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View Full Version : sump overflow prevention


surgy
03/22/2013, 08:34 PM
i was thinking about how i could make a small 3 gallon sump work with my 36 gallon bow front. the problem being that the hole most people put in their over flow plumbing to stop the siphon before the sump over flows would be soo close to the surface that the actual surface agitation of the power heads would break the siphon. I dont have room anywhere for a larger sump.

so i was wander why havnt i seen anyone using float valves? like this one?

http://www.qcsupply.com/122110-pvc-float-valve-assembly.html?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CMGequflkbYCFap_QgodCXgAdQ

just on the over flow. i would much rather have a burnt pump than a rotten floor and carpet.

dirkomatic
03/22/2013, 08:46 PM
I'm not sure I understand how the surface agitation would break the siphon. When the pump is running, water comes out the hole from the return pump. When the power goes out, it drains to the hole and the air going through the hole breaks the siphon.

surgy
03/22/2013, 09:11 PM
yes but one gallon of watter in my dt is about 1/2 inch and 1 gallon of water in my sump is 33% of the total volume. my powerheads make waves bigger than 1/2 inch (on ocassion). therefor every wave would let air into the anti-siphon hole.

ohioreef
03/22/2013, 09:37 PM
When the pump is running you will have water coming out of the hole. I'd be more worried the water would spray somewhere I didn't want it to, ie up onto the lights.

surgy
03/22/2013, 09:44 PM
has a full hood the lights have acrylic between them and the water. and i was planning on using a few 90s and make a U pipe to force the return under water

ca1ore
03/23/2013, 08:37 AM
A 3 gallon sump is small for a 36 gallon tank no matter how you slice it. My rule of thumb is that sump ought to be 20% of tank size (does depend a bit on square footage of water surface).

ca1ore
03/23/2013, 08:39 AM
Does your tank have a built in oveflow or are you using a siphon-based overflow box?

surgy
03/23/2013, 08:43 AM
i know its small. but if im going to have a sump, this is what i get. otherwise i go without a sump. and it might be more than 3 gallons. 15.25 inch x 9.75 inch x11.5 inch. and i will be using a siphon overflow since the tank is already running.... math time i suppose....

1709.9065 cubic inches

there's 231 cubic inches in a gallon

so my maximum sump size is actually :
7.4021915 gallons

wow thats more than it looks like :) still i want to use a float valve lol

dirkomatic
03/23/2013, 03:20 PM
When the pump is running you will have water coming out of the hole. I'd be more worried the water would spray somewhere I didn't want it to, ie up onto the lights.

Exactly. You won't get air in the hole with the return pump running.