HOB overflow was tested today...

[aquaguy24]

okay..i have a pro clear HOB overflow with the u tube...my power went out which is very rare where i live..i was at work so my wife was home but she knows nothing about the tank...when i power went out the water kept flowing down to the sump..but it stopped when the DT water level went below the skimming part of the overflow box..some water remained in the overflow box and utube.also the syphon stopped...luckly my sump was big enough that it didn't overflowed. so when my power came back on..the return pump and everything else came back on..as soon as the DT water level return to normal and it past the skimmer part of the overflow box..the syphon automaticlly started agian and nothing overflow....

.i didn;t have to do a thing..

 

[crazy4reefs]

thats great! I have seen many post by people who have had problems with their tanks overflowing after a power outage. It look like that is one headache that you wont have to deal with!

 

[stanlalee]

thats exactly how and why a U-tube design is the best and safest. You are suppose to run that test on purpose before the power goes out to make sure your sump has adequate room and you can adjust the water level accordingly. the only thing that can go wrong is a snail or something crawls inside the box and blocks the U-tube itself or your prefilter gets SO clogged/dirty that water cant pass thru it (in which either case you will run your sump dry and overflow the aquarium). The return pump stopping is never a problem!

 

[sickboy]

What kind of overflow do you have? I've been debating getting one, but am scared of the flood...

 

[jpkboca]

I have an eshopps and I have randomly tested it 10 times. Not one single failure.
But yes test it several times before to get the water level right, and everything, if not it might work fine as in the siphon and all but your sump didnt have enough space for the overflow and backflow and floods that way.
Jeff

 

[spiderwoman]

I do that test every time I do a water change.