Craig Lambert
Member
I have had a microbubble problem with my tank from day one. I suppose I could have just "lived with it", but it was bothering me enough that over the past month, I have tried just about everything to try and end the problem. The one thing that was always in the back of my mind as a potential source was my pump cavitating. I have been running a velocity/poseiden T-2 which returns 600gph to the tank after factoring in head loss. I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new Iwaki md-20rt, and construct new plumbing from the sump to the pump, and pump to tank. My plumbing is 100% pvc, and yesterday was the day for the project.
What a day........I don't mind working with pvc, but the measurements had to be 100% perfect, as the sump was holding 25 gallons of water, and the tank remained full. The whole project took about 7 hours, and when I turned on the new pump....voila....microbubbles gone!!!! The T-2 pump has a 3/4" in and out, and the 3/4" plumbing from sump to pump, was just not enough to feed this pump enough water. (I don't think a 1" feed would have made a difference, because the pump just didn't experience enough head loss in my setup to avoid cavitating). The Iwaki is just a little guy. It's moving maybe 300gph to the tank (4 times turnover), which should be fine as flow is augmented by 2 seio 820's. The Iwaki sure runs hot to the touch though. Anyway...if you have experienced microbubbles from day one, and have been unable to fix the problem, consider whether pump cavitation might be the cause.
What a day........I don't mind working with pvc, but the measurements had to be 100% perfect, as the sump was holding 25 gallons of water, and the tank remained full. The whole project took about 7 hours, and when I turned on the new pump....voila....microbubbles gone!!!! The T-2 pump has a 3/4" in and out, and the 3/4" plumbing from sump to pump, was just not enough to feed this pump enough water. (I don't think a 1" feed would have made a difference, because the pump just didn't experience enough head loss in my setup to avoid cavitating). The Iwaki is just a little guy. It's moving maybe 300gph to the tank (4 times turnover), which should be fine as flow is augmented by 2 seio 820's. The Iwaki sure runs hot to the touch though. Anyway...if you have experienced microbubbles from day one, and have been unable to fix the problem, consider whether pump cavitation might be the cause.
Last edited:
... so I'll live with them for now...