A lesson for anyone with a siphon overflow....
I have a 20L with a 15g sump. Been running a couple years without any issues. I have a float switch in the main display that shuts off the return pump if the water level rises. I also have a float switch in the sump controlling the ATO. I do not have a second high water float switch in the sump to turn off the ATO if the ATO float gets stuck down.
Last night I heard my ATO pump repeatedly turn on and off every couple minutes or so. I thought it was really strange because normally it only turns on every hour or so. I inspected everything and it looked fine. Then the ATO turned on again. Upon close inspection I saw a snail had climbed in the overflow tube and significantly reduced the flow. So my return would pump water up to the main but the overflow was not returning at the same rate. The float switch would trigger in the main turning off the return pump. This extra water in the main meant there was less water in the sump than usual so the ATO would turn on to make up the difference. The water in the main would slowly drain down to the sump and the return would go on again. The cycle repeated itself a few times.
The net result was about 1 gallon of FW dumping to the system. I only have about 25-30 gallons total, so it was not a huge influx but still dropped the salinity from 1.025 to about 1.023.
There was no harm to any inhabitants.
I tell this story for anyone out there searching on issues with siphon overflows. If I didn't have the float switch, my sump would be emptied on my living room floor....
All in all I think a properly maintained siphon overflow is very reliable and a great option for people without drilled tanks. You MUST have a float switch though....
My 300g build can't come soon enough. I hate worrying about overflows....
I have a 20L with a 15g sump. Been running a couple years without any issues. I have a float switch in the main display that shuts off the return pump if the water level rises. I also have a float switch in the sump controlling the ATO. I do not have a second high water float switch in the sump to turn off the ATO if the ATO float gets stuck down.
Last night I heard my ATO pump repeatedly turn on and off every couple minutes or so. I thought it was really strange because normally it only turns on every hour or so. I inspected everything and it looked fine. Then the ATO turned on again. Upon close inspection I saw a snail had climbed in the overflow tube and significantly reduced the flow. So my return would pump water up to the main but the overflow was not returning at the same rate. The float switch would trigger in the main turning off the return pump. This extra water in the main meant there was less water in the sump than usual so the ATO would turn on to make up the difference. The water in the main would slowly drain down to the sump and the return would go on again. The cycle repeated itself a few times.
The net result was about 1 gallon of FW dumping to the system. I only have about 25-30 gallons total, so it was not a huge influx but still dropped the salinity from 1.025 to about 1.023.
There was no harm to any inhabitants.
I tell this story for anyone out there searching on issues with siphon overflows. If I didn't have the float switch, my sump would be emptied on my living room floor....
All in all I think a properly maintained siphon overflow is very reliable and a great option for people without drilled tanks. You MUST have a float switch though....
My 300g build can't come soon enough. I hate worrying about overflows....
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire