Emergency occurance

J

JMorris271

New member
Posters have talked about the danger of a flood in the event that the emergency drains both become clogged or with just one open drain.
Can someone please explain what is in a tank that could cause such a disaster besides the obvious snail or a dead fish getting over the wier. I am speaking of a tank that is well maintained and monitored. Right off the bat,I know that snails can climb ok? What are other dangers in there?
Thanks.
 
How big are your snails? I never see a 'snail', my larger fish aren't going to get to that area either and end up clogging my 1.5in secondary drain.
 
snails..fish..crabs.. turf algae.. bubble algae..,etc..
does "well maintained" include running a brush down all your plumbing routinely?
Amazing to see what can collect in PVC plumbing over the years..

99.999999% of the time it won't be a problem.
Same thing with GFCI outlets..
same thing with ato float protection,etc...
same thing with car airbags.. life jackets...seat belts...guards on power tools, etc...

Recommendations are based on an attempt to eliminate any "possible" areas for failure/danger/injury in the event that something does happen..

If you want to drive around without your seatbelt thats your problem.. But warnings are there and yes some seem "over kill" but thats just how it is.

Its all about "what if"
 
I noticed last summer my flow seemed to be diminished. After checking many things I started taking pipe apart. Lo and behold I found a collection of about 25 or so cerith snail shells in an elbow. Flow problem solved.
 
gone fishin said:
I noticed last summer my flow seemed to be diminished. After checking many things I started taking pipe apart. Lo and behold I found a collection of about 25 or so cerith snail shells in an elbow. Flow problem solved.
Click to expand...

From their perspective they were simply exploring new frontiers. The snail version of Interstellar.
 
Besides what's been mentioned, sponges would be my biggest fear. They don't need light and they love a ton of flow. You would never know that sponge is growing in your plumbing until one day it comes loose or something else gets in your plumbing and clog... flood.
 
mcgyvr said:
snails..fish..crabs.. turf algae.. bubble algae..,etc..
does "well maintained" include running a brush down all your plumbing routinely?
Amazing to see what can collect in PVC plumbing over the years..

99.999999% of the time it won't be a problem.
Same thing with GFCI outlets..
same thing with ato float protection,etc...
same thing with car airbags.. life jackets...seat belts...guards on power tools, etc...

Recommendations are based on an attempt to eliminate any "possible" areas for failure/danger/injury in the event that something does happen..

If you want to drive around without your seatbelt thats your problem.. But warnings are there and yes some seem "over kill" but thats just how it is.

Its all about "what if"
Click to expand...

A "well maintained" system means just that. I suppose it is subjective and people could split hairs all day about what "well maintained" means. My question was about other inhabitants that can cause problems with emergency flow stand pipes and there is nothing between the lines here

Your little "seat belt" allegorical comment was not necessary.
We are talking about reef tanks here. So there is no need to be rude.
 
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Ultimately it's all about the level of risk the individual wants to accept.
I've had my tank for 5years now, and haven't had a blocked drain yet.
If it did get blocked my tank/sump design has an allowance for this.

Do I worry about the 0.000001% chance "something" might happen? No.
Better chance of being in a car accident.
 
P.S. I actually think it's a good question from Morris. Does anyone really have the facts/figures or is it all anecdotal?

Anecdotally, of the people who have commented in this thread thus far, how many have actually experienced a 100% blocked drain vs how long they've had the tank?
 
hi,
We run the bean animal, the 90%, slowed down the 10%then the original 10% picked up the rest, thought we will sort that out when we get home tonight, by the time we got home emergency had kicked in.
Found our abalone don't the first pipe and a huge snail in the second pipe. The snail had got stuck at the ball valve.
 
JohnoL said:
P.S. I actually think it's a good question from Morris. Does anyone really have the facts/figures or is it all anecdotal?

Anecdotally, of the people who have commented in this thread thus far, how many have actually experienced a 100% blocked drain vs how long they've had the tank?
Click to expand...

Well, there you go JohnoL.
lllesley said:
hi,
We run the bean animal, the 90%, slowed down the 10%then the original 10% picked up the rest, thought we will sort that out when we get home tonight, by the time we got home emergency had kicked in.
Found our abalone don't the first pipe and a huge snail in the second pipe. The snail had got stuck at the ball valve.
Click to expand...

A simple search will return plenty of results of people reporting floods due to clogged plumbing. And then consider how many hobbyist who don't participate on forums to share their experiences. These are not freshwater systems where not much grows besides what's been deliberately added to the tank. We all know macro algae, sponges, etc. can pop up from anywhere and find their way into our plumbing.

And I think perhaps we should define anecdotal... "not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research."

I would say in the case of clogged reef tank plumbing we can take the many personal accounts of a clog and the fact that we know obstructions clog pipes and come to the conclusion that it is in fact, fact.

Just saying. ;)
 
Has anyone ever rigged up a grid to shield the overflow chamber from whatever ? It seems that it could be fashioned easy enough.
With all of these tremors the earth has been having lately, perhaps it is time to put shock absorbers under the tank stand. (Just kidding there)
 
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Emergency occurance

JMorris271 said:
Has anyone ever rigged up a grid to shield for overflow from whatever ? It seems that it could be fashioned easy enough.
Click to expand...


Absolutely. It's done all the time. Get some zip ties and plastic gutter guard. Egg crate works too.
 
JMorris271 said:
Has anyone ever rigged up a grid to shield the overflow chamber from whatever ? It seems that it could be fashioned easy enough.
With all of these tremors the earth has been having lately, perhaps it is time to put shock absorbers under the tank stand. (Just kidding there)
Click to expand...

The wall between my refugium and return has two fittings with mesh to keep fuge dudes in the fuge. The mesh gets built up over time, lot of surface area. So i would say if you're going to use a mes to protect the drains then it should be easily accessed so you can clean them.

I have ball valves in my drains to maintain waterlevel in the DT to eliminate noise, having this is a big issue for clogs because i have a restriction. My sump is designed to handle a clog though. I know this is not popular and leads to much arguing and much flooding so i won't get into it. The only other thing that plays with this topic is ATO. If you have a restriction in a drain then your DT fills up and activates the ATO system which can cause a flood as well. If the water pressure increases enough to flush and your ATO is already filling then you flood the sump. If you have a clog in your drain the return chamber starts to empty as your water fills the DT, the ATO just keeps filling the return chamber and you flood from the DT...

I bought the Smart ATO for this reason and i love it, it alarms when things are not right.
 
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