Can I have 2 overflows and make one slower?

this is what i did when i built my new sump

http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/just-another-diy-sump-idea-please-help-69019.html

 

Thanks dirty. So many things to consider. Thats why I enjoy things like this. Any other thoughts on this post em up.

 

I think more often than not, people opt for 1 return pump for everything. Even if the pump is overrated for their size tank. You could build a manifold to run your chiller, reactors etc. and feed them from the return pump. I've seen situations where even after everything is hooked up, there's more flow going up to the DT than they would like, so you'll see plumbing coming from the manifold right back into the return section of the sump. Essentially a closed loop for the sump b/c it pushes to much.

A dedicated pump for returning from your fuge would be more problematic than beneficial. For one you were right about the pump going offline and then you would have to worry about flooding the fuge. So to fix that you mentioned adding a backup tank I think, or maybe it was just another section in your sump. If that was the case, why not plumb the fuge directly into the return section of the sump? Save on electricity and $ for price of the pump. Additionally, getting the drain volume matched up perfectly with the pump's return volume would be a huge pain if not impossible.

I would just go with what was mentioned earlier. Tee off one of your drain lines into the fuge, then on the other end of the fuge, install a bulk head and screen and drain line into the return section of your sump. Super easy, reliable and almost fail safe. If you keep the water level low enough in the sump, you'll never overflow it or the fuge with a power outage or pump failure. (Of course drill a siphon break on your DT return lines)

 

Thanks crank! Anyone else, just chime right in with your experiences.

 

I run duel overflows. I run the right one straight into the skimmer section of my sump.

Left overflow splits. First half to my refugium (a ball valve can be added easily), second to the skimmer section of my sump.
Refugium drains directly into return chamber.

Pics included.

 

this is what i did to avoid the dual return pumps.
dual over flows,one to fuge other to sump,then from fuge to sump i used a single over flow box.no more worries of spills if a pump fails to start after power outage

 

Ok, heres what I am thinking. Feel free to laugh at my rediculous drawing. Don't take the baffles and whatnot too literally and obviously things like heaters and reactors are missing.

 

Oh, and thanks for all the great responses keep the ideas rolling!

 

Nice artwork. Looks like its a start. You probably will not need baffles between refug and pump section. Just a retaining wall to keep macro from being finely chopped in the pump (the one farthest to the left).

And I've seen a lot of people favor the bubble trap between skimmer section and return pump with three baffles. Eliminate the one closest to the pump on the skimmer side (right side) and eliminate the one closest to the skimmer. Basically the first one to the right of the pump and the one just to the left of skimmer. I still would probably put a tee where you have the ball valve, then just regulate the small portion feeding into the refug with a valve and direct the rest of the flow to the skimmer section. Similar to the drawing in the post below

I can tell you're getting excited ! Thats cool

 

Looks like a good plan but I would make this addition:



This will allow you to adjust the flow of water to the fuge without compromising the flow of water out of the DT.

Edit: or have that water going back to the skimmer section?