrt thumbnail there is a brass boiler drain in what looks to be a 1 or a 1.5 tee in a slip x threaded bushing that bouler drain can't be there. It has to be plastic , Brass will kil your tanks animalsl

[Viper3166]

Ok thanks guys, another issue is that i'm getting a small leak from the 1.5in bulkhead on the one side of my overflow chamber, i've drained the water from the chamber applied vaseline on the gasket part that is making contact with the glass. the gasket is on the wet side(in the overflow chamber not on ourside of tank) everywhere that i've read says all you need to do is handtighten well that just seems like it not working and with the type of stand i can't get any type of tool in to use. any suggestions??

[Otty]

Take the nut off the back side of the bulkhead and put some plumbers puddy up in there around the hole. Just role it up like a snake and pack it up in there, then put the nut on and let it compress the puddy when you tighten it.

[lunatik_69]

Hey viper, you can go with the putty but the rubber gasket should be enough. Are you cleaning all the sand and depris around the drain hole before tightening it?