Emergency Drain questions???

Discussion in 'New To The Hobby' started by Drboomson, Oct 2, 2013.

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  1. Drboomson

    Drboomson Flamingo Tongue

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    Im new to the hobby (really new) but id like to think i have some general knowledge that compels me to ask the question of "WHY"...If my sump is capable of holding an additional 10g (much more than my in tank overflow can hold) and my main tank can hold, much more than my return section in my sump and ATO in the event of a failure, than why do i need an emergency drain???? Some ppl are being so adament that i have one and i guess im jsut not seeing the full picture. I mean unless 2 of my 1/4" baffles break in my sump and my drain gets clogged at the same time, i dont see the point. Im just getting the feeling ppl were told by someone else to have one without thinking for themselves, so again without thinking they tell everyone they know its madatory to have one. I have simulated a power outage and turned everything off at once, and not even close to flooding. So please if anyone has a legitimate reason on why one should have an emergency drain please let me know cuz im jsut not seeing it.
     
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  3. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    Emergency drains are there so that if your main drain clogs, you don't overflow your display tank. The return pump will pump all the water from the return section in your sump into the display and overflow it if you have one drain and it clogs.
     
  4. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    I just reread this. I'm assuming you have a standard reef ready tank with corner or back wall overflow. I have no idea how your main display tank could handle extra volume from the sump return chamber, unless your overflow height is set low, and keeps the water level in the display alot lower than the trim on the tank. Most people like the display to look full, and most reef ready tanks come setup so the water level in the display will be almost to the top. This doesn't alow for extra water to be pumped in from the sump in the event of a drain clog. Not to mention besides all of that, if you are away from home, even if nothing would flood like u are saying, the pump would sit there and run dry. Backup drains are ALWAYS a good idea.
     
  5. ivanbosk

    ivanbosk Feather Duster

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    If he has a big sump it should be able to handle the overflow
     
  6. Blue Falcon

    Blue Falcon Fire Goby

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    the only time i see emergency drains useful is when you are running a restricted overflow such as a herbie or beananimal overflow. If you have a standard reef ready tank, then you only have one drain (per overflow) and if there are two holes in each overflow one of them is for the return.

    The purpose of an emergency drain is incase the main drain gets clogged (which will not usually happen unless you are using a gate valve on your drain like in a herbie or beananimal design). I have run both the bean animal and the herbie, and sometimes I would get a snail stuck at the gatevalve and I was glad I had the emergency drain. Of course a better strainer over my drain could have prevented this.
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2013
  7. Greg@LionfishLair

    Greg@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    I suppose it's all about how much one worries about flooding, and how much of a "warm fuzzy" you're looking for.

    Are they mandatory? Nope.

    Are they a good idea? Yep...esp. if you're nervous about flooding.

    FWIW, and personally, I've never used an emergency drain in any of our systems over the years, nor have I had any floods. If you set your sump and overflow up properly, and perform proper maintenance, you won't need one, IMHO. Also, if you happen to run dual standpipes, you more or less already have an emergency overflow.
     
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  9. Drboomson

    Drboomson Flamingo Tongue

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    Correct i have a center back wall overflow and the water level sits at the bottom of the black rim piece that goes around my tank about 1 1/4" fromt he top but you can tell cuz the water line is hidden. From my calculations this leaves me around 6-7 gallons of room which is more than enough for my return section of my sump...So what im reading is the worst thing that can happen is my pump runs dry and overheats from a clog, which i have 1.5" plumbing, guess i jsut dont see this happening
     
  10. Marshall O

    Marshall O Giant Squid

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    I don't have an emergency drain on my 125; just the standard "reef ready", dual overflows with single 1 1/4" durso drains.
     
  11. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    It's really a piece of mind thing. You have a 1.5 inch bulkhead or 1 inch bulkhead with 1.5 inch pipe?
     
  12. vtecintegra

    vtecintegra Fire Worm

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    That's your answer. If the tank can take the return section, then the only thing you would have a problem with is the pump running dry. I've got about 15 gallons in the return section of the sump and that would probably overflow my tank, so an emergency is a necessity for me.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2013