Return Pump Question- Need HELP

[TonyTheTiger]

thanks for the response! Couple of questions.....
Why not use the aqualifter pump?
What do you mean by frill a hole in the return line just below the water line so that you have a siphon break if the power goes out? If I have a hold in the return line, won't water leak out? If the siphon breaks will it restart when the power comes back on? Please excuse my ignorance with this- I know nothing about how this aquarium plumbing works. Can I use a maxijet 900 or 600 for this purpose? If I can save money and not buy a 1200 or aqualifter pump that would be great!

 

[AZDesertRat]

Never rely on drilled siphon break holes or check valves to prevent floods. They are crutches used to cover up poor planning.
Both require regular cleaning and maintenance or they fail due to a little flake food, algae, a snail or anything else that disturbs them.
Keeping your returns just below the surface and always maintaining plenty of freeboard or room in your sump to contain a worst case backsiphonage is the best way to prevent floods. Neither requires maintenance and they don't fail.

 

[forsaken541]

Yeah 3.5 years of ZERO floods shows relying on a crutch to get around my poor planning.

There are soo many ways to do the same thing in this hobby and I tend to let results not theory stand for itself.

You will need a siphon break of some sort so that if and when the power goes off and your return pump shuts down the water doesnt siphon the water to the level of the return line. If you then drill a hole just below the water line air will get sucked through and stop the siphon.

And yes you can use a maxi 900 to do the same thing, i just had an extra 1200 lying around to use. you need a pump to help suck out any air that might get sucked into your overflow.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Why not design it right the first time with a zero maintenance method rather than recommending a system that requires maintenance? We all forget sometimes so I know I can sleep at night without having to worry about if I cleaned the holes or not or if a snail parked on the hole. One is foolproof and one is so so even though you have been lucky so far.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

how do i keep my returns under the water level if my tank is not drilled. still confused on how water does not leak out of the hole drilledd in the return line. am I missing something, or am I just dense? I hope my questions are not starting a fued here. i like to here everyones opinions. It helps me learn more about how to do things and form my own opinions. please everyone give your 2cents on this concept so I can take from everyone and decide how to approach.

 

[AZDesertRat]

With both drilled holes in the return line and with returns just slightly under the surface you will get a certain amount of water back down in the sump in the event of a power outage. That's why it is important to always keep room in your sump at all times an never fill it past that point you have determined is the worst possible backflow.
If your tank is not drilled with bulkheads installed then you use PVC and elbows to go up and over the rear of the tank and slightly below the surface where it exits. When power goes off water will backsiphon only until the return outlet is exposed to atmosphere and the siphon stops due to sucking air. If you decide you want deeper returns for some reason then you have to rely on either having a huge sump capable of holding much more water from the backsiphonage or you drill small maybe 1/8" holes in the return line again just below the waters surface. Multiple holes are better. The disadvantage to this method is you must always keep the holes clean and try to keep snails and algae away from them. We all know that's not always possible so its a less desirable way to stop backflows. A third option is check valves but valves fail especially in less than pristine water conditions. We know you have to clean the glass off every few days or it gets a build up and the inside of the check valve is no exception to this. As a wastewater treatment plant operator I liken my reef to a WW treatment plant. There are all sorts of slimes and algaes growing inside our tanks as a normal part of the nitrate removal process whether we like it or not. These things get on the flappers and seats of check valves and there is almost nothing you can do about it. Clean it today and there is no guarantee there is not a flake of food or a grain of sand on the valve seat tonight, its not worth the risk to depend on a check valve if you don't have to.

 

[fishgirl7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9597403#post9597403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by forsaken541
I have this exact setup and here is what I use and have NEVER had an overflow problem. first and foremost do not use the aqualifter pump that comes with these owerflows. A Maxi-Jet 1200 placed right next to the overflow with an airline tubing running from the overflow box to the air intake port on the PH will keep your overflow box working perfectly and at full capacity, just make sure to clean the input screen to keep it clog free. I use a Mag 7 pump from my sump to the tank that runs up over the side of the tank. make sure to frill a hole in the return line just below the water line so that you have a siphon break if the power goes off. This setup has worked without fail for three and a half years now.
Erik

i got a ton of air bubbles in the main tank like that so i took a penguin 660 and ran it into my sump to diffuse the bubbles - i HATE bubbles .