plimbing question

G

georgeorndorff

Guy's and Gal's,
I have a small plumbing problem, here it is.
In the 1 inch line from my return pump up to the aquarium is a check valve molunted horizonly. When I turn off the return pump to feed the check valve will chatter and shake for 10 to 20 seconds , then shut of the flow. I have changed the valve out with no luke. I can move it to mount it vertically if I thought it would work better...Any thoughts...George
 
i would recommend removing the check valve all together as you don't want to rely on them - it is better to set up your tank with anti-siphon holes in your return plumbing in the tank to break the siphon - that way, you don't have to worry about the check valve failing and flooding your house - just my 2 cents - good luck.
 
Totally agree with gmacy on this one. drill a small 1/8 inch hole just below the water line in your return. Then when you turn the pump off it will drain only until it starts sucking air through that hole. You should drill 2 or 3 just in case one gets clogs but it's way more disaster proof then a check valve which have an infamously high failure rate.
 
the swing-type check valves i use are marked "horizontal only". I use them in the plumbing just above the pump output going into the plumbing manifold. in addition to added safety, this position also adds ease for when I take the the pump out for cleaning without the need for a ball valve there.

Note that check valves are huge flow restrictors, something to consider in your plumbing plans. in my case, i used a 2" check valve in my 1" plumbing.
 
I'm with gmacy on this one. I have a swing check valve (mine is mounted vertically) and it does the same little chatter when I shut the pumps off. Previsouly I did not worry about the fact that it would chatter for a few seconds before stopping until one day I caught it going for several minutes. Yep thats right nothing like a little water on the floor to remind you about adding anti-siphone holes. Check valves are restrictive, can easily get plugged or fail (in an aqaurium environment) and as you have wtinessed can chatter for quite some time prior to closing. Whether you use one or not is up to you but I would make sure that you have the anti-siphon hole. Also make sure to check the anti-siphon hole each time you clean to make sure it is clear (algae, snails, calcium deposits, can make this hole ineffective as well).
Personally if I was you I would leave the plumbing alone (with the check valve as is) and simply add an anti-siphon hole slightly below the water line. Now you have a little redundancy when the pumps go out.
 
Thanks Guy's,
I took your advice, of all . I left the check valve in and drilled a small hole in the return line. The chattering stopped , and the return can not siphon anyway because ot the hole ...Thanks ...George
 
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