Overflow

[eddybabyhd]

i agree with jkhudson, i have check valves on all my return lines. This is in addition to the anti siphon holes. They do not have to operate for long periods of time, besides this whole hobby is centered around avoiding catastrophe. I mean, a 15 dollar check valve buys you the chance it might save you from a flooding. I think the odds are pretty favorable siding with the valves.

Yes there are horror stories of them failing causing flooding, but how many people have them, and they work? Better yet, what are the odds of someone who doesn't have them, and someone who does. I still think they are favorable.

Its up to you, they do work, and they do fail, not disagreeing, buts what's a little added insurance eh?

 

[jkhudson]

Personally I've never had one fail, but that doesn't mean they can't. All mine have to do is last long enough for me to shut the ball valves. If I lose power I'm going to shut them all off anyway. Any extra security is worth the expense. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Tek]

1 flood if it fails versus the 10 I have had without it is worth the planning ahead.

 

[zxanth]

I didn't know that overflooding was a common thing with HOB. With my old 55 gallons I never lost siphon and I had that running for at least 10 years. Knock on wood. I upgraded to a 125 RR just because it looked better. How do you loose the siphon anyway. I had a dozen of power failure and me turning off the pumps to clean and stuff and i never lost siphon....must have been lucky I guess.

 

[kcfehring]

Thanks all for all your great information but now I have another question. Is the benefits that you get from having a sump outweight the cost of the chance of flooding? I don't have an overlow yet but I wanted to know if the ones that have the little pump at the top are the best ones to buy if I do get one.

Kim

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Is the benefits that you get from having a sump outweight the cost of the chance of flooding?

Yes, yes, and yes again. By the way, did I say yes? There are many different ways to get around the flooding issue, though I prefer a drilled tank.

I don't have an overlow yet but I wanted to know if the ones that have the little pump at the top are the best ones to buy if I do get one.

The ones that come stock with a little pump are CPR Overflows. They aren't as great. They look really nice and have some nice features, but the design is slightly flawed. Lots of area for air to get stuck in the U of acrylic. The pump helps to avoid this. On the other hand, the U-Tube overflows will have the same problem, and you can add a pump to those to keep air out of the overflow and to start the syphon.

U-Tube Style Overflow

CPR Overflow

For a couple bucks, you can make an Overflow out of PVC. It might not look as nice as an acrylic box, but it can be hidden away easier and works just the same. I used it for almost a year, and I think Nick (nIx_tank) has been using one just about as long. You could use Krylon Fusion spray paint to paint it any color you want. You could do low visibility black, or even blue to match a blue background.

Here is someone else's

Here's a diagram

Here is mine in action

 

[kcfehring]

So do you then make another one for the sump to push the water back up to the main tank? Do you need to put a pump with that one?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

No, just drop the pump in the sump and plumb it to the display tank. Well, drop the pump in the sump if it submersible

 

[nIx_tank]

Travis is correct, I have been using one in my tank for over a year now.

The only problem I have had with this setup is that dependent upon water level, you will get an occasional "flushing" sound where the water level meets the PVC pipe top, and a bit of air gets sucked into the pipe.

More of an annoyance than anything dealing with performance issues.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

True. I had the same issue. But, for spending about $5 compared to $50+ for an acrylic overflow box, you can't beat it

 

[jkhudson]

A sump with rock and sand and chaeto does the best job. You can add carbon in a bag to scrub your water. Filters like the emperors work well but can tun into nitrate factories after a while. I used a HOB overflow on my 75 and the only problem I had was adjusting the flow when my prefilters neeed cleaning and I shut down the system. The ones with an air pump are more convienent, but I never missed them. I just filled he tubes with water, covered the ends with saranwrap and put them back in.

 

[aaparkr]

Well, a sump /refugium gives you a place to put things that wouldn't do well in the tank (plants especially). It adds a volume of water which increases your total volume and the more water you have, the more dilution and buffering you have. (ie: Losing a fish in a nano can pollute the whole tank). If you have sufficient turnover, you can put your heater and most of the other devices in the sump. Skimmers usually work better in the sump especially if you have an overflow box pulling water from the top of the tank.
I guess I have been running a hob overflow for a couple of years and it has never lost its siphon. A properly built overflow should be very resistant to losing the siphon.

Tony

 

[kcfehring]

can you you a HOB skimmer on a sump. My tank is only 44 gallon and I was going to use a bakpak 2R+. Will that work or will you have to have a submersible?

Kim

 

[dustin Combs]

Kim,
Souldn't be a problem if you hang your skimmer on your sump!! Let us know how it works!

 

[aaparkr]

As long as it fits... How big of a sump are you using? I considered putting my remora pro in the sump, but the sump is too small at 23 gallons - that isn't entirely accurate. It holds 23 gallons when it is full, but the area where the skimmer goes is only about 8 gallons. Anyway, if it will fit, it should work better in the sump as the overflow is passing along water from the top inch of the tank water.

Tony

 

[happysak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9952690#post9952690 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kcfehring
can you you a HOB skimmer on a sump. My tank is only 44 gallon and I was going to use a bakpak 2R+. Will that work or will you have to have a submersible?

Kim

Yes, but you should modified it