Ball valve on overflow side?

[totion]

I'm setting up a sump for my 29 gallon reef. I am going to use an eshopps pf300 overflow box. I found a great deal on a mag 5. I don't think the mag 5 with a scwd and 4.5 to 5 ft of head can match the 300gph of the overflow. Can I simply add a ball valve to the overflow tubing to control how much water enters my sump?

I don't want to go with a bigger pump and put a ball valve on that side because I've read that can affect the life of the pump...

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[Dana]

Putting a ball valve on the drain is pointless really. The overflow will only drain as much as your pump puts in the tank as long as your return doesn't exceed the amount your overflow can drain per hour

 

[shovelrider]

Do not restrict drain if you only have one overflow, especially when using hob overflow. Your tank will only flow as fast as the return pump puts it in. On the other hand if you return pump is to much for your overflow you can throttle it down with a valve. Google "Silent Failsafe Overflow" for detailed info.

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[roc5288]

On every setup I build for myself I install a ball valve on my drain and return. It has come in handy. Just more control for me. IMO. With that said there are things that can go wrong. Like forgetting to open it when your done doing what ever reason you closed it in the first place.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[shovelrider]

As for affecting the life of the pump. This is debatable. However, better to buy a new pump than floors/ carpets when your tank overflows because your restricted drain line clogs.

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[Dana]

I suppose if you are seriously restricting water flow with a ball valve on the return then maybe the life of the pump becomes less, but if you choose the adequate pump size for your application then you should only need a very small amount of restriction on the return to dial it in perfectly, if any restriction at all.

 

[SloppyJ]

I did the same thing on my drilled aquapod. I put a valve on each side. My mag 5 can't pump enough water for my overflow so it sucks air. I had to throttle down the overflow side to make them match. I really wish I didn't have to do this as I believe it's more of an accident waiting to happen. Make sure to put a strainer on the overflow and use something to cover the overflow so snails don't obstruct the flow. I used Enkamat from glass holes. I learned the hard way.

 

[totion]

awesome thanks for all the quick responses, so a 300gph overflow box matched up to 200 maybe 250 gph return pump will be fine. i asked that on another forum and no one answered at all lol.

i thought that the overflow would only drain what my pump pushed back into the display but this is my first sump setup and wanted to be sure.

thank you.

 

[totion]

the overflow won;t lose siphon if its not able to pull 300 gph? its a hob eshopps overflow...

 

[Dana]

You'll be fine in that case, but I would put a ball valve on the return just in case. You'll probably end up leaving it wide open anyways

 

[Dana]

the overflow won;t lose siphon if its not able to pull 300 gph? its a hob eshopps overflow...

It shouldn't. Never used one tho. I built my own overflow that keeps siphon no matter what

 

[Dana]

Just make sure your drain line is 1" at least

 

[totion]

ok thank you

 

[Reefing Madness]

You do nt restrict overflows. If you need to fine tune the system you put a T branch off the return line back to the sump, and put the ball valve there, then you can fine tune all you want, without restricting anything.

 

[AZDesertRat]

NEVER restrict the overflow!
The overflow rate is determined by the flow of the return pump. You add a ball or gate valve to the discharge side of the return pump to regulat flow if needed, never the overflow or you are flirting with disaster.

You also never return water to the sump, this wastes energy as the pump must work harder so creates more heat and uses higher wattage. Always install the valve inline on the return pump to the returns so you can throttle the flow by increasing head which reduces power consumption, slows flow and creates less heat due to wasted energy.

 

[totion]

Just make sure your drain line is 1" at least

The overflow box has a 3/4 inch fitting

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[AZDesertRat]

A 3/4" overflow drain should be sufficient with the Mag 5 at 4-5 feet of head. If you put the SCWD on the return you will cut the flow by another 25-30% as they really knock a pump down due to headloss. The 1" version of the SCWD is not as bad as the 3/4" version but still a pretty high headloss.

 

[totion]

If I run 1/2 inch from the mag 5 to a hydro inline heater then that to a an adapter to the 3/4inch scwd then use 3/4 inch lines out of the scwd to the urine is that going to help or hinder flow?

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[AZDesertRat]

You can probably expect 200-225 GPH before the SCWD and 150 to maybe 175 with the SCWD. I had a SCWD on a Quiet One 4000 then later a OceanRunner 3500 and was really surprised at how much it dropped the flow of a pump as large as both of those.
You may be better off skipping the SCWD and using a couple small powerheads like the Evolutions Nano or 550 instead or in addition to the SCWD. You get a lot of diffused flow out of todays powerheads with little power consumed compared to a larger return pump choked down with a SCWD.

 

[totion]

I already have 3 evolution 600s in the tank. I could get a smaller overflow. I just worry about it losing siphon. Utube style overflow box...