Sump/Fuge Experts....Advice needed Siphon Vs. Pump

Ok so I went and purchased my 20gallon long sump for my 90 gallon today. I was able to show the situation to my dad and try to explain it the best i could. Now w/ that being said he understood the whole situation and I can get everything pretty much covered and he was going to help me w/ the plumbing. The major concern he had was w/ the overflow, whether I but the Eshopps overflow or do Covey's DIY overflow, he was worried what is gonna stop the siphon of the water from the main 90g tank into my 20 gallon sump in the event that there is a power outage cause the last thing I want is everything being ruined? So....does anyone have a definite answer that I can tell him why it is beneficial to use the siphon or how it would stop when the power goes out? OR.....would it be easier to just use a pump to get the water down into the sump so I don't have to worry about the water being siphoned out at least because when the power goes out the pump to push water into the sump will stop as well. Idk if anyone uses a pump to get the water to the sump but any and all input would be greatly appreciated even though I wont need this info till later I would like to have it ready for when I come to this part in the project

 

There is a small chamber on the DT side of your overflow box with small slots cut out. See it? When your power fails that small chamber is all that will drain/siphon down to your sump. Set it up and kill the power a few times, you'll get it. Very important to maintain a siphon, so get as much air as possible out of the U-Tube. Good flow will prevent air bubble accumulation. The rate of your return pump will dictate the rate of overflow, a balance will be struck.

 

Alright...i don't have the overflow box yet or made Covey's DIY overflow but I'll make sure that it works properly before everything is finalized...i thought there was a good valid reason as to why the overflow box was driven by a a siphon instead of a pump. I'll take WhiskeyTango's answer but anyone else want to chime in to add to it or clarify some more?

 

you definitely dont dont want a pump bringing the water down to the sump cause then there is the problem of trying to balance 2 pumps, because obviously you'll need another pump to pump it back up. i tossed the idea back and forth of drilling my tank or not drilling. siphon u-tube overflow, cpr style over flow, DIY over flow....this is the result of my research

If you are remotely ok with tearing your tank down to get it drilled then do it.....preferably someone who will take responsibility if it breaks

If you want to add a siphon type overflow then stop thinking about how much money you could save and buy one. peace of mind is priceless

i have read more then one comment from someone that has had a cpr style c-channel overflow cause a flood

i have yet to hear about a u-tube style overflow flooding

 

I have the eshopps overflow box and it works fine. power goes out it stops, power come back on the siphon stays and the water keeps overflowing. All you have to do is make sure to keep air bubbles out of the u-tube you can do this by increasing the flow till the pump and overflow find a balance and bubble in the u tube will be swept away.

 

i kind of messed with my eshopps pf-1000 last night while my short lived sump was up and running (sump tank ended up havin a crack) at first i had 2 1 1/4 u tubes but bubbles kept collecting in the top of the tube, when i removed one of the tubes, the flow was fast enough to sweep any bubbles through the tube

 

yeah, i had similar problems at first i couldnt figure out why the bubbles were getting caught and i noticed if i opened by pump up a little bit they flowed away. Im pretty satisfied with my eshopps overflow.

 

unless your sump is higher than the top of the display tanl you do not want to use a pump, in a power outage a siphon will be created thru the pump and drain the display tank to the lowest point of entry into the pump.

Using the proven tech of a surface skimming overflow box the tank can never drain below the level of the skim box as long as the proper siphon break precautions are implimented on the return line.

 

Fully agree!

I bought my first 'cpr channel' style of overflow about a year ago and took it back off. The included pump is supposed to suck out the bubbles. Seemed like way too many chances for something going wrong in my opinion.

I've been using u-tube style overflows since the middle 80's??? I've never even been worried about a problem, they take up minimal room, and they're inexpensive.

As long as you can see any air bubbles rocketing through the u-tube(s) and not even slowing down -- because you chose one that's the right size for your flow rate -- then it's functioning perfectly. Also use the coarse foam pre-filter that's included to prevent anything big from getting stuck in its stand pipe. Then you're good to go.

Once you see one working you'll think, "Gee that's not complicated at all."

 

i got an eshopps overflow they are great. if your power goes out the pump is no longer supplying your display with water and the overflow will quickly stop(remember the overflow only has the amount of water that the pump supplies to it). once power is restored the overflow will continue working with no problems. what you have to pay attention to is when the pump loses power...how much water will be returning to your sump i.e the water in the return hose and what little water the overflow will have once the pump is off. leave a few inches of space in your sump to contain the extra water if power is lost. also you have to be very careful with your return hose from the sump. if it is to be under the surface of your main tank if the pump is turned off it will create a syphon and pull water from your display to the sump. keep the hose right at the surface of your display so it will quickly suck air and lose the syphon in the event power is lost to the pump. im not a reefing expert but i have a operating sump and have tested cutting the power to make sure it is safe.