[APD] Re: siphon saga

["Steve Pushak" <teban at powersonic_bc.ca>]

I believe that George B mentioned a sump design many years ago where the
sump should empty prior to the top tank overflowing. Didn't George also
have a channel cut into the end of the tank for overflow eliminating the
need for siphons? A variation on this theme is if the water in the main
tank overflows, you have a plastic tray placed under the tank which lets
the water run safely into a floor drain. If you can't manage to place a
tray under the tank, you could silicone gutters around the base or
silicone Plexiglas fences around the top of the tank (like George's SAE
fences) allowing a slot for overflow. This eliminates the need for a
siphon at all.

There was a good idea mentioned in the thread where you connect a bleed
line to the top of the U siphon and run this into the venturi of a power
head. Thinking about possible failure modes, if the bleed line were to
become disconnected, the siphon would be lost. The power head venturi
must be below the water surface in case of power failures or the same
thing would occur.

The Plexiglas fence should be a safety measure only; the black plastic
rims on tanks aren't usually water tight but could be made so with
silicone.

Steve P

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