How to make siphon break

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Scotty Fraiser

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
175
I want a new reservoir to keep my auto top off water in. I am currently using a tall bucket that aquavitro salt comes in. Would like a 15 gall reservoir. The problem is if the container is any taller it could possibly siphon once pump kicks off. The end of the hose going to the sump is 18 inches high. So the container does not need to be taller than 18 inches. Is there a way to solve this problem where I can use a taller reservoir? Possibly some kind of siphon break?
 
Not sure if this helps, but when I ran a sump, the return hose would be below the surface and when I would shut off the return pump, I noticed that the return hose would reverse siphon the tank water back to the sump until a break occurred (about 1/4" later).

To remedy this, I drilled a couple of small holes in the return pipe about 1/4-1/2" ABOVE the water line. The holes were angled so that the trickle of water that came out of it was directed down to the tank. I drilled more than one because slime, detritus, or algae tends to block up small holes. Now when the pump is off, air enters to return pipe and breaks the siphon.
 
I'm wanting a bigger resoivoir for my top off water. Would like for it to have at least 7 days worth of water. The problem is my sump is lower than the water level of the new resoivoir. The new one will be around 18 inches to the top (or taller) and sump is only about 12 inches. When top off tank is full and pump stops. A siphon will occur.
 
You can cut the hose that is connected to the top off pump going to the sump. Make a funnel located above 18 inches that goes to your sump while the other part of the hose from the top off pump will be feeding the funnel. That way there is no siphon going to the sump. A bigger size hose would also work and the smaller one feeding it.
 
Thought about putting a T above the 18 inch mark. Letting a piece of hose run up the wall a foot or two. This way when the siphon starts it will pull water from hose and get air??? Is that similar to the funnel you were talking about? Ro water is in laundry room and runs through the wall to sump so I have very little room to work with. If I use the T the water should not have enough pressure to push up and out of the open hose. It should run down hill to sump then suck air through the same open hose.
 
I do have a float valve that kicks pump on. I am wanting a taller ro container but don't want to worry about it siphoning.
 
I just have my hose end shoot the water in from the top of the sump, held in place by a small plastic holder. That way the pump won't start a syphon draining the ATO reservoir down to the hose end nor will it back syphon.
I had thought about a funnel as well, but your T connection is a better idea than a funnel.
 
I just have my hose end shoot the water in from the top of the sump, held in place by a small plastic holder. That way the pump won't start a syphon draining the ATO reservoir down to the hose end nor will it back syphon.
I had thought about a funnel as well, but your T connection is a better idea than a funnel.


I'm new to saltwater but I was gunna ask of you could do it this way you just explained and just have the hose a little about where the floats gunna kick the pump back off so the end of the hose would just never be in the water
 
It does not matter if the hose is in the water or not!! If the end of the hose is below the level of the resoivoir. It's can siphon. Be careful.
 
Back
Top Bottom