cpr overflow airleak

Discussion in 'Filters, Pumps, etc..' started by doog, Apr 19, 2009.

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  1. doog

    doog Peppermint Shrimp

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2008
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    Location:
    Salisbury, MD
    i've got a cpr cs-100 overflow box that hangs on the back of my 75 gal tank. it's about a year old. i use an aqualifter pump to maintain the siphon on the overflow box, as recommended by the manufacturer.

    in the last few days, i've noticed that i'm losing siphon on my overflow box (it's not draining as quickly as it should, and if i suck on the siphon tube that the aqualifter sucks on, it starts draining fast again, but a few hours later it's slowed back down, manifested as a rise in my DT water level)

    i cleaned my aqualifter tonight by flushing the tubes, cleaning the intake piece on the cpr box, and flushing vinegar thru the aqualifter line. it seems to be working better now.

    i'm wondering if anybody else has had a problem with this type of overflow box - does it ever start to lose air from a bad seal? should i be planning on coating this thing with silicon or replacing it? i'm hoping that my aqualifter is getting old, but i'm afraid that this is a bigger problem.

    thanks!!
     
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  3. reef84

    reef84 Feather Duster

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    Location:
    Austintown, OH
    i love all of the CPR products but the overflows.

    i have seen numerous types of overflows and i think this is a horrible design.


    what if the lifter quits working and then your DT is overflowing to the floor.




    i hope that cleaning the lifter pump helps and you have no problem
     
  4. doog

    doog Peppermint Shrimp

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    i've always worried about that, but the aqualifter has turned out to be the most reliable piece of equipment in my tank setup. i took it apart today to see if it needed cleaning, and now i see why - it's also probably the simplest piece of equipment. all of my powerheads (koralia and maxijet) have failed several times, while the aqualifter just chugs along....
     
  5. PharmrJohn

    PharmrJohn The Dude

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    I love the CPR. One of the best IMO if it is properly maintained. A good thing to do is to clean it out the nipple on the top of the overflow so gunk doesn't get built up. If that is blocked off, your DT levels will rise. I have had that problem. Try to do it weekly. Even twice monthly would work I think. I often times miss a week, but have not had a problem since I adopted the routine.
     
  6. Vancop

    Vancop Skunk Shrimp

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    Location:
    Washington State
    I am having problems keeping the bubble at a minimum in the CPR...I use a black mesh plastic grating to keep the critters out, and its adjustable....but hard to find the happy medium. I get more noise from the aqua lifter spitting out air then the drain line !

    Other then that...have no issues with the CPR
     
  7. Otty

    Otty Giant Squid

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    I used to run one on my 55g and the only time I would run into problems is when something was restricting the aqualifter.
     
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  9. doog

    doog Peppermint Shrimp

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Salisbury, MD
    this morning all is running well - the DT level is staying correct. I think the problem was gunk in the aqualifter, and now that it's been flushed with vinegar it's working again. thanks all.

    btw - does anyone else's nipple (the thing the aqualifter connects to on top of the box) come out of its hole? mine does whenever i try to pull off the tube connected to it.
     
  10. Optimist

    Optimist Peppermint Shrimp

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    Jan 2, 2009
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    Mine did that and I super glued it on... I was down sizing from a 150 to a 55 and the nipple broke off. I had to put a needle in the hole (to keep it open) and glue it back on. I hate when your fingers stick together! My fingers kept getting glued to the nipple and pulling it back off.. It was a really ugly site and I wasn't the top pick of "who should we hang out with?". I finally got it to hold again and I leave it alone. I wish I could do maintenance on that hole but I am worried about it coming off again.
     
  11. tigermike74

    tigermike74 Panda Puffer

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    Location:
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    I ALWAYS use the prefilter on my aqualifter and have never had a problem with it. When I cleaned it out after 6 months of use, it had no buildup at all inside of it. The only thing I had to do was glue the air nipple down once. My airline was old and hardened and when I tried to replace it, it pulled the nipple right off. I glued it back down and never had a problem since.
     
  12. grubbsj

    grubbsj Gigas Clam

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    Location:
    Outside of Seattle, WA
    I do not like the little pre-filter for the aqua lifter. Instead, I just clean the pump and nipple on the CPR. I do keep on hand an extra aqua-lifter pump and a rebuild kit. I have found that around 10 to 12 months the aqua-lifter has quit pumping...discover this the first time when the DT overflowed...

    As for keeping the bubbles small in the CPR, besides adjusting the CPR so that the nipple is on the high side, I have found that installing the Black Screen (used to keep fish out), in a J shape instead of a U shape, with the long leg of the J on the opposite side of the lip water flows over, that more bubbles get released and not carried through.

    To quiet down the aqua lifter, I extended the outlet tube and pushed it through the hole in the lid of the CPR, so that it ended below the water line in the back of the CPR. This helped a lot.