sump project (finally)

[Dave]

well if it won't work w/o an auto-lift then I would invest in one. Just pull the plug and test it out . If it were me I would test it many times before I was comfortable with setup. Raising the pump will limit the amount of water it can pump but will not be good for the pump once it runs dry.

 

[Joel A]

Well, that was my original thought as well, but the pump can be used externally as well, so running dry wouldn't be to horrible would it?

I'll look into the pump for the overflow box, just gotta find out a bit more about it and where im gonna put it. does anyone have any information on these really? I can't seem to find much on them.

 

[Dave]

marine depot has them I use a Tom's aqualift it will set you back about $12

 

[Joel A]

haha, yeah at 12 bucks you cant really go wrong right?

 

[Dave]

hmm flood or $12 flood or $12....

 

[Joel A]

Ok, well i have determined that if i lose power i WILL lose siphon on my box.

Rosey: You said you run the aqualifter pump, and it is used to recreate the siphon in the box, correct?

My issues with this pump become ..

1) is it reliable enough that it will do its job right every time without worry as soon as power kicks back in?

2) will it be able to regain that siphon quick enough before my return pump adds 20 gallons of water to the display that it doesn't have room for?

Another thought i had was this... bare with me as i'm not so sure on how to put it into words..

Is there a type of power outlet that when power fails, the outlet will not "come back on" when power is regained throughout the house?

So for instance i lose power for 20 minutes, then the house itself regains power, but my return pump does not because of the specific outlet its in does not have power back into it until it is manually reset?

If your having trouble understanding this, think of how a TV works... When you lose power for an hour, your TV shuts off when your in the middle of watching it, but when power comes back on, the tv stays off, not because the tv is not having power supplied to it, but because it needs to be turned back on (manually reset).

Is there a way i can do this with my return pump?

 

[stingythingy45]

Yeah,but you'll burn your pump out when it runs dry.
You should spend the money and get a good quality U tube overflow.
There's been a few in the used section also.I got home yesterday and my alarm clock and microwave clock were flashing.Now sure how long the power was out but everything was running normal.I have a high water limit switch in the display to cut off the return pump.

 

[stingythingy45]

Some of the Home Depot GFI extention cords will do that.
Not power back up after the power is cut.The've cost a few people a lot of money after losing their tanks cause of it.But they're not too cheap.
I'd ditch that overflow if it didn't start back up on power outage.

 

[Dave]

I use my aqualift for my ATO. My tank is drilled so I can't help you much with the HOB overflow. I second what Bob said if your Overflow won't restart reliably then find another.

 

[Joel A]

Yeah, I guess i will look into that... How do those DIY pvc ones work?