Flood Help!!!!

[killakelz]

Does anyone know how to prevent a flood from you sump filter, if the power goes out? i heard i can be done but i cant figure it out...Pleas Help me.

[sasquatch]

Yes, it certainly can and should be done, we need info and pics if possible of your set up. Steve

[bluespotjawfish]

First we need to understand what is causing your flood. It might be that you don't have enough capacity to hold the additional water from your tank in your sump. If that is the canse, you can lower the water in your sump accordingly. If that doesn't work, you may need to drill holes in your return line to reduce the amount of water that is drained from the tank when the power goes off. I think there are some threads that explain where to drill the hole, but I'd have to look around for them. If it is the siphon in your overflow that breaks, get a new one.

Basically, your sump should never flood. If it does something isn't set up right. So, keep asking questions until you find the answer. Any pics of the sump to help us out?

[lcstorc]

You have to leave enough room in the sump to hold the water in your overflow. Start with it very low and turn off the power. Everything will drain into the sump. Then you can experiment with a bit more water etc until you find the max level in the sump that will hold all the water in the overflow and pipes. Mark the appropriate level on your sump and then that is your level you use when topping off the tank.
It takes a bit of experimenting to find the right level but once you do it is great and you can live without fear of a flood. In my case the sump is kept about 1/3 full so it can hold all the extra water. I could go a bit higher but better safe than sorry IMO.

[killakelz]

thank you every one for all your help!!!! i just came back from my local pet store and they said to punch a small hole in the return line. is this true? as for the pictures ill try and have them up later in the week. unfortunaltely i dont have my camera on me at the moment.

[lcstorc]

Yes I forgot about that. You want a small hole to break the siphon in case of a power failure. That way the whole tank won't drain down into your sump just the water in the overflow and in the pipes.

[bluespotjawfish]

Small is the key word here. You can always make it bigger if it is not enough. Where you put the hole should normally be under water when the pumps are running (it will spurt out water from it if it is above your waterline).

[killakelz]

yeah thats all pretty much wat they told me at the petstore. You guys all were right. thanks again! now i feel a bit more confident about starting my reef tank.