Q about pumps

[dpnshnks]

I'm thinking about adding a small fuge into my system and it occured to me (after I get all the necessary parts) that if the return pump failed, I could be looking at one GIGANTIC mess. Not to mention, I would lose everything in the tank! So, before I hook this thing up, does anyone know how often Magdrive pumps will rapidly fail? I don't care if it happens over a few days or a week, I just don't want to leave for a few hours and come home to find water everywhere!

Great, I worry about the fish, I worry about the corals, now I can worry about pump failure!

Eric

 

[NateHanson]

Why would pump failure cause a flood/mess? You should make sure you're return plumbing has it's opening just below the water level in the display tank, so a siphon is minimized when the pump stops. You also need to have enough overflow capacity in your sump, that when the return pump is unplugged, the water that drains out of the plumbing and tank won't overflow the sump.

As far as magdrive failure, I don't think they really fail any more often than other pumps. Cleaning twice a year is probably a good idea to keep things running smoothly.

Nate

 

[dpnshnks]

Power failure is okay, there is plenty of room in the sump for the extra water. My problem stems from the fact I'm trying to squeeze a lot in under a 90 gal tank. So, what I'm planning on doing is splitting the return from my mechanical filter and taking a small portion of that water to feed the fuge. The fuge will then passively feed into the sump and be returned again to the tank. The problem lies in the fact that if the pump in the mechanical filter keeps working while the Magdrive in the sump fails, I'm looking at the entire 90 gallons eventually pumped into the sump with nowhere for it to go. Does this make sense?

Eric

 

[NateHanson]

Just put the suction for your canister filter right near the top of the display tank, so if the display level starts to drop the canister will run dry. Not worth the risk of pumping your whole tank into the living room.

 

[dedfish]

Or use a powerhead like a maxijet1200 and pump water from the sump into the fuge where it will then return to the sump. To me it's too risky too break the loop in the mechanical filter.

 

[testhead1313]

You could also just buy a small float switch off of ebay or something and attach it to the upper corner of the sump. When the float reaches a certain level, it should (theoretically) turn off the pump. If you do go this route, make sure the switch is rated for 120V and the appropriate wattage. These usually go for around $10-$30 depending on whether it is hooked up to a junction box or just leads. If you kept the switch high and dry, I don't forsee any need to clean algae off of it, just some salt creep once and a while. I see your apprehension, but I agree with an earlier post... buy a pump to move water between the 'fuge and sump.

 

[delta]

Why not skip the pump and use your return plumbing?
Throw a PH in for safe measures in case circulation pump fails

Every part of my system has an alternate means of circulation if a pump should fail

 

[dpnshnks]

Thanks everyone, you've been a big help! I'll probably just split off of the return pump, that sounds like a much better idea without the possibility of a major catastrophe. I used to say that there is Murphy's law and Eric's law. Murphy's is "What can go wrong, will go wrong." Mine is a subtle variation of that: "What can go wrong, will go wrong to me." Again, thanks for helping me avoid the looming disaster!

Eric