if my power goes out my sump will overflow

[clownfishdaddy]

my overflow is higher than my return i know its a dumb mistake but i got the tank online predrilled and this is my first tank ive pumbed so i had no clue til i unplugged my returnpump and watched my sump fill to the brim i quickly plugged my returnpump back in to prevent the overflow, luckily i havent had any power outages yet , but i was thinking could i add a check valve to my return pump to prevent my return from overflowing my sump, any suggestions?

 

[Cell]

Check valve in this case. My preference is to oversize the sump such that it cannot overflow before the siphon breaks.

 

[homer1475]

Easiest solution if your draining down to much, drill a small hole as a siphon break to stop the flow of water from the overflow.

Check valves work, but have to be cleaned on a regular basis to be effective.

 

[clownfishdaddy]

Easiest solution if your draining down to much, drill a small hole as a siphon break to stop the flow of water from the overflow.

Check valves work, but have to be cleaned on a regular basis to be effective

my overflow itself doesnt make my sump overflow its the extra water flowing back in from the returnpump but i might be misunderstanding what you mean im still getting the hang of plumbing reefs

 

[homer1475]

Not sure how the tank is plumbed, picture would help.

But right where your return meets the water line, drill a small hole to stop the water from siphoning back. As soon as the hole is exposed, the siphon is broken, and water will stop flowing down that pipe.

 

[Projects with Sam]

Can you include some photos of your overflows please? Do you have standpipes behind your weirs?

have a look at this page and comment on your setup please:

Overflow Boxes and Drain Styles - Durso, Herbie, and Bean Animal

Decide which of the three most common types of drains and overflow boxes is right for you and your tank.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

also you need siphon breaks in your return lines so they dont go into reverse when the flow stops.

 

[Balthazar]

Pics would definitely help as other suggested.
You could purchase some line loc and make it to where the return is higher than your overflow.

 

[mfinn]

my overflow is higher than my return i know its a dumb mistake but i got the tank online predrilled and this is my first tank ive pumbed so i had no clue til i unplugged my returnpump and watched my sump fill to the brim i quickly plugged my returnpump back in to prevent the overflow, luckily i havent had any power outages yet , but i was thinking could i add a check valve to my return pump to prevent my return from overflowing my sump, any suggestions?

First thing I would do is raise the return pump outlet where it goes into the display tank. That is the only sure way to set it up so the returning water doesn't flood the sump.
Maintain a lower water level in the sump. This allows more room for the draining water.
Only as a last resort would I do the syphon break hole in the return line in the display tank, or a check valve. I have used a wye check valve. They seem to be the best, but aren't foolproof. They can fail and it's usually when you aren't around.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Picture for sure. It is possible your "running" water level is too high as mfinn suggested.
Sumps usually run around 1/2 full to allow for water getting back to the sump.

 

[clownfishdaddy]

Pics would definitely help as other suggested.
You could purchase some line loc and make it to where the return is higher than your overflow.

sorry for the late response i think lockline would be a great idea esp not having to take apart plumbing again lol , i can order the part on BRS i believe?

i have a the eshopps esclipse M for my overflow and my return is substantially lower than my overflow not sure if the pictures do it justice

 

[clownfishdaddy]

Picture for sure. It is possible your "running" water level is too high as mfinn suggested.
Sumps usually run around 1/2 full to allow for water getting back to the sump.

i lowered my waterlevel pretty low to compensate for the drainage but still not low enough i could fill a decent sized nano tank with the amount that comes rushing down

 

[clownfishdaddy]

Can you include some photos of your overflows please? Do you have standpipes behind your weirs?

have a look at this page and comment on your setup please:

Overflow Boxes and Drain Styles - Durso, Herbie, and Bean Animal

Decide which of the three most common types of drains and overflow boxes is right for you and your tank.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

also you need siphon breaks in your return lines so they dont go into reverse when the flow stops.

i have the the herbrie overflow i posted some pictures

 

[FullSend]

sorry for the late response i think lockline would be a great idea esp not having to take apart plumbing again lol , i can order the part on BRS i believe?

i have a the eshopps esclipse M for my overflow and my return is substantially lower than my overflow not sure if the pictures do it justice

Brs will sell the loc line. You actually have the adapter piece already installed.

 

[clownfishdaddy]

Brs will sell the loc line. You actually have the adapter piece already installed.

i gotta replace that adapter LFS said something with thread and the lifeguard brand bulkheads dont go into cheap made parts

 

[melonheadorion]

what post number 8 was saying is that ultimately, you want it so that any overflow that you have coming back into the tank, wont overflow it. in this instance, with your return lines, that would be probably impossible simply because they are so far down into the tank, unless of course you have enough room in your sump to house the water that is above the return outlet, and to me, that looks like a lot of water.
in this instance, if all of that is true, a check valve, or some sort of siphon break would be the way to go, unless of course, you can get the return line above the water level, or hi enough where it wont overfill your sump.

for an example. myu return lines are only about 2 inches down into a 65g tank, so if i have a power failure, the amount of water that will get put into my sump is maybe 2 gallons or so, and i have a sump that has enough space to fit at least 5-10 gallons of tank water, in addition to whats in it already

 

[Projects with Sam]

I bet your siphoning off the top of your tank from your return. You don't need loc line to fix it, pvc will work just fine. just put the return at the level you want your water. Like poster 8 said.

Or, on the back of the tank, where there is a 90 degree elbow into the bulkhead, you can put a 'T' there and then there is another kind of valve (I forgot the name) that will automatically close when pressure is applied but when there is a lack of pressure it opens; this would prevent a siphon from forming when your return pump stops. Wish I knew more about this; I read it from someone else's post awhile ago.

 

[Smoke-Town]

Get a battery backup off Amazon and only plug the return pump into it. That should buy you a few hours to grt prepared for full failure. During which time make sure you have enough extension cords to run from your vehicle to your aquarium

 

[Snoopy 67]

Looking @ the pictures I would use a threaded elbow & short piece of pipe then an elbow into the lockline to raise the outlet nearer the surface.

 

[malacoda]

Looking @ the pictures I would use a threaded elbow & short piece of pipe then an elbow into the lockline to raise the outlet nearer the surface.

+1

Yeah, hate to say it, but those return holes are way too low. They should only be around 1" or so below the water line.

AFAIK, there are only two surefire ways to ensure the the return line cannot flood your sump if power goes out:

A) As Snoopy 67 recommended, use some pvc elbows, pipe and/or loc-line to raise the outlet mouth of the return inside your the tank so that it's just below the water line. E.g. Since you can't raise the drilled holes, use plumbing inside the tank to raise the pipe outlet. Or...

B) Get a really large or deep sump — one that has enough 'free' head space to hold the volume of water that will currently siphon down your return line when the power goes off.

Other options mentioned ... such as a check valve ... will work. But they are not 100% risk-free. If they get stuck open they can fail to prevent the back siphon. And if the clog or fail to remain fully open, they can restrict or block the flow of the return pump.

In other words, unlike the two surefire methods above, alternate options such a check valve or drilled siphon-break hole (which won't work in your situation anyway) require regular monitoring and maintenance.

 

[Eggs]

The output needs to be closer to the surface to prevent that.
You could use pvc and put a 90 degree elbow into the bulkhead and extend upwards, or extend the loc-line.
If you don’t like the look of that you could plug the hole and just run the return over the top.