Plumbing a Return

[jschiavi]

Guys and Gals -
I am re-conscidering running the return from my sump through a bulkhead in the tank. Does anyone see a problem with water draining back through the bulkhead into the sump in the case of a power outage?

My fix for this situation was to use a U shaped return over the top of the tank, with some Loc-Line to diffuse the flow. I just didnt know if there was the possibility of water draining through the bulkhead and return pump back into the sump.

Thanks
John

 

[Deafasa]

How does water get to the bulkhead? The water that can flow through the bulk head when the power is off, will. Check valves usually just slow the flow down returning into the sump, but there are plenty of threads here of people relying on check valves in case of a power outage and having water on the floor.
Ideally, your sump will have enough extra space in it so when the power goes out, the water drains into the sump until a)the siphon breaks or b)the water level is below the bulkhead (which in turn breaks the siphon)
I don't know where your bulk head is, or if it is at the bottom of an overflow so it is tough to answer. In the overflow situation, the water would drain until the level in the tank is below the level of overflow.
Hope that helped. I'm sure others here will chime in with corrections and additions.

 

[jschiavi]

the bulkhead is probably 1" below the top of the tank. Its a 1" bulkhead, so I assume it would have to drain 2 or 3 inches of tank water out.

 

[dedfish]

I know most people here will discourage you from relying on a check valve. I would just go over the top with the sump returns. Seems like the safest bet.

 

[denvig]

the bulkhead is probably 1" below the top of the tank. Its a 1" bulkhead, so I assume it would have to drain 2 or 3 inches of tank water out.

It's not a problem if you size your sump to take the extra water.