Check valve on return line?

[winland]

I am going to have to install a check valve on my return line.
My sump is probably not going to be large enough to hold the water from the main tank that will siphon off, into the sump, in the event of a power outage.

My question is, which type/style of check valve is the most reliable? From my initial search/reading, there are 3 basic types... spring, swing and magnetic.
Any comments on realiability of each style?
Do they have to be installed vertically, or can they be installed off verticle, at 45 degree angle or does it matter?
I will be using 1" PVC with a Mag 18 or Mag 24 pump, will the normal flow rate of one of these pumps be reduced by adding a check valve?

Thanks for any info you can offer.

 

[nsamouroux]

Can't you just drill a hole at or *slightly* below the water surface on your return pipe? That will break any siphon, and you'll only have the water in your overflow to worry about. I tried using check valves on cichlid tanks in the past, they started leaking after a couple of months and were not worth the hassle. It will also add quite a bit of head pressure to your return, depending on the type of check valve you use. I'd look into other options, personally. I haven't heard of a single good experience with check valves on an aquarium setup.

 

[JPG@CFI]

Winland,

If you need to use one get the swiss made Y style. Been many years since I bought one, but there not cheap. But with most things on life, you get what you pay for.

They should be mounted in such a fashion that the weighted check is strait up and down, then be sure to use unions on both sides, so you can service them. They do work very well, but only when they are fairly clean. So a 3 month service would be my sugestion.

Good luck, Jason

 

[winland]

Thank you for the suggestions.
Here are some photos of my "new to me" 150 shallow tank.

The three holes in the center are for the return flow.
Here is a photo of the back of the tank and previous plumbing.

 

[Chichas01]

Cool! What are the dimensions?

 

[nsamouroux]

AWESOME tank! That would make an incredible frag tank or a full out look-down system! I see now why you had flooding problems since it has no surface skim / overflow box. My new tank didn't have any sort of overflow boxes either. I think instead of using a check valve, you should look into either buying or building something like the glass-holes overflow kits. You could use one small-ish box per drain pipe since they appear to be in the corners. I built a long almost coast-to-coast overflow using their design for my new system and it works great, it just takes an extra gasket per bulkhead for it to work! www.glass-holes.com

 

[winland]

The tank is 72" x 30" x 16" tall
This is a photo from a previous owner. I have not yet set this tank up.

 

[RAJOD]

I have a check valve on my return line. I think its the flap type. Works well,

My is hard plumbed with 1 inch PVC. Its been working for 3 years without issues. No floods!