RukoTheWonderDog helped me out in another thread, which I decided to move to here:
Thanks!
Feel free to chime in.........
Keep in mind this thread is really to help educate people like me who have never used a sump before. I might not ever set up one, but interesting to understand them all the same........
Scott.
Here are some sump basics-
The level of water in the tank is the key. When the water level in the tank exceeds the top of the overflow, it gets dumped into the sump. The pump returns that water thus increasing the water level in the tank. The faster you pump water into the tank, the faster the water level rises, and the faster it spills over the overflow & drains into the sump. It will reach an equilibrium as long as your pump(s) doesn't pump more water than can physically flow through your intake plumbing. If your pump(s) can move more water than your plumbing allows, your intelligently designed sump has an inline valve that you can use to decrease the return flow thus maintaining a happy balance.
If you lose power, water from the tank can only drain to the top of the overflow, which on my tank is approximately 1 1/4" from the top of my tank. You have to also take into consideration that the return lines also become siphons if they are under water. The return nozzles sit another 1" below the top of the overflow in my tank, which means my water level drops 2 1/4" inches when pumps are off. In the 180, that's roughly 20 gallons of water that will flow back into the sump. As long as I never have more than a maximum of ~29 gallons of water in the sump while running, it won't overflow if I lose power.
When the tank is running, the water level in the tank will always be the same. The water level in the sump will rise and fall as water evaporates and when you top it off.
*note - This is assuming that you have a drilled tank. A siphon hang on overflow box does require additional considerations.
Thanks!
Feel free to chime in.........
Keep in mind this thread is really to help educate people like me who have never used a sump before. I might not ever set up one, but interesting to understand them all the same........
Scott.