Check valve?

i had the same check valve for lowes and after a few months the spring wore out from the water pressure of the return pump. the only check valves that work well are the swing type.

if your talking about cuting it open i would first soak it in saltwater for a couple days to see if the spring oxidizes. if not let my know where you got it from.

dejavu

did it still work after the spring gave out? I would think if the water stopped and started going down that it would still stop the returning water!

the spring never oxidized in the one i had, but i will warn you the i have had two of these check valves and in both th spring wore out. the the valve never shut. i lost over 50 gal of water out of my tank and many corals when the power when off while i was at work.

no it didn't work. don't make the same mistake i made. spend the money and buy a swing check valve. i would hate to see this happen to sameone else.

Thanks I'll work on a way to make it work and test it befor doing anything else with it. Just using buckets or something!

I'll get a anothere check valve befor doing installing anything else to the tank! Money isn't really the proplem. Just thought it would be cool if it did and save some money.

Thanks
Cronic

I have that same check valve on my tank for about 2 years now.
I have had no problems and it works everytime.
After having said this I will now go knock on wood for an hour.
I do check it once or twice a month by cutting power to the return pump.
I would say use it, but check it everytime you do a water change.

Rick

If it has a metal spring it would have a limited life.

I use this one (in clear PVC) from Aquatic Eco Systems

Its a little more than the lowes version but no metal.

I've had a few check valves over time and the best one IMO that you can buy is a clear, swing type with unions on each end. This way if it goes you can put a new one in in about 5 minutes. Also you can see if it is working.

Just so you know the spring type check valves are primarily for industrial applications, they require a ridiculous amount of pressure for good flow.

I've used the spring ones, and the problem with them is that when the plunger goes to sit back down, it doesn't always sit straight, therefore a trickle will still continue to back flow. So on my 75 I'm doing the aquatic ecosystems clear flapper type.

I don't think there's much to be done about making it sit back down right...

check valve

i too have the same check valve you have. mine has not failed, but in time??? you get what you pay for. I work in a chemical plant and have at least 20 check valves involved in a chemical process a day. BASF gets all their check valves from Grainger, who supplies just about anything and everything for manufacturing companies. Their check valves are higher quality then an aquarium type. They really aren't that expensive too, and they have pvc as well. if i wasn't a lazy ass i would have gone there. they have multiple locations throughout michigan. thanks for bringing that up, i think i'll visit grainger's next week.

I had a flapper check valve fail and lost 40 gallons of water. I now use a 3/4" swiss made check valve. It is made by a company called Georg Fischer. It only has one moving part and uses good old gravity to return the valve to closed. It is also 100% PVC so there is no worry about corrosion. It was pricy though.

thanks for all the replies. I went to the LFS and paid I'm sure 100% markup on it but the check valve will work. That's what you get for cutting your credit cards up! But I'm really bad with money so I'm in the right hobby!