Union, check and ball valve-overflow
- Thread starter Fishboy15
- Start date
Union, check and ball valve-overflow
The union gives you the capability to easily remove the pipe to clean it or any Maintenances. Ball valve gives you the ability to shut off and also control flow going through the pipe. If you have the pieces already, slide them together (without glueing) and get familiar with how they work now.
You can look down the pipe and see how the ball valve functions as you turn the valve.
Check valve creates an anti Siphon so water can only go one direction through the pipe.
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The union gives you the capability to easily remove the pipe to clean it or any Maintenances. Ball valve gives you the ability to shut off and also control flow going through the pipe. If you have the pieces already, slide them together (without glueing) and get familiar with how they work now.
You can look down the pipe and see how the ball valve functions as you turn the valve.
Check valve creates an anti Siphon so water can only go one direction through the pipe.
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Rybren
Well-known member
Those PVC overflows are notoriously unreliable. It's usually not a matter of if they'll fail; it's when they'll fail.
Been there, done that, had the wet floors to prove it.
Do yourself a favour and drill the tank. If you can't drill it, then get yourself a good overflow box. They aren't as good as drilling, but are much better than the PVC type overflows.
Been there, done that, had the wet floors to prove it.
Do yourself a favour and drill the tank. If you can't drill it, then get yourself a good overflow box. They aren't as good as drilling, but are much better than the PVC type overflows.
Do I need a union? Where would you put the union at? Do I need one for each side? The inlet is how he did it with PVC setup but I connected the hose to the sump, about 1 foot long to the sump. The other side is a PVC return with about 3 feet to the pump. Isn't a union to disconnect and clean it? Wouldn't I already be able to take it apart easy enough?
Also, the ball valve, where does that one go? The return side right?
Also, the ball valve, where does that one go? The return side right?
heathlindner25
New member
You don't need unions.
...until you need one!
heathlindner25
New member
In my opinion ,most basic systems don't" need them", more elaborate systems,yes.
I only use them on the return pump for cleaning
I only use them on the return pump for cleaning
Your right you really do not need them at all, but anytime you have elbows it sure is nice to have them down the road for cleaning.
CindyK
New member
Getting equipment together to work on my plumbing. I'd like to plan water levels in my 75 gal, 30 gal sump so that if I have a failure, it won't overflow. I was going to put in a check valve as a secondary precaution ( first line of defense being correct water levels). Does anyone have any suggestions how I can go about texting my water levels, then adding the check valve later ( other than the obvious setting it all up without the check valve, then breaking it back down to add it)?
Tks
Cindy
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billdogg
Well-known member
You will be way better off just making it so that there is no need for a check valve in the first place. It really is not a question of "if" it might fail, but rather "when" it will fail. If your sump cannot handle whatever water drains down to it when the power is off, the sump is too small and/or the return line is too far from the surface. Ideally, the return line should only be an inch or so below the surface so that as water drains from the DT, a natural, and automatic, siphon break occurs.
CindyK
New member
billdogg
Well-known member
The check valve WILL fail, and it DOES cause an unneeded restriction in the plumbing. In a return line that means decreased flow to the tank. In a drain line it is one more spot for (name a critter) to get stuck in on it's way to the sump. In my recent setup of a 60g frag tank, I put 3 green chromis in the tank just, well, because. One of them didn't last 4 hours in the frag tank before taking the new water slide (drain line) to the sump, where it will remain if for no other reason than I am not removing all that rock to catch a chromis.
