How far is the drain line on the main siphon submerged? It should be less than 1". It appears it may be deeper in the pictures but it is hard to tell.
You also have a horizontal run which will rarely interact well with a siphon system.
Silent and Failsafe Overflow System
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
How far is the drain line on the main siphon submerged? It should be less than 1". It appears it may be deeper in the pictures but it is hard to tell.
You also have a horizontal run which will rarely interact well with a siphon system.
Check your drain lines as well. Are you getting any flow through the other two channels?
Yes the siphon line is maybe over 1" under water. I have cut the pipe already but I will try to more to see. I hear what you are saying about the horizontal run. It was like that on my successful other tank and I was just trying to make access to the filter sock and gate valve easy. I tried to swap the rear pipe / center drain to my siphon and it drops right straight down in the rear. It gave similar results so I am not sure the horizontal area is it just yet. I am just getting a constant trickle sound and just can't seem to fill the siphon line no matter what I try. Maybe more flow would help
Powdermonkey
Member
Is it possible to run two siphons, one open, and one emergency?
uncleof6
Active member
Don't see any reason you would really want to do that. One siphon is more than enough for any hobby sized tank. Not only that, but you would never get both siphons to flow the same amount, which would be necessary to balance the system.
uncleof6
Active member
No, due to friction loss, and no that is a bit ridiculous don't you think?
uncleof6
Active member
One of several things: as already pointed out, if the outlets are submerged more than 1", the siphon will most likely not start. It may be you have an air leak in the siphon line as well, this will cause a trickling sound, and the siphon will not start. It may be your air vent line is too low in the overflow, causing the open channel to take on too much flow, preventing the siphon from starting, and causing a trickle sound.
If the system is setup properly, there are a finite number of things that could be wrong.
so i got the siphon to start. cap was loose.
question:
it is very quiet when i get up and going after adjusting the siphon valve.
now if i turn off pump and let air in. Restart it, it will not siphon unless i open the siphon valve more....
?????
I feel like the drains are airtight. I used ample teflon tape on the caps. The elbows are a snug fit and even of I raise the water level in the overflow it acts the same making me think it is not an air issue. I believe that I just have too little flow and will be fine with just a bigger pump. It was almost a year ago when I bought the Eheim and I was looking for a silent pump. It was a popular suggestion and I went with it. I saw a chart last night that suggested that I may only be getting 150 gph at the 5ft head pressure. That is not close to the 7x per hour minimum......
I saw a pic of a guys system and he took all 3 pipes that go back to the sump and put them into 1 pipe before they entered the sump. Has anyone else tried this? It looks so much cleaner and I like the idea of only one filter sock. I ll try to find the pic. I sent him a pm for more info but is don't think he's on here anymore
you mean the pipes running horizontal? The only horizontal i have is 5 ft drop and then maybe 12 inches horizontal in towards the sump and then down via a 45 degree elbow.
When you said outlet submerged more than 1", i test that several times and lower the water right below less than an 1 inch, still did not work. Are you talking about siphon outlet? Do the other outlet matters?
uncleof6
Active member
This makes the whole system an open channel no better than a durso. Air enters the system (that is supposed to be a siphon—meaning NO AIR) in two places: the open channel, and the dry emergency. The concept and function of this system depends on 3 independent drain lines, adjusted in the manner described. Also, it makes for a single failure point, making the system unsafe.
Face it, the fact is any drain line will drain water. But that does not mean it is draining as it should, could, or would, if it was set up properly. This is just another example of trying to re-invent the wheel, and it will not function as the BA should.
Yea I dont guess the emergency drain would help if it was clogged at the end.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
The images, photos, etc that were hosted on my other server have now all been moved and are available again. Sorry for the issue folks.
Need some help. I'm getting bubbles coming out of my siphon. These arnt little micro bubbles, these are big ones. All joints are either cemented or coated with copious amounts of Teflon paste. I have no leaks with the gate valve closed. Video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3FtjTNEsTE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
It would seem your siphon isn't fully cleared and and possibly your secondary is too high, can't quiet tell from the top. I have to fully open my ball valve to flush the siphon line, then close it down to where just a trickle comes out the secondary. That way the siphon line has no air in it.
Wait...do I see an airline in the top of your siphon line? Like a durso? That needs to be plugged and all air flushed out.
i'm having same issue as you. When i start it up, siphon doesn't start unless i open the ball valve more. When I finish adjusting the ball valve to get it where I want, its almost at a closed position. Are you doing this each time you restart your pump as well? Seems like a hassle.
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