Sump pump!

[Kakalakasha]

My LFS has a deal on a used sump, overflow, and external pump for $75.
The overflow is 700gph, the pump can run up to 1190gph, and the sump is atleast 50 gallons.

Oh, and the tank the sump is for is 75gallons.


My main question is whether or not there are any advantages/disadvantages of having an external pump as opposed to an internal pump. (Besides the noise, ofc)
And the sump is already drilled for an external pump so I don't have to worry about it.
I can't quite remember the brand of the external pump at the moment, but I'll call the LFS when I get a chance and ask.

Opinions on the situation?


As you can see I'm taking my time and trying to get the best deal possible that you guys think works.

[chrisd]

with the external pump no heat being transferd to the water.

[Kakalakasha]

Originally Posted by chrisd

with the external pump no heat being transferd to the water.

And that means less worrying about coolers/fans and less evaporation too, right?


Is there anyone that likes external pumps more then they like internal pumps?

[chrisd]

i don't think it will change how much evaporation you would have but it can determine if you would need a chiller. plus i think there are alot more pumps to choose from that work well in almost any situation. the standard internal pump that most people go for is the mag drive a good pump for the money but adds alot of unwanted heat. and one other thing to take into consideration is more and more people like to have there sumps in another part of the house. you will not get that kind of power from a mag drive.

[Kakalakasha]

Okay, so far I have less worrying about a chiller and the external pumps are more powerful?

But it is true that they're noisier, correct?

[Fat Tony]

Yes, they can be noisier, but there are ways to mitigate that. The benefits to the sump being external is ease of cleaning, less heat transferred to the tank, and more space in the sump

[chrisd]

it would depend on the pump. i use little giant and my sump is under my tank. with the doors shut i can just about hear it hum.

[Fat Tony]

on another note, that pump is a little bit too much to use for that overflow, you will at a minimum have to throttle it back using a gate or ballvalve.

[Kakalakasha]

Ah!
But if I want my sump located somewhere else, that involves lots of piping, and cutting walls and cutting pipes and just lost of other confusing junk, correct?


Oh, and the sump he's selling is a used "Wet/Dry Filter" but it doesn't have media in it, which I know I don't want. Media is bad, unless it's carbon, and even then I only want to run it SOMETIMES.
The sump has 2 baffles, each one seperates the sections.
The pump takes the water out of the sump and pumps it bag into the tank, right?

I know that the middle section is where you put your skimmer or whatever else you want, and the last section is where the water gets pumped out, so does that mean that the first section is purely for the water to get into the sump?

And if I want to reduce micro bubbles from my skimmer, I want 2 baffles next to each other, the first one with an opening at the stop and the second with the opening at the top, right?



Oh and I just read the one about too much flow, there is a gate valve already installed into the... drain pipe? Made of PVC.
And the 1190gph is the maximum flow, and I assume that means that there is adjustment on the pump itself?

[chrisd]

what size tank are you going to use this for?
i agree with tony your going to have to throttle it back. a pump that size could easily do a 150gal. tank depending on what you want it to do.

[Kakalakasha]

A 75g tank.
What do you mean depending on what I want it to do?
What else could it do?

[chrisd]

you never want to restrict the drain side only the out put side.

[Kakalakasha]

I'm not sure which side is the drain side and which side is the out put side right now.
The side that has the gate valve attaches to the pump which pumps the water back into the tank, which side is that?

[chrisd]

Originally Posted by Kakalakasha

A 75g tank.
What do you mean depending on what I want it to do?
What else could it do?

if you want it to pump water from a different part of the house it will reduce the flow. depending on how far it is from your tank and if it is to be pumped to another floor of the house.

[Kakalakasha]

Originally Posted by chrisd

if you want it to pump water from a different part of the house it will reduce the flow. depending on how far it is from your tank and if it is to be pumped to another floor of the house.

Ah!
I understand.
But I'm still confused about the terminology of all the parts of a sump.
Do you mind going through a quick overview of the basic parts?