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Return Plumbing
- Thread starter Cjtabares
- Start date
OP
OP
Its a 45gal cube. I need to drill 1 hole for a gl************** overflow but didn't want to have to drill a 2nd hole if it was not needed.
I was thinking about that. Thanks
This is no different than a drilled return. They both do this. Just drill a siphon break, which is a pro because you can't do that effectively to control siphon height on a drilled tank. The water line will be where you place the break where a drilled tank water line will be at the return. This at times can be lower than your highest coral
. To compensate, people in the past used Check valves which have lost popularity due to leaking.This is no different than a drilled return. They both do this. Just drill a siphon break, which is a pro because you can't do that effectively to control siphon height on a drilled tank. The water line will be where you place the break where a drilled tank water line will be at the return. This at times can be lower than your highest coral
What about if the return is drilled 12" below the waterline? Where would the siphon break be located? In order for it to be effective the top of the siphon break would need to be above the water line of the display, which I suppose you could accomplish through a clever layout but I've never seen anyone plumb their tank in this manner (again assuming the return is far below the waterline).
Typically the return is always very close to the top so the siphon break prevents only a minimal waterline drop. In the FWIW category I'm not much of a fan of the siphon break theory anyway as I feel the holes are generally so small that algae buildup can clog them rendering them ineffective. And if they're drilled large enough to be effective they're loud and create so much aeration that salt creep becomes a problem.
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That's what I was trying to describe. A drilled tank down 12" is fine, but you are accepting the fact that when the power goes out, your tank drains down to that 12" mark. The break is the return itself in that case unless you have a one way check valve. I was saying a pro for the over the top plumbing is that you can control the height of the display tank in the event of a power outage by where you drill the break (which is normally positioned below the normal running water line or you will have spray).
Keep in mind that siphion break holes tend to clog up if not checked and cleaned frequently.
Personally, weather drilled or over the top, I always set up my return with locline and arrange that so that the output is within an inch or so of the water's surface so that the entire return IS the siphion break. Also, with that set up even a hole drilled 12" down wouldn't drain the tank in a power outage (well it probably would drain very very slowly since the loc line isn't usually %1000 leak proof - then again, who the heck would drill a tank 12" down and then use 16" of loc line to bring the output up to the surface....
)
Personally, weather drilled or over the top, I always set up my return with locline and arrange that so that the output is within an inch or so of the water's surface so that the entire return IS the siphion break. Also, with that set up even a hole drilled 12" down wouldn't drain the tank in a power outage (well it probably would drain very very slowly since the loc line isn't usually %1000 leak proof - then again, who the heck would drill a tank 12" down and then use 16" of loc line to bring the output up to the surface....
)The problem with check valves in saltwater is that there is a constant accumulation of bio film and all sorts of tube worms and other critters that grow inside plumbing so that sooner or later the sealing surfaces on the valve will get fouled up.
They can work, but you have to be super dilligent about keeping them clean. I would never trust one.
They can work, but you have to be super dilligent about keeping them clean. I would never trust one.
