20 Gallon Long design, In-wall system

[justDIY]

i'm not a salty, but i like [acronym:d42f164c6f="Do it yourself"]diy[/acronym:d42f164c6f] projects...

some potential problems I see

1> having both tank overflows drain into the fuge ... depending on how many [acronym:d42f164c6f="Gallons per hour"]GPH[/acronym:d42f164c6f] your return pump is pushing, are you concerned about violent currents / whirlpool effect of having all the water dumping into a 10 [acronym:d42f164c6f="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:d42f164c6f] refuge without any baffles?

2> you show your drain lines being connected by a tee ... as I understand it, this will create backpressure on your drains, seriously decreasing the their flow rate.

3> the only way for water to get out of the fuge and back to the tank is by the gravity drain that connects them? ... what happens if this clogs with algae or debris ... does the drain have enough flow to support both drains from the main tank?

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in regards to that paddle flow switch being put inline with an overflow drain.

I do not believe that would work ... look at the pressure rating on that thing 3600 PSI! ... the water flowing down a gravity powered overflow drain, you would be lucky if you saw 10 psi

putting a float switch in the main tank to watch for low water wouldn't be any help, since by the time the switch noticed the low water level, all the water will have been spilled somewhere already.

putting a float switch in the main tank to watch for a high water level might help, since then turning off the pump will prevent the display tank from overflowing, but might make the sump overflow

float switches in the sump would serve similar purposes with similar problems

the best way to deal with it is have the system balanced so the sump can take in however much water the tank might drop during a power failure. also, have the display tank's water level such that it can absorb however much water the sump can deliver if the overflows get clogged and is not draining.

just my 2 dollars (heh, 2 cents isn't anything these days!)

[justDIY]

[acronym:36241ebeea="By the way"]btw[/acronym:36241ebeea] - moved to the [acronym:36241ebeea="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:36241ebeea] forum ... since this is clearly a [acronym:36241ebeea="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:36241ebeea] project

[reefrunner69]

[acronym:1fc1a0fa30="By the way"]btw[/acronym:1fc1a0fa30] - moved to the [acronym:1fc1a0fa30="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:1fc1a0fa30] forum ... since this is clearly a [acronym:1fc1a0fa30="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:1fc1a0fa30] project

This is actually one of those instances where it might be beneficial to have a second post running in the [acronym:1fc1a0fa30="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:1fc1a0fa30] forum. Some [acronym:1fc1a0fa30="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:1fc1a0fa30] enthusiasts (like me) do not venture in the [acronym:1fc1a0fa30="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:1fc1a0fa30] forum too much, cause every time we try a [acronym:1fc1a0fa30="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:1fc1a0fa30] project we end up injuring ourselves and buying the durn thing anyway

[justDIY]

understood ... I selected the option to leave a mirror in the s/w forum - is that sufficient?

Guess you or I can move it back - was just trying to keep things tidy

[reefrunner69]

Certainly, I am torn as to which forum it belongs in, simply wishing aloud for a copy to moderation command

[glstine]

If your worried about the tank overflowing there are overflow switches for a/c condensate overflow pans that shut off the a/c if an overflow occurs. They are small and could be placed at the back of the tank to shut off the pump if the water level in the tank raises to much. I'm not sure of how they work, but I always figured when I had a sump I would try to figure out how to use one.

Here is a link for one made by little giant http://www.littlegiant.com/LittleGia...f?OpenDocument

[d9hp]

Ok, sorry I could not get back here, I was in the mountains in a tennis tournament. I am going to have 2 overflows in the fuge, one slightly above the other in case of disaster. The overflow into the fuge will actually be on the far side of the tank, furthest from the overflows. It will have a 90 degree elbow facing the glass, which should slow it down a bit.

[d9hp]

Scratch that, the good guys over at reeffreaks gave me some more ideas, here is the newest plan.

[keegoib]

So how would you wire in the flow switch between the pump and the wall?