reverse flow

tarball

Member
Hello reefers

Question Please: I finally finished the sump set up & discovered a reverse flow from the DT back to the sump through the rio 1700 pump. If i lose electricity i can expect overflowing of the sump until the return flow tube is above the water level in DT NOT GOOD !

What can i do to solve this problem?
 

saltn00b

Active Member
the rio is your return pump right? usually people drill a small hole in the return nozzle, just below the water line so if air gets in there, it will break the syphon. if you post up a pic it would help.
 

trippkid

Active Member
Originally Posted by saltn00b
the rio is your return pump right? usually people drill a small hole in the return nozzle, just below the water line so if air gets in there, it will break the syphon. if you post up a pic it would help.
I agree, that is the only way to do it if your sump can't handle the amount of backflow. Just drill a 1/8 to 1/4" hole in the return line, like said below the waterline in the DT, I would make the hole somewhere on the side of the return pipe, so you can clean it from time to time and so you don't have water shooting all over the place. Does any of this make sense to you?
 

jtrzerocool

Active Member
this is the return on my tank(still cycling)
all you need to do is drill a small hole where i indicated and the syphon will stop because it will start sucking air.
 

trippkid

Active Member
Originally Posted by jtrzerocool
this is the return on my tank(still cycling)
all you need to do is drill a small hole where i indicated and the syphon will stop because it will start sucking air.
Thanks, I couldn't get a good pic of what was being said to do.
 

michaeltx

Moderator
I couldnt either my inlet is covered in coraline so the pic would come out enough to tell what it was. LOL
Mike
 

scotty37

Member
On my tank, the return comes straight up through the overflow box and has a Vloc pipe on it. I bought it used and the previous owner had a hole drilled above the water level (which squirts into the tank when running)
Sorta makes a piping rainbow because of where it comes in on the side of the tank. Will this suffice? Or should I drill another one? It has seemed to work when I have shut the pump off, had no reverse syphon (so far)
 

trippkid

Active Member
Originally Posted by scotty37
On my tank, the return comes straight up through the overflow box and has a Vloc pipe on it. I bought it used and the previous owner had a hole drilled above the water level (which squirts into the tank when running)
Sorta makes a piping rainbow because of where it comes in on the side of the tank. Will this suffice? Or should I drill another one? It has seemed to work when I have shut the pump off, had no reverse syphon (so far)
should work fine, as long as it doesn't spray water all over the place or clog up, good to clean every now and then to be safe. Salt can build up over time, so I would poke the hole(s) with something to clear them once in awhile.
Matt
 
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