Where to get a flap check valve?

Personally I dont like check valves as they are prone to failure.  Just about any online vendor has them, Premium, Marine Depot etc.
If you all you need is the check valve, Savko.com has decent prices as well.

 

I would use both siphon breaks and check valves....redundancy is your friend!

eins

 

depends on your return how do you have yours setup. is it a tube coming over the back or is it a hole in the tank or built in overflow

 

I have an AGA with megaflow setup....my returns come up through the overflows over the top of the overflow and into some loc-line. I have an air break in the loc line and just above the return pump Im have a check valve.

eins

 

I picked mine up at Menards. It is one of the rubber ones with hose clamps which fit just fine over 1 1/4 slip bushings. Seems to work alright.

 

Posted By phishcrazee on 02/18/2008 10:58 AM
I have 2 small holes drilled right above where the water empties out in my return pipe, but it doesn't seem to work when I have a power outage. I'm thinking maybe they're too small to break a strong siphon?
You need to drill the holes just below the normal water level, not just above the pipe output (although it may be just above your pipe output if your return pipe doesn't go into your water very far).
I actually don't have any siphon break holes, because my return pipe only sticks into my water about 1/4", and so when the water gets down that low the siphon is broken...and my sump can hold that much extra water.
The siphon is broken when the water gets below the holes drilled in the return pipe, because the introduction of air is what breaks the siphon. I think you'd be fine if you drilled the holes just below the surface of the water in your display.
Let me see if I can illustrate.
----------------------- Water Level
|  |< -- Suggested placement of "siphon-break" hole
|  |
|  |
|  |
|_| < -- Your hole to break siphon (I'm guessing)
 ^
Water Exit

 

I always set my tanks up in such a way neither check valves or siphon breaks are needed by leaving enough room in my sump to handle the extra water.  There are some situations, ie a small sump, where this may not work in which case using both is probably best.

 

coralfreak - even if you have a return pipe w/o a hole drilled, you still have a "siphon-break" it just so happens that it's the end of the return pipe (like mine and apparently yours) instead of a hole drilled in the return pipe. Some people just prefer to have their return pipe deeper in their water for a variety of reasons, and so want to break their siphon prior to the water level getting down that deep.
I think a siphon break (whether it's a drilled hole, or a short return pipe) is always preferable to a check valve, and if done properly no check valve is necessary.

 

True, I just dont like the "small" hole type siphon break, they get plugged easily.  I even had a snail plug one on me once. 

 

very true, they can become plugged easily...

phishcrazee - is it possible for you to reduce the length of your return pipe in the display? or drill multiple siphon breaks (which will reduce the flow from the exit...)

 

Most flapper valves are for larger lines than what we in the aquaria hobby would ever use. The ball type check valves work the best for the smaller sizes in my opinion. If possible put a union on both sides of it so you can take it apart to clean it. It really does help to keep them working correctly especially with all the nasties that can build up on the insides of salt water plumbing.