Surge device design. Let me know what you think.

[MarkS]

Here is a surge device that I am making for a large tank.

It is a regular Carlson Surge device. I think that it is pretty self explanatory.

Basically, water is pumped into the device from the tank and when it reaches the top of the U tube, it siphons back into the display tank. The 1" vent is there in case the siphon will not start (a serious problem with these devices) and to allow air to escape. The top of the device is air and water tight, yet removable for cleaning. There will be a 2" wide strip of acrylic around the top and a gasket will sit between this and the actual top which is a solid piece of acrylic. The top will be held down with nylon screws.

I plan on using a Mag 5 for the inlet and it will have a ball valve to adjust flow. The 2" surge outlet will be connected to the tank with 2" spa flex and will also have a ball valve to adjust the surge intensity.

The vent is connected to the tank with spa flex just below the water line of the tank. This ensures low head pressure and will reduce the number of bubbles introduced into the tank.

The surge tube connects to the aquarium 12" from the top of the tank, or half way down (24" tall tank).

The device is quite large, but I want a very powerfull and long surge with a long period between surges. I should get this with this design.

The surge device will hold a maximum of 34 gallons.

Mark

 

[geo]

Hello Mark,
I built a carlson surge of a smaller tank a while back. I had trouble with it breaking siphon. After the first fill it would just suck water out of the bottom of the bucket. I tried the hole at the base of the "U" tube and also tried cutting the bottom of the tube at an angle like you have it in your diagram.
I had to put a hose barb at the top of the "U" siphon tube. I then ran a 3/8" hose from the barb to about an inch above the intake end of the siphon. I tied it on the tube with a zip tie. It worked like a charm after that. Once the device siphoned water down to the open end of the 3/8" tube it broke siphon and the bucket would fill again. My problem may have been from the smaller siphon tube I was using but I thought I would throw it out there for you anyway.
FWIW I also found that the vent in the return line can be above the water surface of the aquarium (many say it cannot), with it above most of the air in the return line goes out the vent and not into the tank. I also found it to reduce back pressure in the line and the device worked better (for me any way

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