Has anyone installed a check valve in sump?

[-XENOMORPH-]

Hi. I'm starting my 10 gallon sump hopefully this weekend. My question is, on the tank (60 gallon rimless corner flow, bottom drilled, ..off the exit pipe from tank to sump, has anyone installed a check valve in case of return pump failure, so it doesn't drain and overlow? Is there such a thing? Thanks for advice. Waiting.... Lol

 

[m3rcfh]

That's a topic with lots of controversy
I personally don't like and don't use checkvalves myself, they are a pain to keep clean and they will eventually fail. You can only hope it's not when you most need it. Salt, slime and algae is are the perfect candidates to clog a moving part on the checkvalve. Also it restricts the flow, so the advantages of having one do not exceed the disadvantages to me.

Ideally, and for the peace of mind, you should leave enough room in your sump for the water that backflows/syphons from your overflow box and tubes back to your sump.
I have a 20g sump that runs with about 13g, leaving 7 gallon for emergencies and backflow from the return line until the water level reaches the nozzle, which is 2 gallon more than I need. Am I completely comfortable with it? No, I wish I got a 29g tank instead of 20g so I had more room and could forget about it.

TL;DR: leave enough room in the sump to account for water that backflows and check it many times to understand the limitations of your system. Checkvalves are not reliable enough to work as a safety feature for when you run out of power

 

[x2uranium]

most checkvalves will fail over time because salt water just junks out stuff up. You can install one but just realize that it is going to fail at some point. Also try figuring out a level where when you turn the pump off it won't overflow your sump

 

[Daltrey]

The only check valve I would use on an aquarium would be a wye. They can be disasembled and cleaned regularly. Otherwise no I wouldnt use one.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/geor...MI17604rjS2AIVFrXACh1b7gu6EAQYAyABEgJVAfD_BwE

 

[mfinn]

Funny, how I've seen this very topic 2 times since yesterday.

I use a check valve ( wye check valve) ( and a siphon break hole) on my 50 gallon tank. Have been for many years and it has worked through several power outages and countless times when turning off the return pump for water changes.
However, yesterday I had a power outage and I wasn't too worried about much. It was warm ( 50 degrees) and light out so I started moving stuff to get at my circuit box and preparing to start my generator and being pretty casual about it. I even stopped to talk with my neighbor about what we thought could have caused the outage.
It was about a 1/2 our or so later my wife ran outside and informed me that there was water on the floor, in the 2 back rooms where my 50 was at.
I went in and saw the tank had drained down too about 1/4 full.

This system has worked flawlessly for 10 years or more, until yesterday.

So the question is, " Do you feel lucky?"

 

[jsker]

The only check valve I would use on an aquarium would be a wye. They can be disasembled and cleaned regularly. Otherwise no I wouldnt use one.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/geor...MI17604rjS2AIVFrXACh1b7gu6EAQYAyABEgJVAfD_BwE

I have one of those and it works well.

 

[Rakie]

Funny, how I've seen this very topic 2 times since yesterday.

I use a check valve ( wye check valve) ( and a siphon break hole) on my 50 gallon tank. Have been for many years and it has worked through several power outages and countless times when turning off the return pump for water changes.
However, yesterday I had a power outage and I wasn't too worried about much. It was warm ( 50 degrees) and light out so I started moving stuff to get at my circuit box and preparing to start my generator and being pretty casual about it. I even stopped to talk with my neighbor about what we thought could have caused the outage.
It was about a 1/2 our or so later my wife ran outside and informed me that there was water on the floor, in the 2 back rooms where my 50 was at.
I went in and saw the tank had drained down too about 1/4 full.

This system has worked flawlessly for 10 years or more, until yesterday.

So the question is, " Do you feel lucky?"

Ouch, sorry to hear that buddy... Hopefully no losses. Flooring included.

In theory, check valves are amazing. In reality, they're a nightmare. Because often when we imagine things we fail to grasp the negative scenarios. Or we think "Oh, I'll never not clean it" - "The odds of the rubber seal aging and falling apart are almost zero" <---- To me, this is the difference between reality and theory. We will forget to clean it, or opt not to. It will fail. Everything we put in our tanks will fail, and as much as we love our tanks, we have to come into this knowing that it's extremely possible we wake up one morning to an entirely nuked tank.

 

[Waters]

I also use check valves....they are a good extra layer of protection, you just can't rely 100 percent on them to save you from a flood. Still need proper planning to make sure your sump will not overflow in case the check valve fails.

 

[m3rcfh]

I guess it all comes down to if you want to add that to your maintenance routine (and be pretty serious about keeping it clean). I'm all about redundancy on safety features, so keeping room on the sump with the check valve is a good practice. The check valve alone I would avoid unless it's the only way

 

[mfinn]

I have one of those and it works well.

Yes, mine worked very well too, until it didn't.

 

[jsker]

Yes, mine worked very well too, until it didn't.

I just clean it every couple of months.

 

[Sagecritter4life]

The only check valve I would use on an aquarium would be a wye. They can be disasembled and cleaned regularly. Otherwise no I wouldnt use one.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/geor...MI17604rjS2AIVFrXACh1b7gu6EAQYAyABEgJVAfD_BwE

This I what I used also for basement sump...liked the clean ability of it...but I still made sure if had complete failure that sump would hold the amount in transit etc lol

 

[Mark Derail]

Youtube "reverse check valve" I remember a video, where the guy uses it way at the top. It closes when pressure, opens when no pressure, letting air in.

Many people have the return water go over the top of the DT, run along the side a bit, before angling into the DT.
My last 2 inches from the 45 degree, I have rubber flex tubing that force-fits into it, and it is just long enough to deliver water with no splashing noise.
But it is all out in the air.

When I cut power, it doesn't siphon at all. I saw another reefer, he drilled two 1/8" holes right after the 90 degree return hose, about half an inch below the water line.
So it siphons just a bit, then air gets in after draining some 1 to 2 gallons.

 

[ca1ore]

Got a drawer full of old check valves, including the Y versions - scrapped them all. Design the plumbing right and they are unnecessary. Beyond failure, they put back pressure on the pump and will 'hammer' as they close (at least the Y versions do).