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Outside sump

R

richiev

Supporting Member
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I've been debating more what I can do to give me more space inside my house and aquarium, and make maintenance easier. I've gone back and forth on the idea of having a sump outside my house, and wanted some folks thoughts. Possibly including @Thales because I heard you have some sort of outside / crawlspace setup.

My idea is pretty simple. I already have an outdoor storage box my ATO water is and some piping/holes through my wall to run things. My idea is put some equipment in there as well.

Example setup:
  • Small pump, ala a pump id use for a reactor, in my sump connected to a hose
  • Hose ran outside though the wall into the box, and feeding a couple thing
  • Run that into an open container, such as a cheap 10 gallon aquarium
  • Dose kalk and 2 part into that container
  • Put a super cheap skimmer in there, with the inlet pulling from an ozone generator I'd run for a bit every day.
  • Maybe pipe all that out to a carbon reactor
  • Hose back into the house into the sump again
The goal being I can move anything non mission critical outside, clearing space, making upkeep easier too.

What's the main reasons why this is a dumb idea?
 

My 50g "The Rock Wall" Project: First Reef Tank

A brief history... I have been up and down with a little 30 gal fish only salt tank for over 10 years. A friend gave it to me when he was moving and I loved the idea of a thriving salt tank but knew very little about what I was doing and didn't have the time to take the hobby seriously with work...
www.bareefers.org
 
Srt4eric said:

My 50g "The Rock Wall" Project: First Reef Tank

A brief history... I have been up and down with a little 30 gal fish only salt tank for over 10 years. A friend gave it to me when he was moving and I loved the idea of a thriving salt tank but knew very little about what I was doing and didn't have the time to take the hobby seriously with work...
www.bareefers.org
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link! That's almost exactly the same setup I would have, though I was telling myself I'd enclose it in at least some insulation. Ignoring that I'd never actually do that and instead I'd buy a bunch of heaters....
 
Putitng my sump and equipment remote was the best thing I ever did. I have the sump and skimmer under the house in the crawl space, but recently moved a lot of equipment out of the crawlspace and into metal cabinets to make maintenance easier. That is the main thing I would suggest, make access and maintenance ase easy as you possibliy can. Also, prepare for humidity possibilities and over heating possibilities. :D
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@Thales
Rich what do you do about the rain on those metal cabinets?
Did you create a canopy or roof to guide the water off the top of the metal cabinet?
Is there electrical in the metal cabinet?
 
Be great id you can pull it off.

if improperly insulated, in the winter electricity will be high due to the sump being too cold, a lot of water evaporation. In the summer, it could be too hot and the dt needs a fan, higher electricity vill.
 
Still early days for temp readings on my shed. R15 insulation. 42* outside - 54* inside. 65* outside - 62* inside. No reading for hot days yet. Lots of humidity due to 300 gallons Rubbermaid tub.
 
I think it mostly depends on the temperature swings you get where you live. Rich in Alameda has some of the best (least-extreme) temperature ranges in NorCal. Where I am in Walnut Creek we frequently get to 110F+ in the summer. Literally life threatening to be out in. And enclosed spaces outside exposed to sun get much more extreme.
 
I have a bunch of sump-related stuff (but not the sump) passing through into my garage, which is well insulated and doesn’t get full sun, but still gets up to 90F+. Definitely makes it easier to check things and do maintenance if it isn’t crammed in as much and not as awkward to get to.
 
JVU said:
I think it mostly depends on the temperature swings you get where you live. Rich in Alameda has some of the best (least-extreme) temperature ranges in NorCal. Where I am in Walnut Creek we frequently get to 110F+ in the summer. Literally life threatening to be out in. And enclosed spaces outside exposed to sun get much more extreme.
Click to expand...
Good point! This is why I have the sump in the crawl space - the temp down there is pretty stable and cool in the summer.
 
Kensington Reefer said:
@Thales
Rich what do you do about the rain on those metal cabinets?
Did you create a canopy or roof to guide the water off the top of the metal cabinet?
Is there electrical in the metal cabinet?
Click to expand...
Puffer man!
They are in a spot by the side of the house where they don't get much rain on them. Almost none. They are also inexpensive, so if I have to replace them, it isn't the worst thing in the world, but I don't expect to. If they were to get direct rain, I would put some sort of awning over them like I did for kiteboarding gear. You should come by, check it out, and then we will get a snack.

There is electrical in the cabinets - just an extention cord or two. I have to label everything when it warms up!
 
Thales said:
Puffer man!
They are in a spot by the side of the house where they don't get much rain on them. Almost none. They are also inexpensive, so if I have to replace them, it isn't the worst thing in the world, but I don't expect to. If they were to get direct rain, I would put some sort of awning over them like I did for kiteboarding gear. You should come by, check it out, and then we will get a snack.

There is electrical in the cabinets - just an extention cord or two. I have to label everything when it warms up!
Click to expand...
I would put the extension cord in a dry box for added safety....but that’s just me
A journey to your place?!?!
Ya mean venture from my cave??
Hmmmmm......it could happen
Best fishes to ya and I’ll be in touch
 
I had a lot of water in my crawl space at one point. Sump/frag tank/150 gallon Rubbermaid, this was a huge problem to keep temp. I think a big factor is how big your sump will be under your house relative to your display.
 
@richiev you only mentioned having a 10 gallon tank outside with skimmer in a box? What size tank is it for ? And what's the current turnover rate gallons per minute? With only ten gallons outside with xxx turnover rate should be very short like under 20 minutes or less if so..
Is glass necessary? If you convert an insulated cooler like Yeti/ Igloo etc into a sump/tank will definitely lessin your concerns with loss of heat or build up may not need a heater or a tiny one if that.. You mentioned a skimmer also,, Depending on the skimmer size use a larger cooler so you can keep the lid closed drilling small holes for airline/ and other plumbing needs plus will have barely any EVAP. Air exchange should not be a worry with the skimmer airline plus can add always add an air srone..I keep ice for 3 to 4 days in 100 degrees and food warm for hours. Depending if your box is in the direct sun easy to use a piece of shade cloth or one of those small popup shade domes for plants to shade over your box which will be better for the electronics..Ive seen and improvised 4ft long igloo coolers for garage sump setups & live bait wells on boats . Igloo sells replacement plastic hinges and latches with stainless scews.Also easy to improvise drilling a few holes around any cooler filling with spray foam Wala ! redneck yeti cooler!!.Looks aren't the best but wow super easy to clean. But you can always 360 one-two inch foam insulation around the glass tank bottom and top plus the outdoor box. My next sump will definitely be the thick plastic types for durability & insulation values or diy one. Best of luck
 
PjFish said:
@richiev you only mentioned having a 10 gallon tank outside with skimmer in a box? What size tank is it for ? And what's the current turnover rate gallons per minute? With only ten gallons outside with xxx turnover rate should be very short like under 20 minutes or less if so..
Is glass necessary? If you convert an insulated cooler like Yeti/ Igloo etc into a sump/tank will definitely lessin your concerns with loss of heat or build up may not need a heater or a tiny one if that.. You mentioned a skimmer also,, Depending on the skimmer size use a larger cooler so you can keep the lid closed drilling small holes for airline/ and other plumbing needs plus will have barely any EVAP. Air exchange should not be a worry with the skimmer airline plus can add always add an air srone..I keep ice for 3 to 4 days in 100 degrees and food warm for hours. Depending if your box is in the direct sun easy to use a piece of shade cloth or one of those small popup shade domes for plants to shade over your box which will be better for the electronics..Ive seen and improvised 4ft long igloo coolers for garage sump setups & live bait wells on boats . Igloo sells replacement plastic hinges and latches with stainless scews.Also easy to improvise drilling a few holes around any cooler filling with spray foam Wala ! redneck yeti cooler!!.Looks aren't the best but wow super easy to clean. But you can always 360 one-two inch foam insulation around the glass tank bottom and top plus the outdoor box. My next sump will definitely be the thick plastic types for durability & insulation values or diy one. Best of luck
Click to expand...
This would be a secondary sump, primarily used for ease of maintenance and increased scale (eg dosing and having a giant kalk/2-part reservoir) or equipment I'd prefer not to have in the house (eg if I continue using ozone). The main equipment (skimmer, fuge, heaters) would still be in the sump under the tank.

Code: 
Tank
    ---gravity--->    | primary sump                 |
                      | [heaters, critical things]   |
                      |                              |    ---small pump--> | secondary outside sump
                                                     |                     | [ozone, dosing, extra fresh air adding skimmer]
                                                     |                     |
                                                     | <---gravity------   |

Using an igloo seems like a great idea. It'd cost more initially, but would be offset by not buying insulation, or more realistically offset by having less heat loss when I never follow-through on adding insulation.
 
If you do the cooler thing, or otherwise insulate the tank outside, it would be easier to still have the top not fully enclosed. You could cut the hinges and cut larger holes for the pipes/tubes to go through like a normal top would have so you can lift it off without messing with the pipes/tubes. Or insulate the 10g or so tank you were planning around the sides and bottom, and have a regular non-insulated 10g glass lid on top with cutouts so you can still see in. Remember one of your main goals is to make it easier and more likely to be checked on and maintained.
 
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