you can just use tubing and a U shaped device such as this http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff206/Jason25/184-1.jpg
correct?
correct?
Help with sump?
- Thread starter Maxi
- Start date
Tswifty
New member
Hey guys... here is a thread that should help. I was helping another member out with who had a lot of similiar questions.
He was just considering using a larger sump (20g or 30g)
Sump build questions (a LOT)
He was just considering using a larger sump (20g or 30g)
Sump build questions (a LOT)
That's a good graphical example, Tswifty. I'll go ahead and answer some of the specific questions as well as give a couple other tidbits:
Drilling your tank is usually the best thing to do, but that can't always be done, and that's where overflow boxes come in. If the tank's drilled, you really don't have to worry about the tank flooding after a power loss. It's relying entirely upon gravity to work and not a siphon, and gravity doesn't stop. If you get a good quality overflow box that doesn't rely upon something electrical like a pump and will not lose its siphon (the Lifereef overflows are a good example), you'll also be fine, but a drilled tank is always going to be safer.
During a power failure, your return pump stops working. Two things can potentially happen. First, if your sump can't hold as much water as your tank can possibly drain into it, you'll get a flood. This is just a poor design and should really never happen. Second, a poorly designed overflow box may lose its siphon without water being pumped back into the tank. When power comes back on, the return pump will start back up, but water will not be draining from the DT. With most sump designs, this will always flood the main tank. One way around this is to divide off a small section of the sump with a set of baffles (or just one baffle). That limits the amount of water available for the pump to push back up to the main tank. The drawback is that you almost need an auto top-off system because the water level in that chamber will be depleted as quickly as 2-3 days due to evaporation, and now you have a burned up pump. The good news is, short of the glass breaking, there's no scenario that can cause your sump or DT to flood.
Yes, you can drill more holes in the DT for return lines. Another option is to have your return go up and over the top edge of the tank (basically, a U-tube on the return end). This will be necessary if the tank can't be drilled. If you go up and over, it's common practice to drill what's called an anti-siphon hole. It's just a small hole drilled into the PVC (or whatever you use) just below the waterline. If the return pump loses water, since the return tubing is full of water, it will automatically start a siphon. Once the water line reaches this hole, though, air will enter and break the siphon.
Drilling your tank is usually the best thing to do, but that can't always be done, and that's where overflow boxes come in. If the tank's drilled, you really don't have to worry about the tank flooding after a power loss. It's relying entirely upon gravity to work and not a siphon, and gravity doesn't stop. If you get a good quality overflow box that doesn't rely upon something electrical like a pump and will not lose its siphon (the Lifereef overflows are a good example), you'll also be fine, but a drilled tank is always going to be safer.
During a power failure, your return pump stops working. Two things can potentially happen. First, if your sump can't hold as much water as your tank can possibly drain into it, you'll get a flood. This is just a poor design and should really never happen. Second, a poorly designed overflow box may lose its siphon without water being pumped back into the tank. When power comes back on, the return pump will start back up, but water will not be draining from the DT. With most sump designs, this will always flood the main tank. One way around this is to divide off a small section of the sump with a set of baffles (or just one baffle). That limits the amount of water available for the pump to push back up to the main tank. The drawback is that you almost need an auto top-off system because the water level in that chamber will be depleted as quickly as 2-3 days due to evaporation, and now you have a burned up pump. The good news is, short of the glass breaking, there's no scenario that can cause your sump or DT to flood.
Yes, you can drill more holes in the DT for return lines. Another option is to have your return go up and over the top edge of the tank (basically, a U-tube on the return end). This will be necessary if the tank can't be drilled. If you go up and over, it's common practice to drill what's called an anti-siphon hole. It's just a small hole drilled into the PVC (or whatever you use) just below the waterline. If the return pump loses water, since the return tubing is full of water, it will automatically start a siphon. Once the water line reaches this hole, though, air will enter and break the siphon.
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