Is 1400 GPH too Much?

What if your not home ?! you need a siphon break. drill a 1/4 inch hole just under the surface of your water level in your return pipe in the tank.

 

Won't I lose quite a bit of water power that way.

I tried lifting the return pipe out of the water a little to let in air, didn't work at all, just reduced the flow. Even when I lifted out one entire return it didn't work. I'm not sure if a hole would do it.

This is kind of a big problem isn't it. I never really gave it too much thought.

It's funny when I ordered the tank at my LFS they told me, if the power goes out only the water in the overflow will go into the sump. They must have forgot all about the return line. I really didn't know how it worked so I didn't question them.

I just did a small test to see if the hole would work. I took a piece of tubing and made a hole, I filled it with water and drained the tank a little, the hole didn't stop the flow, just slowed it down.

There must be another way.

 

Tried the test again with a bigger hole, it worked. I know it should of the first time, meh!

I'm just worried about loosing flow. And filling the overflow with good water and reducing it's purpose.

 

the hole should be at the top of your return line 1/2" or less below the surface of your water a 1/8" hole WILL break the syphon
The water is already back in your tank at this point so I don't understand how it will reduce flow, could you explain?

 

Well it would reduce the flow by shooting water into the overflow. My return line is in my overflow, only the ball joint heads come out.

To get a better idea of what it looks like, click on the link:
http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/megaflow_demo.shtml

Only thing wrong about the diagram is that the heads are not in the water.

 

1/8th inch hole didn't do it. Still a lot of water coming through the tube.

I'm going to try a little larger hole.

 

11/66th worked. Well sort of, it worked 4 of out 5 times, second time I killed the power it didn't. Those are pretty good odds, I don't want to make it any bigger. Loosing too much flow, about 100 GPH it feels like, maybe 75. I just hope I don't loose too much filtration.

 

Did you buy the overflow kit or build your own? If you bought the kit the seep hole is already in the return its in the inside of the L shape on the 90 elbow. How high is your water line? I have installed many of these kits and once it gets to the bottom of the overflow teeth its done draing into the sump.

 

I bought the overflow. The water was coming in through the return though, once the pump stopped the return pipe drained water into the sump. Good old gravity.

I did have to alter the return pipe a little before, it was too high, with glass tops there was no way to shut the top. Now I added the whole a little above the water line, when the overflow is at it's lowest with the power off.

The picture you see with the above link will give you a better idea of how it works. The main fault of the design is that it was made to have the return heads out of the water. If it was out of the water it would create way too many microbubbles and I wouldn't be able to put the glass tops on.

Everything seems to be in working order now, I didn't like loosing the GPH but I didn't really have a choice. I still think I have very good water flow.

 

I know the megaflows and dont need the picture from All Glass but thanks. Now where are you drilling the hole? If you bought the overflow kit the hole is pre drilled in the elbow of the return