Water changes in my sump

[Jon]

I would like to try and begin doing my water changes in my sump. My only problem is that when I attempt to do this the water comes out very slow because my bucket is at even height with my sump. Is there some trick that I am missing or is there a better siphon that I can buy?
Jon

 

[ken6217]

OK, I'll be the first to ask. Why are you doing water changes in your sump?

You could put a powerhead on the tubing and pump out of your sump. You could put a bulkhead at the lower part of the sump with a gate valve and tubing and collect the water that way.
Ken

 

[Phyl]

We used to do water changes with a bucket at the top of a laddar siphoning down to the tank below. Oh those were the days. Back before we became water moving machines. Luckily we learned quickly that the ONLY way to move water was to use a pump... not a siphon!

Fast forward to July of '05 and there we are staring at a 450 that needed to be emptied (along with its 200g basement system) and the owner was using... you guessed it! A siphon. Oh we would have been there allllll day. Well... we were there all day, but not just emptying the water. Our trusty dusty mag 7 did the job!

Mag pump, barb connectors and LOTS of 3/4" tubing.

 

[qwik]

My Sump is also very low so syphon is not really an option . I bought one of those little wet dry vacs (2 1/2 gals) and reduced the intake with tubing down to about 1/2 an inch . I just turn off the pumps for a few minutes and then just suck out the detrious that settled in the sump compartments . It is a really easy way to do a water change and pinpoints the dirt .

 

[blange3]

OK, I'll be the first to ask. Why are you doing water changes in your sump?

I do it from time to time to get out all the stuff that settles in the bottom.

I use the minijet pump that feeds the reactor I run carbon in until it's almost empty and then the wet vac to get the sludge.

When I had the FOWLR I used this water for water changes and thats why I didn't use the wet vac for the whole thing.

When I move to the basement sump, I'll follow Phyl and John's lead with pumps hooked into my slop sink.

 

[malulu]

I also use a PUMP to directly goto the drain line...

I tried before to "get out the stuff settles in the bottom"... but later on, i saw all the pods those like to hangout under the bottom of the tank, i no longer doing that siphon act anymore (not sure this is right or wrong...)
:

I do it from time to time to get out all the stuff that settles in the bottom.

 

[ken6217]

I was thinking that you were doing water changes there instead of the tank. A wet vac for the crap at the bottom of the sump is a great idea. Now I'm going to do that.
Ken

 

[Jon]

Thanks for the advice. I will get a powerhead and some tubing.