HOB overflows, who has em ? good/bad ?

[rob1984]

so ive been looking around and thinking of sumping my tank within the 2fx5's i have on the tank here right now...

and noticed that there is a eshopps wd300cs (200-300gal tanks) comes with plumbing and bio balls and even a eshopps 1800 dual overflow box... now ive heard of guys having trouble with these during power outtage's .... is there a way to prevent this issue and what exactly happens to create a flood during a power outtage with these unit beside having your sump WAY to full, yes i understand the tank will ONLY drain so much water but once the tank is drained of the amount of water what happens when the power comes on the pumps turns on but then there is a air pocket in the top side of the u tube on the overflow box, this is this issue ive heard about them causing floods.... i wanna run a sump but im scared of flooding the house and i dont wanna drill my tank....also im not exactly sure what size of pump this unit should have on it ? maybe a laguna 2000gph or a laguna 2400gph as there the most energy efficent

this is not were im buying mine from but this is the one im looking at http://www.thatpetplace.com/eshopps-...wet-dry-filter

anyone have any input with these or any help or expersince would be great​

 

[swk]

I have the eshopps overflow and have had zero problems. If set up correctly they're quite reliable.

Most problems with outages are with the return line back siphoning into the sump and flooding it. Drilling a small hole at, or above the tanks water line can mitigate this issue. The only other thing that can fail is losing the siphon in the u-tube. Personally I have never had this happen. I've used hob overflows for years. If the pump is properly sized and can keep enough water flowing through it, it'll be fine. If the u-tube loses its siphon, the contents of the sump will be pumped into the tank and can flood. The easy solution is to set the water level of the tank about an inch below the top of the tank. This leaves enough room for this to not be an issue.

Essentially it all comes down to having a properly sized sump, and TESTING for an outage and loss of siphon to see what will happen, and make the necessary adjustments. IME, the people that say that they're a disaster waiting to happen are not using the right equipment, have never actually used one, or do not have them set up correctly. I certainly prefer tanks with built in overflows, but the eshopps hob are about as problem free as can be.

 

[rob1984]

I have the eshopps overflow and have had zero problems. If set up correctly they're quite reliable.

Most problems with outages are with the return line back siphoning into the sump and flooding it. Drilling a small hole at, or above the tanks water line can mitigate this issue. The only other thing that can fail is losing the siphon in the u-tube. Personally I have never had this happen. I've used hob overflows for years. If the pump is properly sized and can keep enough water flowing through it, it'll be fine. If the u-tube loses its siphon, the contents of the sump will be pumped into the tank and can flood. The easy solution is to set the water level of the tank about an inch below the top of the tank. This leaves enough room for this to not be an issue.

Essentially it all comes down to having a properly sized sump, and TESTING for an outage and loss of siphon to see what will happen, and make the necessary adjustments. IME, the people that say that they're a disaster waiting to happen are not using the right equipment, have never actually used one, or do not have them set up correctly. I certainly prefer tanks with built in overflows, but the eshopps hob are about as problem free as can be.

hmmmm, ok sounds resonable... and yea i know that they have a line/marking on the sump to not fill anymore then that... and to eliminate the back siphon would a spray bar work that way ? as long as the bar is located a inch above the water line ? or would it still be best to have a hole drilled in the return line a inch below the constant water line regardless of the return setup (loc line/spray bar/open end pipe)... and i usually only have my water level just a bit above the bottom part of the top trim so 1.5-2" maybe ?

and for the eshopps WD300CS sump that comes with the eshopps 1800 HOB overflow box (1600gph i believe) would a laguna 2000gph work properly on a system like that it says it comes with a 3ft line so that laguna 2000gph pump @3ft says it does 1690 GPH... with having a vavle on the line i can throttle it back to keep and maintian a constant level without the pump going faster then the drains right ? or what is a better pump i should look at ?