To close for comfort. Disaster averted!

DD

DD

"Rambo"
So some of you know I travel for work. I thought I was all good because I have an apex with every piece of equipment hooked up to it, I have family members that live with me who feed the fish and refill my ATO container as it gets used up, and they also keep an eye on things despite not know jack chit about aquariums.

Well as I'm waiting for my flight this evening, I receive a call from one of my family members saying that the water level is really, really high in my tank. So I asked for the silencer to be removed from my standpipe in the overflow box as I turn off the return pump, skimmer, ATO, and dosing pumps. Well that ain't working! Next I ask if there is water in the overflow tube. The response I get is, I don't think so. So I ask said family member to watch the tube as I turn the return pump back on to see if water is flowing through it. No joy.

So now at this point I figure its useless as tits on a bull to try and explain how to snake a piece of airline tubing into the u-tube and draw the air out in order to restart the siphon. So I just said leave it alone since the mp-10 is running and I would be home in two and a half hours.

So I get back home and look in the overflow box, both sides and find no obstructions, nor do I find any snails. The only two things I know of that can stop a siphon are snails, or someone jacking with the tube. Since my family is too afraid to touch any of the equipment, and I didn't find any snails, I'm pretty much at a loss.

Well I restarted the siphon and everything is running like a champ again.

Two options I'm considering in order to mitigate this type of disaster from occurring again are:

Add a second U-tube

Buy a breakout box with two floats. One for high water and one in the sump for low. Both will be programmed to cut power to the return pump and shoot me an email.

Not sure which way to go, maybe do both?
 
Breakout box for peace of mind...program it to shutoff return if high float valve is triggered or something similar. Overflow boxes are the problem, but it is what it is :)
 
they make a new float module for the apex, but diy breakout is cheap!!! cant have 2 many safeties

nvm, just checked, they came out with a leak detection module, but you can do that with breakout already
 
Yup, I'm definitely gonna do at least triple redundancy.

Worst part is before I set the tank up, it was chilling empty for two or three weeks. Plenty of time to bring it to Shotank to have it drilled. You live and you learn.
 
All is good fortunately. I usually have the sump off for a while when I do maintenance on the tank and sump as well. Definitely not a good feeling lol! I'm thinking that when I'm ready to get rid of my planted tank and get a reef ready, I'll transfer all my livestock over to the new tank after it cycles and bring this tank in to have it drilled.

I'm just amazed that the u-tube lost its siphon. Out of all the years back in the day when I had overflow boxes, not once did the tube lose its siphon. Even after the power being out over 24 hours.
 
Drill a hole in the U Tube, and toss an Aqualifter up top to suck out any air/water at the top of the UTube. Permanent Siphon!
 
Funlad3 said:
Drill a hole in the U Tube, and toss an Aqualifter up top to suck out any air/water at the top of the UTube. Permanent Siphon!
Click to expand...

Lol, almost permanent siphon...I have a CPR overflow and if the aqualifter ever gave, I'd be, in the same boat. The ADL is probably the best route.
 
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