HOB overflows

[blind1993]

ok, apparently i am confused with what HOB overflows can do and cant do with an aqualifter.

1) if the power goes out and the overflow loses syphon, will the aqualifer make it create suction again? without burning out?
2)how reliable is this? i know its not like a drilled overflow but how good?

 

[jcusmarine]

I have an aqualifter on mine and in my case yes, it creates the suction again and does not burn out....and it has worked everytime so far. I keep a spare just in case...its possible that it may not stop working and I was worried about it.....all is well so far for about 14 months.

 

[blind1993]

so you have 2 aqualifters running all the time? i was thinking of using a mj900 instead.

 

[jcusmarine]

Just one.

 

[blind1993]

ok, do you have the u tube one or the one this is all one piece

 

[jcusmarine]

All in one - no DIY.

 

[blind1993]

alt="" />

or this

alt="" />

 

[jcusmarine]

pm sent

 

[blind1993]

you have the u tube one, does anyone know which one is safer? i am going to break down my dads 20g and make it a display sump, but didnt want to drill the tank since i dont know if it is tempered or not.

 

[hfleming]

I have the U-tube style with no aqualifter pump. No problems in over a year.

With the U-tube style the most important thing to remember is that both ends stay submerged with the power out. As long as both ends are submerged it wont lose siphon.

There is one problem with both styles of overflows. If the flow rate is very slow, small bubbles that get sucked in get trapped at the top, and slowly build up until the siphon stops. In this situation you need an aqualifter pump to continuously remove the trapped air.

With my situation the flow rate through the U-tube is fast enough that the occasional bubbles never get trapped at the top, they just flow right on through.

The U-tubes are famous for getting growth inside and reducing flow, if you don't pay attention to this you could overflow the tank. A solution to this is to cover the U-tube to keep light out.

I don't cover my u-tube, I get certain amount of comfort by looking and seeing that all is well with the flow. I just keep an extra U-tube and swap it out every few months and clean the old one when I get around to it.

 

[blind1993]

how do both ends stay submerged when the power goes out? the tube syphons out all the water from the part that is in the tank.

 

[photokid]

i have the CRP without using anaqualifter, just suck the air out. just be sure to check it now and then.

 

[blind1993]

photokid;244831 wrote: i have the CRP without using anaqualifter, just suck the air out. just be sure to check it now and then.

i would rather pay $10 and be safe then save $10, this is one thing i wont skimp on.

 

[hfleming]

blind1993;244829 wrote: how do both ends stay submerged when the power goes out? the tube syphons out all the water from the part that is in the tank.

On mine it does not siphon all the water out, only down until the water level in the skimmer box is equal to the water level in the outflow box. The outflow box has a standpipe that sets the water level.

This is a very simple and reliable system and I don't worry what will happen when the lifter pump fails because of a lightning strike while I am at work.

My thinking is the fewer the devices in the system to fail the better. I don't have to worry about a lifter pump failing. I don't have to worry about the airline becoming brittle and breaking due to the UV from the MH lights. I don't have a strainer on the drain line to clog.

I am not trying to convince, just passing on what I have learned.

 

[hfleming]

One more thing. The important thing to do with any system is to shut off the pump. Go eat a sandwich, move the cat, wash the car, then come back and turn the pump on and see if everything starts back up without problems.

I'm a little compulsive, I had to do this about 15 times before I could sleep.

All that and one evening I left a rag hanging on the sump with one corner in the water by accident. It wicked out about 10 gallons overnight.

 

[blind1993]

hfleming;244847 wrote: One more thing. The important thing to do with any system is to shut off the pump. Go eat a sandwich, move the cat, wash the car, then come back and turn the pump on and see if everything starts back up without problems.

I'm a little compulsive, I had to do this about 15 times before I could sleep.

All that and one evening I left a rag hanging on the sump with one corner in the water by accident. It wicked out about 10 gallons overnight.

what did the rag do?

also no one told me which one is safer.

 

[mkinna1]

Niether are great, but I use the one with the air drain at the top. I have no aqua lifter, but if you do you need the filter too! I just use a air line and keep a siphon going. Check it every once in a while and make sure no algae is building up. If you use overflows you need to stop siphon and make sure it does not overflow up top then cut out pump and make sure the sump does not over flow!

 

[jcusmarine]

Forgot to mention that I changed all the aqualifter hosing to black, to try prevent algae growth....

 

[jefft]

<span style="color: black">I use the one pictured. I clean the aqua lifter about once every other month. I clean the filter about once a month. I also put a small hose (same size as the aqua lifter hose) down into the drainpipe to reduce gurgling noise. This works rather well. I (knock on wood) have not had any problems with it once I reduced the gurgling noise. I also drilled a hole in the back section (box) and added a fitting with a hose down to my sump to act as an emergency spillway in case the filter becomes clogged. It also came in handy when I first started using the system and didn't have my flow rate on my return pump set correctly and it was putting water in the tank faster then the overflow was removing it. </span>
<fieldset class="gc-fieldset">
<legend> Attached files </legend>

>

class="gc-images" title="IMG_2651_JPG_Thumbnail1.jpg[/IMG] style="max-width:300px" /></a>

>

class="gc-images" title="overflow.jpg[/IMG] style="max-width:300px" /></a> </fieldset>

 

[cgill311]

I had this Lifereef overflow box for over a year. It never EVER gave me problems. I tested this thing about 50 times before I was content that it would always start if the power went out.

If you read about the Lifereef overflow boxes http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html">here</a>, they describe how they maintain a siphon during power outages.

[IMG]http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l392/CGill311/overflowbox.gif" alt="" />