Power Outage - FLOOD!

[redfishbluefish]

So I’m in the kitchen with my wife this morning and I hear that tell-tale sound of water overflowing…we had a power outage…only lasted about five minutes. I had redirected the Locline to add flow to certain areas of the tank, bringing it pretty deep into the tank. So with the power outage, and relying on the original shallow depth of the locline for a siphon break, the water just kept on coming into the sump until it overflowed. Lost about three gallons before I could pull up the line. So everyone knows what I’ll be doing this morning…installing a siphon break.

It also looks like I’ll be reprogramming the ReefKeeper Lite and Reefkeeper 2. I’m a little disappointed in that they loose their memory on an outage and also ticked at myself for not writing down the different setting for all twelve control points. I should also put labels on each of the plug ends as well, but I know I probably won’t, idiot that I am.

 

[The_Codfather]

Sorry to hear this paul.. You would think the ReefKeepers would have a memory backup.. it don't take much to hold data.. Cell phones and even my remote for my Cable box and TV has it

 

[Hawkeye]

ooooooooooooooooo man sorry to hear paul. Another idea would be to have a pc ups just for certain items- that might have bought you the extra 5 minutes.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I might have spoken prematurely. As I was working making a siphon break, the lights came on….on schedule. So I guess all the setpoints are OK.

My first shot of a siphon break isn’t working. I use CPVC with an 1/8 inch hole in the end and it shoots into the water too fast, drawing in air bubbles. Back to the drawing board.

 

[Gonzapa]

Paul
I remember seeing a system that basically had something like a straw in the top of the water . As power went off and the water started going into the sump the straw would be out of the water allowing the air in. this allowed the returns to be put at a much lower dept while having the "straw" break the siphon in case of an outage

 

[redfishbluefish]

Still wanting to just use a “pisser” siphon break, I drilled the hole out to ¼ inch. Still had too many bubbles being drawn into the tank. I know some members have this type of siphon break on their tanks, but I can only guess that the pressure I have is too great. Even with fixing the siphon problem, I will be ordering a third Locline for my tank to lower the return pressure. Fortunately I did install four threaded fittings for return lines. Note that I am currently only using two ½ inch Loclines coming off a ¾ supply line from a MAG 9.5.

So here are the two siphon breaks I now have in the tank that actually work. Both involve using tubing from the RO/DI unit and gluing with epoxy. The one is a modification to the original design above. The other is using a threaded extension in-line to the Locline. I will also add another one of these to the other Locline return. Nothing like redundancy.

 

[boontonbob]

Thank you for sharing the solution Paul. Good problem solving tenacity versus letting another flood take place next time around!

Sorry to hear about the flood. I have always had my tanks stashed in basements. Is your tank sitting on a place where the water can be mopped? I dabble with putting a larger upstairs on hardwood floors soon and this makes my stomach queasy!

With adding a fag tank recently, the settling point in my sump is now way to close for comfort. I should do this to. With my limited plumbing wisdom, tt is kind of hard to follow how siphon mechanics work. I would think the water would still come up and out since the 'straw' is also submerged. Hmmm. Guess I have to look into this more.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Bob, the “straw” is submerged, but only about a quarter inch. If it is not submerged, the pressure of the water squirting into the tank draws in air and causes bubbles. So now when the power fails, that approximate quarter inch of water is siphoned into the sump before the tube starts to suck air and break the siphon. You have to make sure your sump will hold that volume of water. I have two just for redundancy….if one gets clogged, the other one will be there.

 

[boontonbob]

Oh! now I see how you shortened them down in the second picture. Good tip! Thx

 

[rodclement]

Paul...clever solution as usual! This is why I told Sid he should call you to help with his plumbing! ;D

Rod