seriouse problem

don0101

New Fish
Apr 3, 2011
4
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0
#1
hi i have a 55g tank and its drilled at top with bulkheads if the return pump stops working and the tank keeps draining im going to have a big problem how can i prevent this ?
 

Mar 26, 2011
133
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Malden, MA
#2
I can't really picture what you're talking about without more detail/ pictures. Is it something you could use a check valve for? (Let's the water flow through a hose or pipe in only one direction, so if a pump stops and gravity takes over, the check valve closes the pipe, to stop the water from flowing back down the pipe the way it came.)
 

Feb 10, 2011
11
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Land O Lakes, FL, USA
#3
How much water will really flow after the pump stops? Your bulkheads are on the top and as long as you don't have piping down to the bottom it will only drain a couple of gallons. If your return line is at the bottom of the tank that will drain the entire tank unless a check valve is installed. You could even put a hole in the return tube just below the water level. As soon as it drains below that the siphon will stop since air will be introduced to break the siphon.
 

ryanoh

Large Fish
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#4
Yeah, I say to make sure you plug up the hole, empty your sump, then unplug the hole. See exactly how much water flows into the sump before the water level gets below the point at which its drilled. Measure how much water ended up in your sump, because that's how much is going to drain out in case of a power outage, then just make sure you leave atleast that much extra room in your sump for the water to flow out of.

Or if you're concerned the the hole is too low, use some pipes or an overflow box with teeth to make the overflow higher. The pipes might be an ugly fix, but either will be a way to control the water level better.