Best hang on the Back overflow box

[jd371]

Yes.. This is a good point..
You make your return section small enough so that in the event that the box looses siphon and stops returning water to the sump that the return pump runs dry before the display tank overflows..

One could also use a float switch in the display tank to shut off the return pump if the water gets too high..

Exactly! My return section runs dry way before it's close to overflowing. In addition I have it so the ATO stops pumping water and I get an alarm.

 

[billwill]

The one in your rubbish pile after you drill your tank and put a real overflow on. That might take your tank overflowing only once before you make that decision.


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[Jamsoury]

Using lifereef and it’s just as good as my plumbed overflow

 

[sde1500]

Also like that after power outages the overflow air pump starts the overflow again without having to pour water into it unlike the tubed overflows.

I think you may be mistaken about how the Eshopps or Lifereef utube overflows work. Part of the external overflow is baffled, so it maintains a constant water level that the utube end is submerged in. During a power outage all flow stops. So there will be water left in that baffled section, and water left in the overflow, both ends of the utube submerged and the full siphon maintained. Power starts up again, the return pump starts pumping, water flows into the overflow, and simultaneously down the back of the overflow and it all starts up again, no extra pump needed. And no need to "pour water" as you say.

YES!!! that nipple clog is my concern when i have floating dead algae roaming around. My 7 yr old son spotted air bubbles shooting out of the return nozzle
and said dad look and then I immediately noticed water rising in DT and quickly shut off pump.. such a close call for the third time.

Tank is up and running so I dont see drilling it at any point so I may have to go with a lifereef replacement soon.

Absolutely get one, or the eshopps one. I have an eshopps one, 3 years running, and zero concern. I have had multiple power outages, I turn off my return pump for maintenance frequently and there has never been a problem with it restarting. Only thing I've had to watch was I had dialed the flow back too much once and an air bubble formed in the utube. Sped up flow just a bit and it was all good. They are easy to restart if you take the utube out as well, which I do occasionally if coraline starts building up in it. I modified the drain part to quiet it down as well, its on my build. Not silent, but works well.

The one in your rubbish pile after you drill your tank and put a real overflow on. That might take your tank overflowing only once before you make that decision.


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3 years and counting, no overflows yet. I think more people like to repeat things they've heard about them, than actually have used them and experienced problems.