Anyone use these check valves from big box store? Pic attached.
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Why do you want a check valve at all? They are not needed in most properly designed systems and are a false sense of security as it can and will fail, uusually at the worst possible time. Design your overflow and return properly and it is never needed.
OP
OP
Busa1340
Active Member
Thanks for the info this is just a rough draft if you will so far. So I have a corner over flow drilled 90 gallon bought it used should the return pipe have a small hole in it for back flow? From the manufacturer
Build youself a Stockman or Durso standpipe where the air hole is in the top of the standpipe cap so backsiphonage in the overflow box is minimal. On your return(s), place it only an inch or less under the surface so when power goes off the level only drops that small distance until the overflow is exposed to atmosphere and the siphon breaks. Water cannot jump uphill and it is foolproof and requires no cleaning or maintanance and cannot fail. As long as you maintain at least that much freeboard or spare room in the sump you will never have and overflow related flood. In my case I have a 100G display and a 30G sump. My returns are 3/4" under the surface and the absolute maximum I can backsiphon is 3.5 gallons which is easily contained in the 30G sump.
No drilled holes and no check valves to clean or fail.
No drilled holes and no check valves to clean or fail.
IronVulture
Valuable Member
If there is no metal in it you should have no problems although that flapper type is not the best. That being said I would never instal a return pump without a check valve as backup protection. Your return should be very close to the water surface or have a hole drilled so it can break a siphon in case of a power outage. I like this style check valve because it can be easily disassembled and cleaned and acts as a union.
https://flexpvc.com/cart/agora.cgi?p=PVC-Valves-Check-Valves_Ball&p_id=8007GST&xm=on&ppinc=detail
https://flexpvc.com/cart/agora.cgi?p=PVC-Valves-Check-Valves_Ball&p_id=8007GST&xm=on&ppinc=detail
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Doesn't that ball rattle around inside the housing when the pump is on? I had a friend that used one similar to that once and the sound was very annoying. I am in the no check valve camp. Just make sure your sump will handle the back-flow when the power goes off and you won't have anything to worry about.
Do more research, you will find 99% of reefers will advise against check valves and drilled holes are not needed with a properly designed system. Drilled holes again need cleaning and even then whats to stop a snail from parking over it, or a piece of algae, of food or whatever. If it is worth doing it is worth doing right the first time so don't install anything until you get much more information . Besides being useless a check valve also adds additional headloss which is another reason to not use one. An air gap, meaning properly designed overflow placement is the most reliable backflow prevention known to man, does not need cleaning or maintanance and cannot fail, its as simple as that.
IronVulture
Valuable Member
I'm just saying redundancy is essential in this hobby returns can get bumped holes can get clogged some kind of check valve is important to me. As far as head loss goes take all head loss in consideration when choosing a return and no the ball doesn't rattle there is a stand off on the other side that it sits in when pressure is on it.
You are by far in the minority. They really are a waste of money. I can almost guarantee when and if the time comes you need it, it will not seal. Even a trickle will flood given time.
I design, operate and maintain high end treatment and chlorination systems and they get replaced often, even the ball checks which actually do not seal as well as flapper checks in low head situations. All it takes is slime coat, a grain of sand, a piece of algae or food, all of which are present in a saltwater system. It's an expensive Pipe coupling or union is all but if it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling go for it.
With an air gap there is no need for redundancy, water can't jump uphill, doesn't matter if it gets dirty or slime coated and you don't need to remember to take it apart and clean it.
I design, operate and maintain high end treatment and chlorination systems and they get replaced often, even the ball checks which actually do not seal as well as flapper checks in low head situations. All it takes is slime coat, a grain of sand, a piece of algae or food, all of which are present in a saltwater system. It's an expensive Pipe coupling or union is all but if it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling go for it.
With an air gap there is no need for redundancy, water can't jump uphill, doesn't matter if it gets dirty or slime coated and you don't need to remember to take it apart and clean it.
