I've got a 29G display tank and two 10G breeder tanks above it. A canister filter pumps water to the upper level, which siphons from one tank to the next, and an overflow box returns the water to the display tank. The siphon failed, causing one of the 10G tanks to overflow, and leaving about 2" of water in my display tank, dumping more than 25G on my floor, and ruining a powerhead. I'm trying to figure out what happened to my siphon.
The siphon is made of 1.5" PVC with a 180-degree elbow (a p-trap, used for a sink drain). I drilled a small hole in the elbow, and attached an airline fitting sealed with silicon. Attached to either side of the elbow are two pipes about 12" each. The joints between the pipes and elbow are sealed with silicon. I attached airline and sucked out the trapped air to get the siphon started. The siphon worked for about a week and showed no signs of slowing down before it failed. Apparently, air must of somehow leaked back into the siphon. The airline was still half full of water, so the clamp on the airline seems OK. Any ideas what went wrong?
The siphon is made of 1.5" PVC with a 180-degree elbow (a p-trap, used for a sink drain). I drilled a small hole in the elbow, and attached an airline fitting sealed with silicon. Attached to either side of the elbow are two pipes about 12" each. The joints between the pipes and elbow are sealed with silicon. I attached airline and sucked out the trapped air to get the siphon started. The siphon worked for about a week and showed no signs of slowing down before it failed. Apparently, air must of somehow leaked back into the siphon. The airline was still half full of water, so the clamp on the airline seems OK. Any ideas what went wrong?