WYE Check Valve - Anyone use these?

[LegoZ81]

Image from premiumaquatics:

I have a system I plumbed up and the swing style check valves chatter and won't close.

Wondering if these would fully close with less backpressure and prevent siphoning.?

 

[gparr]

Yes, I've use one on two systems and am using one now. Make sure they're installed vertically and, every month, pull out the drop plug for cleaning and clean the housing in which it sits. They work great.
Gary

 

[gparr]

Also, brace yourself for a long list of lectures about how you shouldn't need a check valve if your system is properly designed.
Gary

 

[stunreefer]

Also, brace yourself for a long list of lectures about how you shouldn't need a check valve if your system is properly designed.

:nerd: Here comes the first one

If you do use one, make sure to clean it regularly as Gary mentioned. I know several people who have used that exact one and it's been fine for them, although to me, another potential point of failure.

 

[dknuckles]

I use the same one. It periodically jambs and overflows. Regular maintenance is required. I would do an anti-siphon hole in addition to CV.

 

[Troylee]

Like mentioned already I would would re-design the plumbing and lose the check valve.... It's not if but when it will fail... I have never used them and never will... There is all kinds of ways to elimante a check valve.. Post some pics of what your trying to do I would gladly help...

 

[Psychographic]

The reason to brace yourself for the lectures is that they are somewhat proven to be ineffective to an extent. There is simply too many things that build up in the plumbing to make a checkvalve foolproof. Yes you can clean them on a regular basis in hope that it won't fail, but what if something prevents it from sealing the day before your scheduled cleaning? As Murphy tells us, that will be the day you are not home and the power goes out. Wouldn't you feel safer knowing you designed your system to handle a loss of power without a flood?

 

[Troylee]

You can use PVC "y's" similar to the pic you posted without the check valve in it For a siphon break that works and is fool proof... For some aplications that is..

 

[AZDesertRat]

The reason for the lectures is check valves are a "feel good" device, they can and will fail. I try to steer people in the right direction to begin with so they don't have that flood one day in the future. Nothing replaces an air gap which is the only foolproof naintenance free method of backflow prevention. We avoid check valves in wastewater treatment plants like the plague for a reason and a reef system is basically a miniature treatment plant complete with solids, foods and bugs all that can defeat a check valve.

 

[SaraB]

Yes, I've use one on two systems and am using one now. Make sure they're installed vertically and, every month, pull out the drop plug for cleaning and clean the housing in which it sits. They work great.
Gary

Ditto and Gary is speaking from experience of cleaning up my sump overflow just last weekend. They work great, but clean them, clean them, clean them!!!

 

[AZDesertRat]

Cleaning helps but who is to say that little snail doesn't get stuck on the valve seat 10 minutes later. Or that chunk of frozen food, or a single grain of sand, it does not have to be a catastrophic failure, even a trickle will overflow a sump in a power outage.

Check valves are a false sense of security.......

Design it correctly the first time and sleep soundly at night.

 

[LegoZ81]

You can use PVC "y's" similar to the pic you posted without the check valve in it For a siphon break that works and is fool proof... For some aplications that is..

Can you provide some additional details on this?

The reason for the lectures is check valves are a "feel good" device, they can and will fail. I try to steer people in the right direction to begin with so they don't have that flood one day in the future. Nothing replaces an air gap which is the only foolproof naintenance free method of backflow prevention. We avoid check valves in wastewater treatment plants like the plague for a reason and a reef system is basically a miniature treatment plant complete with solids, foods and bugs all that can defeat a check valve.

Can you explain how to accomplish an air gap on a pressure side setup? Not sure if I am following how to pull this off.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Where the returns enter the tank you keep them just below the surface so they are exposed to air when a slight amount of water flows back. In my case I have a 100G display and it backsiphons about 3/4" back before the returns are exposed and the siphon breaks, thats 3.2 gallons but I keep 8 gallons of freeboard in my 30G sump at all times partly as a safety factor but mostly because thats the level where my skimmer performs best.

Once the returns are uncovered its impossible to continue siphoning so they are foolproof, no check valves and no drilled holes to maintain.

Like so:

Basically the teeth on the overflow and the returns are about the same depth and run out of water at the same time.
Or seen from a different angle you can see the nozzles just below the surface. The LocLine in the corner is a closed loop so depth does not matter.

 

[LegoZ81]

Gotcha, I misunderstood what you meant by air gap. While this was not for my system it has me thinking about mine. What would you recommend for my skimmer, it holds 13gallons and the fill pipe is mid body so 6 gallons drains from that alone. Also my tank will drain to overflow level and that is another 10 gallons even with no siphoning (the return is in an overflow box so it can only drain the overflow box in an event of a check valve failure.

The real fix I think will need to be a new sump and that is not that big of a deal if that is what it has to be.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Dang, how big is your system? Thats a big skimmer! Does the overflow box have a standpipe in it? Mine only drains as low as the standpie so the box stays almost full since the drop between the teeth and standpipe is not much, only enough for good surface skimming.

 

[LegoZ81]

display tank is 96x24x24 and water level is ~1" above the overflow when it is up and running

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/f52/my-240g-tank-build-thread-31152-3.html#post380780

 

[LegoZ81]

Page one has all equipment listed and some pics.

 

[Troylee]

you can use these

mounted like this...
Hook it up similar to this and you should be fine...

 

[Troylee]

if you have locline or something inside the tank just drill 2 small holes in it below the waters surface i would personnaly use 2 althou one will work it's just another saftey factor if algae or a snail plugs one...

 

[gparr]

if you have locline or something inside the tank just drill 2 small holes in it below the waters surface i would personnaly use 2 althou one will work it's just another saftey factor if algae or a snail plugs one...

Now you've addressed the problem I have with this whole issue. It has always seemed to me that there is essentially no difference between having to maintain a check valve and having to make sure small holes in locline are kept open and to remember that if you adjust the locline, you have to do it in such as way as to not block the holes. I'm not arguing the point one way or the other. I just struggle to see that there is an appreciable difference.
Gary