Moving sump to the basement..need help

[SMS76]

OK got a green light. Any suggetions on drilling holes through the hardwood? For 1.5" flex pipe what size holes should i drill?
I think i am going to use my 75G as a sump/refugium. I am thinking about adding baffles to the sump and add section for refugium. Should that be ok or i should have refugium seperate from the sump? This is going to be in basement. Are there any plumbing noise or other issues that you guys think of when setting the sump in the basement?
Thanks
Shoeib

 

[Groove]

Since my setup has a 90 elbow going part way through the floor, I had to drill a 2.25" hole. If you are running 1.5" spaflex straight through the floor, a 2" hole will be fine.

Is your basement heated? You may want to consider insulating your sump if it isn't.

What pump are you going to use to return from the sump? Have you calculated head height yet including fittings and pipe size? You can gain a lot by having your sump on a bench rather than the floor.

I have a seperate sump and refugium mainly because I wanted volume to the system.

 

[SMS76]

I think spaflex will be straight for the most part. No my basement is not heated. It does get cold but not freezing but i will insulate sump walls. What do you use to insulate sump?
For now i have a mag 24 that i will use it for return and then get a better pump. I am going to put my tank on cinder blocks and may be have 4 ft above the floor to reduce head and also to avoid my kid playing aroud with the tank.
If i use cinder blocks and two 3/4" plywood sheets on top of it, will that work? Should i use white foam insulation sheet (sorry don't know the exact name of it) above the plywood and below the sump tank? I am goint to use three rows of cinderblocks (two on ends and one in middle) and they will rest on the concreter floor on the basement.
Any recommedations on baffles or a good link to have a good combination of sump/refugium in the same tank?
Also should i drill holes close to the wall or leave some space and then drill it? What would be easier to patch it up when we move out?
Thanks guys
Shoeib

 

[~Flighty~]

We used a 100g rubbermaid stock tank for the sump and a 75g tank for a refugium and frag tank. There is a lot of force to the water when it goes down a whole story. It takes a while to get the plumbing worked out so that there is the right amount of air supplied and not too much back pressure to get everything flowing quietly.
Think about evaporation issues because it will be dry in the basement. noise for us is no problem. Sounds like a waterfall down there, but the water going over the overflow up here is the only thing we hear. nice zen effect.

 

[SMS76]

So do you hear overflow noise upstairs in the tank or in the basement? Do you put valve on the pipes that come from overflow to control flow? Do you think it water will evaporate more in the basement due to dry air? Will having sump in the basement damage anything due to humidiy etc..?

 

[~Flighty~]

We've only had ours in the basement for a few weeks, but it is clear that the evaporation is faster and the hummidity is much higher now in the basement. We'll need to buy a dehumidifier and get some sort of cover system on the sump to prevent mold and mildew down there. I think we'll use that pink housing styrophome sheets for a top. The cold doesn't seem to be an issue yet. Our basement isn't heated, but stays at a pretty stable temp all year. That stock tank doesn't lose much heat from the sides or bottom, but the 75 tank does. That is offset by the MH lights on the tank and the offset cycle ones on the refugium/frag/problem livestock tank.

It is very noisy in the basement and very quiet upstairs. Don't put a valve on the way down( it could get clogged and cause a big flood), but you probably want one on the way up if only to do quick things withought running downstairs. Don't submerge the down pipes in the sump, or the backpressure can cause flushing, where the pipe will fill and empty very loudly.

Also, don't forget to do something to your concrete floor to protect it from the salt. They make a paint for that.

 

[Groove]

I have a 100 gallon or so Rubbermaid sump and a 50 gallon refugium. Humidity is a problem in the summer. I run an exhaust fan in a window and it helped. Next summer I plan to get a dehumidifier. Since my heater partially drawns air from this room, I've had no problems since the heat kicked on. I think I evaporate 2-3 gallons a day and plan to hook up an auto top off float.

 

[denvig]

Shoeib I just finished putting my sump in my basement (Best thing I did) and went through the hard wood floor. You should stop by to see I think it will answer a lot of your questions.

 

[SMS76]

Dennis, one of these days i will visit you.