epleeds September 11, 2012 Share September 11, 2012 I am wondering if it is possible to attach an external pump to a sump without having to drill the sump. Could you attach some PVC tubing in an upside down U shape similar to an HOB overflow and draw the water out of the sump, into the external pump and then to the return plumbing? Or would this cause to much strain on the pump due to having to pull water out of the sump? I hope someone understands what i am trying to do. Also the sump is 18" in height, if that matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiSpotCorals September 11, 2012 Share September 11, 2012 I had trouble starting mine when I tried testing a skimmer with it setup like that. The pocket of air is a pain, probly other aspects of this setup are not good either but I am not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco September 11, 2012 Share September 11, 2012 only started one like that with a smalll maxijet to get it going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar September 11, 2012 Share September 11, 2012 You might want to oversize the pipe on the intake side of the pump to minimize flow problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer September 11, 2012 Share September 11, 2012 I tried that once. I spent a lot of time on it and built a few "sculptures" out of PVC fittings to go over the side, but none really worked consistently. Probably best to get a couple clean garbage cans and drain the sump. It will only hurt for a couple hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiSpotCorals September 11, 2012 Share September 11, 2012 Yup I agree, you will spend more time messing with it then drilling a hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami September 12, 2012 Share September 12, 2012 If it's not self priming, no. Most are not. Manual priming will be needed to get it to start. If the pump is not primed, you can have problems with it after power outages if the priming is lost for whatever reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k September 12, 2012 Share September 12, 2012 if you put the pump above the water level and make the intake as straight as possible, you might get it to work. up and over and down to the pump just aint gonna cut it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiSpotCorals September 12, 2012 Share September 12, 2012 Yea that's what I did was put the pump up high, but was still a pain to get started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve175 September 12, 2012 Share September 12, 2012 +4 to suck it up and drill it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny September 13, 2012 Share September 13, 2012 Didn't want to drill the tank so I built a self priming PVC one for about 6 bucks (no glue to boot). Google you tube for it. Looks like an L and U. Hard to explain and pm me if you need a pic. With 1 inch PVC my external pump (1200 gph) seems to keep up fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay September 17, 2012 Share September 17, 2012 (edited) I had one set up like this for years. It was trivial to set up, and would always start after a power outage (water always stayed in it, so it was always primed). Took about 5 min to set up. Here is a pic. Edited September 17, 2012 by extreme_tooth_decay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now