Standpipe screens

I've been doing some thinking about potential things that could go wrong with my tank that would cause potentially catastrophic issues for the purpose of mitigating them before they become issues.  One thing that I've come up with is a clogged screen on my stand pipe.  If this were to get clogged by detritus, maybe nori or macro algae, just about anything, it could cause my tank to overflow, the water from the stump would en up on my family room floor until it was drained, then the pump would run dry until it burned up.  And the marital fallout from all of this could be a bigger impact than the financial impact...  /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/laugh.gif  So my questions are:

• How many use filter screens on your stand pipes?
• How many have ever had an issue with a clogged standpipe?

--AJ

 

The drain pipe is 1 1/2", but there is just one. There are no 90 degree fittings and decent slope on the run through the crawl space. Things should be able to move through with little impedance. It would take something pretty big to clog that up...event astra snails and fair sized fish could pass through that without an issue. You're right, a screen would definitely clog faster than an open hole, but it would also prevent things from taking the tip thru the plumbing.
Sounds like maybe I should just ditch the idea of being concerned about things going thru the plumbing and be more concerned about the potential impact of the screen getting clogged.

--AJ

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll go with the general consensus and ditch the screen.

--AJ

 

I use a durso stlye stand pipe too, but it's threaded at the bottom with a PVC screen on it.

I like your idea about the maintenance calendar. Nice tip.

Absolutely....everyone should know that it's coming...you just don't know what or when. All I'm saying is that if I can prevent 2 of the 3 issues before they happen, I'm miles further ahead than if I just put it up and just wait to see what fails first and how that's going to impact my system.

This is a huge argument for having a controller on a reef tank. You can use float valves to check for a high water mark and a low water mark and take the necessary actions (i.e. turn off return pumps, etc.). You can check for temp, pH, ORP, and with newer controllers conductivity and take necessary actions. With all of these checks and balances, that's not going to take care of all scenarios, but it may help to minimize the damage and possibly save your tank.

--AJ