up and over feed from sump

[scottjj]

A curious question.........I am going to use 2 return pumps instead of 1....and since my sump has only 1 bulkhead, I will need to go up-and-over the sump wall to feed the 2nd (new) return pump.

My question has to do with sizing this return pump.....given that the intake from the sump is this up-and-over 'U' tube, will the pump 'lose' any pumping power (gain head pressure can't be the right term, since this is on the intake side of things).....will it not be affected at all ?

Any feedback ??

[hankstanks]

I asked this question several times in the past and never got a clear anwser. Everyone was quick to say it wont work but a few said they did it and it did work. I am curious to see what the truth is. Tagging along on this form

[scottjj]

It definitely works...I know of an LFS and an individual that have their sumps plumbed this way....and maintain flow no problem. Just like a closed loop on the back of a non-drilled tank, the up-and-over intake works well. It is a trick to get it primed though (have a tee at the top of the 'U' to pour water into before starting up, then cap off).

I'm just not sure of the affect on the pump, and I'm getting differing opinions......

[Geoff]

it sounds like you are just making a closed loop. not a problem at all. we had a big discussion on this a year or so ago, and never did come to a conclusion. i think the majority of people thought that head pressure still needed to be calculated. i am running something like this and it seems like it has less output than when i had it set up as a true CLS with very short runs.

G~

[Doug1]

Is the sump an open circuit so to speak? A closed loop has an intake, either drilled or over the top, feeding the pump intake directly and the return side going back into the tank, with no open portion , ie draining into a sump.