Check valve on return pipe?

[mpjmeyer]

Anybody using a check valve on their return plumbing? I feel if my return pump ever goes out, I will have a nice size sump full of water as well as a 14th century wet rug. I'm thinking of installing a 3/4" pvc check valve on the plumbing.....thoughts?

 

[mpjmeyer]

 

[mpjmeyer]

My tank isn't quit full of water yet so now I could easily install one on the right return pipe.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

The goal is not to ever need one, but if you want a peace of mind, it won't hurt anything , just get something that you can replace and clean , like the union check valve

 

[mpjmeyer]

I have valves under the tank where the sump is but that doesn't help me if I'm not home and the return pump fails. I was testing all the equipment with the apex and the water level is just high enough where it is barely over the return loc tubing. When I powered the return pump off after testing, the sump water level rose quickly from the back siphon. Would you recommend this setup? (going from the elbow going into the tank down)

Bulkhead
90 degree going down
ball valve
union
check valve
union
90 degree going into sump

Or could I just get away with a check valve above the union. I'm not sure I would ever need to take the check valve off but idk

 

[mpjmeyer]

Then again, if I ever needed to do maintenance, I could bend the loc-line where it's sticking out of the water so no siphon.

 

[ss95003]

those check valves have a tendancy to fail, because water is going one direction for so long the flap just just of gets stuck there. I bring my lockline up near water surface where a couple knuckles are 1/2 out of the water then I drill a small hole on the underside. When the power fails the hole will suck in air stopping siphon.

 

[DarkSky]

You should try to design your setup so you won't need one. It's just one more thing that can fail catastrophically - if a snail or something else gets down your drain and clogs the check valve it'll be stuck open. If you're placing your returns so deep in your tank that it pumps out 1/4 of your tank water and the check valve fails it'll dump it all on your floor anyway.

Your siphon should break after the return pump stops for a few seconds and your sump should have enough extra room to take on water until the siphon is broken, if possible. I place my returns jets at an angle in the tank so once side will break the surface after the return pump stops. I can kill power to my tank and not worry about overflows.

 

[mpjmeyer]

I'm going to do the check valve and I'll drill a hole. Thank you. Hopefully the check valve doesn't fail, I'm going to set up feeding mode where the return pump shuts off for 5-10 minutes.

 

[jason2459]

I would highly recommend making sure you don't flood your sump with out one in place. If after that you still want to add one for some reason that's fine. But never depend on it always working and make sure the sump can support all the water that will drain down when the return stops and all other equipment like a skimmer or reactors are stopped.

I personally like having the back flushing on the return which I stop my return about 4 times a day in sync with an automatic feeder. I feel like it helps to back flush and keep the return pump cleaner longer.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

From helping move tanks I've seen a few setups where people put a check valve between two unions - since most hardware stores I've been to don't stock union check valves this does make sense.

The benefit of the check valve is that it provides a sense of security knowing you're not going to get black flow if your return pump fails. However, they do slowly get filled with detritus and other debris.

It is recommended that you clean your return pumps every 6 months or so to maximize efficiency so that would be a great time to make sure your check valve still seals all the way and moves freely.

When breaking down tanks the most common orders I see them is (assuming no manifold set up for reactors/chiller):
Pump >Union>Ball Valve>Check Valve>Union>Tank and Pump>Union>Check Valve> Union> Ball Valve>Tank

 

[rc1626]

BRS had a cool check valve on their 160 build. Don't remember the type but it was serviceable. Check out their 52 weeks of reefing plumbing video.
I've never personally used one so can't comment on them specifically.

 

[jason2459]

What sense of security should a check valve give you if you have your sump setup to adequately handle the water volume when all equipment is stopped. So many people over the years have found out the hard way that check valves fail and just the wrong times. No mater if they are maintained.

Some like to add them for one reason or another but to stop a flood is the worse and wrong reason.

 

[mpjmeyer]

My sump isn't very big at all. If I had the room, I wouldn't be too worried but when I shut my return off, water rose pretty quickly. Adding my sump dimensions to the calculator, I can hold 20 gallons in my sump. However that's without pumps, walls, or anything in place. Also I already have about 8 gallons inside it

 

[mpjmeyer]

It's just extra piece of mind. By no means am I 100% relying on the check valve in case of an accident which is why I can also drill a hole in one of the loc line fittings

 

[jason2459]

It's just extra piece of mind. By no means am I 100% relying on the check valve in case of an accident which is why I can also drill a hole in one of the loc line fittings

Yes, drill a siphon break but those can get clogged to make sure to clean it out periodically. Are you going to run a skimmer or any other reactors or equipment above that sump water line that will increase that volume?

Looking at the picture it looks like a lifereef sump or similar and looks like you could get a bigger one. Even just a bigger tank and silicone in some baffles would be better.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

What sense of security should a check valve give you if you have your sump setup to adequately handle the water volume when all equipment is stopped. So many people over the years have found out the hard way that check valves fail and just the wrong times. No mater if they are maintained.

Some like to add them for one reason or another but to stop a flood is the worse and wrong reason.

While I agree with you that everyone should always use an appropriately sized sump, the stated issue was that the sump was small. I also agree that check valves fail which is part of why I do not run one on my personal tanks at home (the other part being that I am a fan of getting the largest sump that will fit under my tank), but they do work as long as they are properly serviced and I have seen many successful tanks use them without issue.

 

[jason2459]

While I agree with you that everyone should always use an appropriately sized sump, the stated issue was that the sump was small. I also agree that check valves fail which is part of why I do not run one on my personal tanks at home (the other part being that I am a fan of getting the largest sump that will fit under my tank), but they do work as long as they are properly serviced and I have seen many successful tanks use them without issue.

Yes, they do work... until they don't.

I personally would do anything and everything not to require one including not using a sump at all and getting a hang on back refugium and skimmer.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

Yes, they do work... until they don't.

Exactly

 

[jason2459]

And again, looking at just that picture above of the sump it looks like there's a lot of wasted open space above the sump. A different sump that can handle more volume can be put in place of the sump that's there.