CPR Overflow; Bad Mojo and Investment

divetroop

divetroop

Member
I bought a Cpr Overflow for my 75 gallon reef tank this weekend. What a big mistake!
I've been working on it for the past 8 hours! I couldn't find any PVC pipe that would screw onto the bulkhead. So i get a 1/2 inch PVC pipe fitting to go into the bulkhead. i glued it with PVC adhesive. Then I had to jimmy a hose that would fit around the 1/2 inch PVCfitting. That took a while. While attaching the hose I ripped off the PVC fitting along with pieces of the CPR overflow bulkhead. So now I need to rig something up to make it work. I just can't believe why CPR Aquatics doesn't design a simple overflow. The bulkhead issue really erked me. Even the guys at Lowe's and Home Depot couldn't figure it out. Finally I just glued the pieces togethere.
Bottom Line is do not buy a CPR Siphon Overflow. I've been ripped off before, but this one is up there. Save your $100.00 or so and get a pre-drilled tank. Way better off. You learn form your mistakes. I know I did.
Darn CPR Overflow!!!!!!!!!!
 
murph

murph

Active Member
CPRs are up there with seaclone skimmers in there almost universally negative comments/reviews. How any on can take the relatively simple concept of an overflow box and screw it up this bad is beyond me.
I cant quite get a grip on the price of OFBs either. It looks to me that they cant possible be that expensive to make but garner a huge price tag for some reason. Could be that iit is easy to play on peoples fears of flooding there homes with this particular piece of equipment but from what I here if you want water on the floor buy a CPR. Someday people will stop trying to build a better mouse trap and go with what has worked for years.As long as earths gravitational field holds true the tried and true j tube overflow box will work just fine. If something goes wrong with the physics of the planet water on the floor will be the least of your worries any way.
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
hkgar

hkgar

Member
I just got a CPR overflow from that auction site and really like it. The direcetions clearly state to use a one inch PVC pipe slid into the bulkhead. I did that and connected the rest by using a 1 inch screw adaptor and then running pvc to the sump. It really wasn't hard at all. Completely installed in less then 15 minutes after going and getting the necessary parts.
It is working great. and the auctin price much less than retail.
 
bigb

bigb

Member
Reading directions to things you don't understand is probasly the key factor here. They state the bulkhead threads are only for the bulkhead to screw onto itself. - don't have them in front of me right now so I'm sure that is not the exact words they use. Any plumbing gets attached to the inside of the fitting. If you didn't get a small pump to attach to the air

[hr]
you might want to do that before you try and fire it up and have more frustrations, as they are designed to work with one. While my experience with cpr gives me no complaints I notice that most complaints come from people who either regurgitate someone else's complaints... as in I heard this or I heard that. Or people who only tinker with them and give up on them before giving them a true work out. I have lost power multiple times and when regained power the overflow has started up everytime. No floods. That being said I am sure to go home to a flood this afternoon.
 
barebucta

barebucta

Member
I bought a CPR myself but haven't gotten around to setting up the sump as of yet. I am little scared after hearing all the "horrifying" stories. My question is, if you adhere to the manufactures directions (i.e. use the aqua lifter pump) and most of all maintain the correct water level, keeping in mind the evaporation factor, I don't see how the CPR can fail. Is there any modifications that can be done to it as a "back up" in case it fails? I would really like to leave my house with a piece of mind. I have already had a mishap with a jbj nanocube where I came home to the contents of the aquarium on the kitchen floor.
 
divetroop

divetroop

Member
HKGAR, what size return pump did you use from your sump to your tank? Also, I know it states in the instructions to use 1" PVC an dinserted it into the bulkhead but I tried that and without avail. So today I used 3/4 inch and it went it perfectly but bow I am having another problem. Water is going into the sump faster than it is being pumped out. My return pump is rated 700gph.
Also, did you use a swing-check valve? I noticed that it tends to reduced the flow of the return pump. Even I don't use a swing check-valve and run a hose straight from the return pump to my tank, I still get too much water in my sump.
It's frustating because the largest hardware store is 40 minutes away.I need to give it a second shot beofre I give up.
By the way the CPR Siphon Overflow I got is CS 90 rated at 600gph.
Any suggestions?
 
hkgar

hkgar

Member
Originally Posted by divetroop
HKGAR, what size return pump did you use from your sump to your tank? Also, I know it states in the instructions to use 1" PVC an dinserted it into the bulkhead but I tried that and without avail. So today I used 3/4 inch and it went it perfectly but bow I am having another problem. Water is going into the sump faster than it is being pumped out. My return pump is rated 700gph.
Also, did you use a swing-check valve? I noticed that it tends to reduced the flow of the return pump. Even I don't use a swing check-valve and run a hose straight from the return pump to my tank, I still get too much water in my sump.
It's frustating because the largest hardware store is 40 minutes away.I need to give it a second shot beofre I give up.
By the way the CPR Siphon Overflow I got is CS 90 rated at 600gph.
Any suggestions?
I use a Mag Drive 5 which is rated a 500 gph. I also have the CS 90. I not sure I understand what the problem is with the "Water is going into the sump faster than it is being pumped out" . Is the tank water going too low? The CS 90 can only siphon based on the amount of water coming into the tank? Can you explain your problem more fully? I have a ball valve on the return from the sump to the tank but it is wide open. What do you mean by a swing-check valve? I don't know wht that is.
 
bigtyguyy

bigtyguyy

Member
when you order these CPR over flows, is the only thing diferent in them the bulk heads. they seem to say there all 10'' wide. so could i not buy the like CS-100 and put in my 1 1/5'' bulk head myself? Are these not the best overflow company? Is there others?
 
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