Question about Closed Loop

[Reefdiver77]

One of the returns of my closed loop has not been working for a while and it was suggested the SCWD might be stopped up on one side. I took the whole thing down. It has flexible vinyl tubing and an inline heater as well as a Blueline pump. How do I get the darned thing primed again?? I was planning on running a vinegar solution through it and see if it would clear out the SCWD. I have vinegar water in my sink with the inlet in the sink and the 2 outlets in a 5 gallon bucket of water. I have put airline tubing into the inlet as far as it would go and sucked back a mouth full of vinegar water, all the while keeping the inlet submerged. However when I turn the pump on, nothing happens. I have tried it with the pump on and off but still not luck in it pulling water through. Anyone out there know what I need to do. I consider myself lucky to get this contraption off the tank, in a very tight space, with no major spills. Now, if I can just get it to work!!! TIA

 

[Cabin3tGuy]

where I elbow my return up to the tank I use a threaded tee with a plug instead of an elbow so that I can unscrew the plug and fill the line with water ... don't forget the Teflon tape

 

[jabo]

What is closed loop? What are the benefits? Does it work with a sump or fuge?

 

[MrRyanT]

A closed loop is basically just using a pump to recirculate water inside the aquarium. You can use it in addition to a sump/fuge, but not in direct connection with the sump/fuge. Here's a couple of examples:
http://www.aquaristsonline.com/blog/general/closed-loop-water-circulation/
http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html