overflow/surface skimmer plumbing

[jerzsky]

i am starting to make my plumbing for my sump/refug, and intake return piping. i have two returns 3/4" and one intake 1" . the intake will come over the back of the tank and down into the water about 2" above the sand line. almost like a hob filter intake. i have a tee at the top with a elbow pointing up with a small pipe with teeth carved in it as a surface skimmer. will this work? i am just wondering since the pipe is open at the top, will this break the siphon to the sump, or will the sump being filled keep the gravity flowing? hope i explained this clear enough... questions/comments/advice greatly appreciated

[reefone]

how r u getting water to the sump with just a pvc pipe going to the bottom of the tank?

[jerzsky]

it will be piped from the tank in pvc all the way down to the sump

[neanderthalman]

bad idea.

 

You cannot do a siphon style HOB overflow without a special type of overflow box. The particular arrangement of baffles is intended to stop flow without losing the siphon. It's almost like an "omega" tube, rather than a "U" tube.

 

If you use a straight siphon, it will be fine until your first power outage. You lose the siphon in your drain, and then your return pump turns back on. The contents of your sump overflow your display and ruin your carpet. Your wife may or may not divorce you.

 

If a straight siphon HOB worked...nobody would ever drill for an overflow box. Think about it.

[jerzsky]

ah yess...i understand now...im officially a dumbass! i should have known this!

 

ok...well, ive seen people with these coast to coast overflows?? how do these work??

[jerzsky]

i just dont wanna drill this tank, cause one day it will be my sump fuge for my 90gal

[jerzsky]

i got all the pvc n fittings from work, so i decided to play around a bit. as u can see, the pipe will extend down into the tank to draw water from the bottom, and the tee off the side turns up to draw water from the surface. the tee overhanging the back of the tank will have a cap on it. used for filling the pipe up with water, so to start the flow. maybe a hole in top of the cap to quiet things down?? i was told this whole idea wont work, but i first started talking about it without any pics. last two pics are of the returns. so let me know what u think. any questions/comments

 

pics taken on my 90 for visual ref.

 

thanx!

 

[jerzsky]

evening beer bump

[disaster999]

i dont see it working. it will not auto start when power returns, and most likely the majority of the water is going to flow from the top and barely any from the bottom.

 

just get an overflow box and be done with it.