Help Cpr Mess On My Floor

[sparkienyc]

briefly 65 gallon marine running rio 800 rvt connected to cpr overflow... 20 gal berlin sump / sea urchin skimmer and rio 3100 return pump with check valve. Rubber tube connects the rvt to the nipple on the overflow box. All was fine for a month. Fri when i returned from dinner my tank was filled to the brim and almost the entire contents of my 20 gallon sump was emptied on my wooden floor. after inspection i found that the rvt stopped or was clogged ( i suspect the culprit) HELP
1. did i do something incorrect in the setup of the rvt overflow initially? does the other tube on rvt currently connected to the rio 800 need to be split or go somewhere else?
3. do i need a backup rvt? if so what would you recommend?
4. what broke the siphon?
Currently every piece of equipment is scrubbed clean and reassembled, but i am afraid to start up the system and go to bed tonight HELP PLEASE .. IF I NEED TO BUY SOMETHING ELSE TONIGHT I NEED TO DO IT IN THE NEXT 45 MINUTES

[Z-Ice]

Did any snales get into your overflow and work it's way down?

You should get a Aqua Lifter Pump.
Continuous Siphon Overflow


I am a person who needs pictures. Got any?

I am a bit confused on why do you have 2 pumps? The overflow should not have a pump unless it is something like aqua lifter pump. All you need is a return pump. If you wanted 2 pumps(not recommended) then you do not need an overflow. I do not know...perhaps I am going about this the wrong way?

Zak

[sparkienyc]

I learned that everything was correctly set up, however something broke the siphon on the venturi to the overflow, so the return pump kept pumping away , overfilling the tank and spilling over . Some one should tell you that the venturi needs to be disassembled weekly to prevent such things from happening..
I thought attaching an aqualifter would act like a failsafe should the venturi get clogged again or the propeller stop????? I appreciate all your help

[Z-Ice]

I am sorry but a picture of your overflow system would help me greatly.

Note:
If your system is new I would recommend start over. Drill your tank!!! Remove HOT overflow. I have one and it sucks. All overflows cannot be trusted.

A backup if you will...
Make sure the area where your return pump is will run out of water before your tank overflows. You may burn up a pump but you will not have to replace your floor. Add a baffel to your sump to ensure your return area is not attached to your main sump. I am glad I designed mine that way. (thanks Otty). My ATO will keep supplying water but...my ATO will run out of water.

Look into a desing for your overflow water/air pump so it pumps to an open area before it reaches your pump. Removes all the crap before reaching your pump. Something like: CD-18881 from the previous link I sent. This one is an air protection but one for sediment is good too. (sorry no pic there)

Zak

[aquaboy]

Z-ice, some continuous siphon overflows come with small powerheads were you attach the pipe from the nipple to a venturi. I have one too. And it overflowed as well. Gonna get me an aqualifter.... thought i would be okay for a awhile until BAM come home from school and mom throws a shoe at me and says some word in polish that interpreted into english mean something along the lines of "Get Arse out of house before you are shot".

[Z-Ice]

I am using a U-Tube. I have an aqua lifter but it doesn't work overly well. I have soo much throughput the air bubles do not rise to the top. The air bubbles stay in the back of the tube and get real big until the tank begins to overflow. When I get home from work I must shutoff my return pump and the air bubble ventually floats to the top and is pumped out. I must check this every 3-4 days or a problem might happen. Again...overflows are very bad. Drill drill drill. I will be setting up a new 55 drilled or hopefully something bigger this summer. Move everything over and change my current 55 into a freshwater with bass and northern. Once I move everything over I will be in heaven. No more worring about water overflowing!!

Zak

[aquaboy]

ohh, in my continuous over flow (Big acrylic box) water flow is distributed throughout the part that siphons. So the flow through the tube part is slow, but overall flow is fast....its hard to describe in words....