Safety feature n ideas.......

[Darryl85]

hi guys.......needing ur help and advices abt this matter abt overflow during blackout........

going to design a new sump for my 2ft tank which cabinet is quite small.....

this is my 1st time using a sump but really afriad of the thought of overflowing during blackout..........

any advices to prevent this during blackout ?

[iantoh]

hi there bro, if you design your overflow such that it does not hold too high a water level, and dont fill your sump too high such that theres sufficient buffering height to accomodate the extra water should there be a blackout, you should go fine. sorry but i think im not making that much sense here, but its a difficult thing to explain in words...

you have to make sure nothing blocks your overflow pipe too, as in that case, water might overflow from your display tank itself due to water going up faster than it can come down. this was what happened with my tank before i screened the overflow, and a seahare got itself lodged in one of the overflow pipes.

cheers,

ian

[ervine]

i learnt my lesson the hard way...

My old sump from my old tank was too small for my 2.5ft, always wanted to change it but procastinated for goodness knows how long...

As Murphy's law would have it, when I was overseas something tripped causing my tank to overflow. The phone bill to call home to rectify it was $60, a new sump is like $80-90.

Really stupid of me...

Anyway my new sump was designed with a buffer to prevent it from overflowing during a blackout.

Best way is to overestimate what you need, or even better still calculate! then draw up a schematic, go to a tank maker and make the sump.

[colinsoon]

well, i would say that the best bet is that you should leave enough space in the sump, for the water in the display tank which will flow into the sump. that is to say, if 20 litres of water will flow down into the sump before it stops, the sump must be able to contain the water comfortably.

In any case if the overflow pipe jams or if a fish decided to jump into the overflow and swim up the pipe, the return compartment of the sump should have only enough water only to fill up the tank to its max, but not overflow it. that is why it is important to have a return compartment in the sump which is as small as possible, so that if the pipes get blocked, the display tank will not overflow. the downside to this is that you must be dilligent and top up water everyday, cos when the water evaporates, the only the return compartment will be affected, meaning to say you can see a water level drop. this is wat happens to my sump... my water level in the display tank is always constant...

[jervismun]

well, i would say that the best bet is that you should leave enough space in the sump, for the water in the display tank which will flow into the sump. that is to say, if 20 litres of water will flow down into the sump before it stops, the sump must be able to contain the water comfortably.

In any case if the overflow pipe jams or if a fish decided to jump into the overflow and swim up the pipe, the return compartment of the sump should have only enough water only to fill up the tank to its max, but not overflow it. that is why it is important to have a return compartment in the sump which is as small as possible, so that if the pipes get blocked, the display tank will not overflow. the downside to this is that you must be dilligent and top up water everyday, cos when the water evaporates, the only the return compartment will be affected, meaning to say you can see a water level drop. this is wat happens to my sump... my water level in the display tank is always constant...

So it's pretty simple then:

1. Know your display well

2. Calculate

3. Find a suitable sump (in terms of design and capacity)

4. Reduce the capacity of the return compartment

5. Find ways to stop fishes/inverts/corals to get into your pipings

6. Get a water auto top-up machine.

And live happily ever after... oh do bear in mind the noise level (especially if you are using PVC pipes with a lot of 90º joints. Tunze overflow box uses some flexi plastic tubes instead to avoid 90º joints hence noise reduction.

[weileong]

You can always install a strainer at the inlet of your overflow pipes. This will protect the overflow pipe from choking.

Best to design your system so you have one spare overpipe in case the main one got choked.

[Darryl85]

ok n thanks for all the advices bro.........

will think properly b4 making the sump.......

it will b a challenge coz my cabinet quite small.....

so mayb it cant be a big one but wit my cabinet height i can certainly make a high one........will also agra agra the flow.....

thanks to bro weileong, jervismun, colinsoon, ervine n Iantoh.....

[bloodlamb]

One thing to look out for is also the siphon effect from the return pump back to the sump when power is lost. That can easily add quite a bit of water to the sump.

I had this problem esp since I need to put the outlet almost 2in into the water line of the display to prevent air vortices. I installed drilled a small hole and added a small tube above the water line to break the siphon immediately when power is off.

[jervismun]

So I am right to say that the Tunze Retrofit overflow box can cause bad siphoning effect since it draws 50% from the bottom of the tank... luckily I am still at planning stage.