Why do I fear SUMPS :)?

So, I'm going to be upgrading my 55g to a 70g cube and am toying with getting a 20g sump. For some reason I fear sumps as in my head they ramp up the possibility of me having a flood. I'll be on a 2nd floor and I can't have any disasters.

I currently don't have a sump and my tank is doing great with just an hob Deltec & the other basics, def not cluttered.

I understand how a sump works for the most part but my worry lies in the power outage situations, or the "I calculated something wrong" situations. Having water leave the tank, go to another tank, go back in the tank, makes me worry as there's more room for equipment problems in my estimate.

Can someone please put my mind at ease as I've read too many a post about floods or overflowing sumps, and want to not worry if I do get one .

Thanks!

 

That's why you have to use overflow box. You pump water from sump to DT, water flows into box and then beck to sump, if power goes off - pump will stop moving water from sump and once water level will drop below box Intake - cycle will stop, it takes less then a second

When I first heard about sump I thought that there are 2 pumps doing that job, 1 pump from DT to sump, another 1 from sump to DT. in that case disaster almost guaranteed cuz 1 pump will always do better job than another. Overflow box is 100% safe if installed properly. Just check your plumbing often for leaks and flood is going to be last thing you worry about.

 

Check Valves and proper math...simple as that.

 

thanks guys, I have a really dumb question, does a drilled tank come with an overflow box?

Do the majority of flooding problems come from people without overflows or just negligence/mis-calculation with pumps?

 

Agreeing with the other 2,i still have those same fears myself.

 

good to know, I guess it's us folks that actively "worry" or have those "fears" that won't have the problems as we cover all bases.. at least I'm hoping!

Running my 55g reef without a sump really has warped my idea of really needing one. I know it helps with water capacity/dosing area/extra tank if needed/topping off/media area/aesthetically cleans up DT, but I love my tank and have been fine without one.. so it's def a decision I'll have to mull over.

 

sometimes if you keep the water level too high in your sump , when power goes out or pump turned off, you will get an overflow from the water leaving the tank through the overflow.eep it in the proper levels and no problems. .

 

Yep, I have the same fears. Proper connections and weekly checkups to make sure no leaks are visible eases my mind... But I still get nervous leaving for vacations or trips back home.

 

Also, setting your ATO at the proper height that allows for backflow in case of an outage is key! Just running the return a little low will allow for some overflow and keep everything in the tank.

 

drilled tanks ( at least mine) came with two corner overflows already installed.
all you have to do really to prevent a flood is to make sure that when your pumps are turned off the water on the sump wont overflow.

You usually draw a margin on the sump to know where the water level is supposed to be all the time so when the pumps are turned off there will be room for the extra water coming in. ( makes sense?). That does the job.;D