Stopping the Sump/Refugium from Overflowing

[LaSmoke20]

Hi all,
Well the overflow is working in the sump/refugium. All the advise said make sure that the sump/refugium doesn't overflow incase of powerfailure. Well guess what? It does overflow. I tested it out cutting the pump on and off and if left unattended it will overflow on to the floor. How can I adjust it to make the flow stop during poweroutages? I'm new to this, and don't want to make a huge mistake or mess

Thanks all in advance,

LaSmoke20

 

[big t]

How big is your tank, and how big is your sump. Can you lower your water level in the sump so it dosnt overflow?

 

[LaSmoke20]

The tank is 55 gallons and the sump is 20gallons. The problem is, when the power is out, the return pump is backflowing. The siphon stops, but I think its the return pump thats the problem.

Thanks,
honey1998p

 

[DonW]

You need a siphon break on your return line.

Don

 

[Gordo]

Don is right. In relationship to the water line on your tank where is your return? Is there a bulkhead drilled in you tank for the return or does it go up and over the top of the tank?

Gordo

 

[johnehr]

Just get one of those one way valves to put in your return tube. I just got one and it stops water from coming down the tube, but not up.

 

[cookiemn]

Mine does the same thing. What I did was to buy a $6 check valve from Lowes. I also make sure that I have enough space in my sump to accomodate any water in case the check vavle does fail.

Erwin

 

[john]

Most reliable way is to drill a small hole in the return line I find that just below the water line in the tank and faceing away from the center works best check the hole once in a while to make sure it hasn't pluged check valves get debris on them and are not very reliable

 

[william holland]

Same here. I drilled a 1/8 inch hole in mine about an inch below my level sensor (yes it's in the tank and not the sump.. Touche to the broken overflow siphon!) and it's worked flawless since.

 

[wrightme43]

I drilled a small siphon break in my return as well. I get about 3 inchs of water extra in my sump when I turn off the return pump. I am sure you thought of this, just in case you didnt here is how I set the water level in sumps. Put just enough water in the sump to get the system running, so that the pump is not sucking air. Then turn off the return pump and let it siphon down to where it stops. Then fill up the sump so that it has about 2 inches of room at the top. Then turn the pump back on. Then when the water level in the sump has stabilized, (water is flowing into and out of the tank) Take a sharpie marker and mark that level on the sump. Then as long as the water is not over that line then if the pump stops the sump will just fill up, but not overflow. HTH Steve

 

[WaterDogs]

Welcome william holland to Reef Frontiers!