ATO and Sump build

[goalk33p3r]

How many gallons is your sump

[goalk33p3r]

Also meant to ask how much did it cost to build it

[bluwtr]

Due to the size of the doors of my cabinet, I had to build my sump smaller than I would have liked. My cabinet has the two doors separated by a fairly large centerpiece so I had to make my dimensions to fit the door opening. All said and done my sump is roughly 9 gallons--not nearly as big as I would have liked, but it is what it is.

As far as cost, I honestly do not remember, but adding in glues and a couple of other items, I would guess around $100-125 tops. The ABSOLUTE most important thing about building a sump is having square edges. This is what makes the solvent welding so effective. Basically, the solvent melts the acrylic to itself and then the solvent evaporates. Cutting acrylic is somewhat tricky so I let the glass shop do it--you need a special blade. Well, the shop I used didn't really listen to me about the edges, so I had to square them as best I could using sanding blocks and trying to use a router. I designed my sump using Google SketchUp. Worked great and really let me tweak the size and such. One thing I would defo remember is to leave room by your sump to have an ATO. Man I LOVE mine--so nice never having to top off the tank. Level stays the same all of the time. One of the best investments I've made on my system.

HTH and keep asking if you have more.

[goalk33p3r]

your sump looks awesome i defo been planning on the ato system they are a hell of a good investment

[bluwtr]

Thanks and you are right--man I love hearing that thing kick on for a few seconds!