Opinions: New Check valve?

Edward Smith

Active member
I'm always on the quest for the "perfect" check valve, lol.

I have a 17g Zeroedge aquarium. The return in the center of the bottom. If the pump were to fail, the tank would drain, hence the loss of about $1K in corals.

I'm so paranoid, that I'm even hooking up a Hayward NC solenoid valve

But it occurred to me, what if the power doesn't go out but the pump dies? The tank would still drain :(

So......check this out. Any thoughts?


Check valve
 
Interesting - I always thought the biggest issue with a check valve was salt creep build up interfering with the flapper. I hope someone more knowledgable can chime in...
 
Ed,

We went over this in the other thread and I still dont understand your whole setup.
Did you ever provide a diagram so we can see WHY you need the CV?

However, the valve you found looks to be the best option I have ever seen.
If you keep that in the dark ( to avoid algae growth ) and clean it at least once a week ( love the access door! ), then you should be fine.

I would still be nervous about long term shutdown.
Regardless how well it is maintained, it will probably still seep slowly since you would only have a couple of feet of 'head pressure' holding it closed ( only about 2-3 PSI ).


Stu
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14802303#post14802303 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stugray
Ed,

We went over this in the other thread and I still dont understand your whole setup.
Did you ever provide a diagram so we can see WHY you need the CV?

However, the valve you found looks to be the best option I have ever seen.
If you keep that in the dark ( to avoid algae growth ) and clean it at least once a week ( love the access door! ), then you should be fine.

I would still be nervous about long term shutdown.
Regardless how well it is maintained, it will probably still seep slowly since you would only have a couple of feet of 'head pressure' holding it closed ( only about 2-3 PSI ).

The last thread ended up being very helpful. That's what lead to buying the Hayward solenoid. Unfortunately, I really couldn't produce a diagram or drawing that would be use full (lack of artistic computer skills
Stu
:( )

But.....here's a manufactures picture of the setup: Zeroedge

Mines about half the size and only has one return, but otherwise its the basic same setup. As you can see, the manufacturer is only using a basic true union flap valve which obviously makes me uncomfortable.

So.....I was hoping this check valve might be something more useful than the traditional variety of cv's? Thought the magnet components would provide a good seal under low pressure conditions? Slow leakage would be a concern, tank is only 17g and left unattended for up to 10 hours at a time.
 
Ed,

OK, now I get it.

Your return nozzle is well below the surface & you have no way around that other than raising it high in the tank which is ugly.

I dont believe that the CV you linked to above has any magnetic features. Did I read it wrong?

I agree that the new valve should be far more reliable than the standard one shown on the zero edge page linked to above.

Stu
 
Ok, I've posted this before, and somebody else tried it and it works so here ya go again.

If I had a rimless tank and wanted to sleep at night, then this is how I would plan the return pump. You would need to surround it with LR to hide the piping, but that would be small consulation for the peace of mind it would give me.

Here's a pic of the thing disassembled.
Rimlesstankdia.jpg


And when assembled it should work like this.
Assembledrimless.jpg


I have it on good word that this design has worked in the past. It may need to be tuned to the appropriate pipe sizes to fit your specific need, but once tuned, it should be pretty fail safe.

Good luck with your zeroedge!
Aaron
 
The other nice thing about the design, is that it directs the flow to the bottom of the tank to keep the surface of the zero edge clear for viewing.

Cheers
Aaron
 
Ok, I've posted this before, and somebody else tried it and it works so here ya go again.

If I had a rimless tank and wanted to sleep at night, then this is how I would plan the return pump. You would need to surround it with LR to hide the piping, but that would be small consulation for the peace of mind it would give me.

Here's a pic of the thing disassembled.
Rimlesstankdia.jpg


And when assembled it should work like this.
Assembledrimless.jpg


I have it on good word that this design has worked in the past. It may need to be tuned to the appropriate pipe sizes to fit your specific need, but once tuned, it should be pretty fail safe.

Good luck with your zeroedge!
Aaron
 
Dude, I'm that "some body else" LOL!!!!

Works fantastic. It can NEVER fail, great design.

But....it really cuts into the aesthetics. I figure between the Hayward and maybe one of the new upscale CV designs, I might be able to sleep at night?
 
Ha Ha Ha,

Well, I'm glad it did work for you. Sorry for the Double post then. Or would that be a delayed double post? DDP?

Good luck finding EXACTLY What you want. That is my eternal struggle as well.

Cheers,
Aaron
 
Thanks for the link... I have made a bunch of these. they take me alot of time and tweaking. I have always wondered why a company with some injection molding and machining resources hasnt made one, now I know where to get them. THANKS ALOT.
 
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