This surge bucket was designed to provide a periodic surge of water motion in holding
systems or aquariums which contain small polyp stony corals. It operates through the use
of two floats which open a toilet bowl flapper. The larger float is used to power the
opening of the flapper and the smaller float is used to trigger the rising of the larger
float. The larger float falls to a position perpendicular to the waters surface when the
bucket is emptied. It stays in this position until the water level rises high enough to
raise the smaller float which is higher in the bucket. As the smaller float rises it kicks
the larger float out of the perpendicular position which causes it to rise rapidly in the
water column powering the rapid opening of the flapper which creates a surge of water at
the output.
Some advantages of this surge bucket over the Carlson (Siphon) surge bucket are:
It does not produce fine bubbles of air which stay suspended in the water column. When
the surge first begins there is a short burst of larger bubbles which immediately rise to
the surface.
The surge outlet can be positioned at any level in the water and can be teed off to
multiple outlets. In other words, you can have the output of the surge bucket plumbed
through live rock and exit via multiple outlets pointing various directions.
Plumbing considerations from the surge bucket to the tank are much simpler as there is
no need to worry about a siphon break. This surge bucket simply requires a minimum amount
of back pressure on the output which can be obtained by reducing the output to one inch or
smaller PVC.
1 ea. 1" slip to 2" slip PVC bushing (Note this bushing may be changed to a
" to 2" bushing if you want to use " pipe for the output plumbing.)
1 ea. 2" threaded to 2" slip PVC bushing
1 ea. 2" to 3" ABS coupler
1 ea. 3" thin wall ABS end cap
plumbing as needed to get water supply to the surge bucket and output to the tank.
Other items
1 ea. 5 gallon bucket
1 ea. Toilet Flush Valve (Plumb Shop part number PS 2030)
1 ea. 6" or larger all plastic cable tie
Teflon tape
1 ea. Pump 150 to 400 gph at the head to which the surge bucket will be located is
recommended (Note: a smaller pump will work but it will be a long time between surges, too
large of a pump will not work properly or cause an increase in bubbles.)
Assembly
Assembly Notes
Dry fit all parts before gluing. You may use teflon tape in place of glue on lose
joints to temporarily assemble and test the surge bucket and then glue the parts together
after you are satisfied that every thing is working properly. This is highly recommended.
But note that, the PVC pipe will likely slide into the fittings deeper when glue has been
applied.
The " PVC coupler should fit snugly into the 1" PVC tee and one side of
both " PVC elbows will need to slip loosely into the 1" PVC tee. Whether this
will work may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Test these parts in the hardware
store before purchasing. Here is a listing of the manufacturer and parts which I used.
1" PVC tee - Spears
" PVC elbow - Nibco
" PVC coupler Dura
Instructions
Drill a 2 " hole in the bottom of the five gallon bucket, centered 2" from
the side of the bucket.
Securely clamp the 1" tee to a work surface and Drill a " hole through the
center Just below the intersection of the center lines. This hole will be used as an
backup overflow in case the surge fails to operate.
Slip the " coupler over the top of the toilet flush valve overflow pipe.
Slip the bottom of the 1' tee over the " coupler. Do Not Glue this joint even on
final assembly.
Cut and glue a 3 " piece of pipe into a " elbow on the end that will slip
freely into the 1" tee.
Wrap teflon tape around the other end of the 3 " piece of pipe and slide it
through the 1" tee and slip it into the free fitting end of other " elbow.
Push the pipe into the elbow as far as it can go and still allow the elbows to turn freely
from the 1" tee. The pipe may be trimmed if needed. Do Not Glue these joints.
Cut and glue a 5 " piece of pipe into the open end of one of the elbows.
Glue the " end cap onto the other end of the 5 " piece of pipe. This
creates the small float.
Cut and glue a 4 " piece of pipe into the remaining open end of the elbows.
Glue the "to 2" bushing to the other end of the 4 " pipe.
Glue the 2" to 3" coupler to the " to 2" bushing.
Glue the 3" Thin wall end cap into the open 3" end of the 2" to 3"
coupler. You will likely need to file off any lettering or mold marks on the out side of
the end cap to get it to fit into the coupler. This creates the large float.
Put the 2" rubber washer over the threads of the flush valve with the tapered end
down.
Place the assembled float and flush valve assembly into the bucket and slide the
threaded end of the flush valve through the hole in the bottom of the bucket.
Secure the assembly in the bucket with the 2" nut so that the over flow pipe is as
close to the side of the bucket as possible while still allowing the large float to hang
straight down.
Wrap the threads at the bottom of the flush valve with teflon tape and screw on the
2" threaded to 2" slip bushing.
Glue the 2" to 1" (3/4") bushing to the open end of the 2" threaded
to 2" slip bushing.
Grasping both PVC elbows adjust the angle of the floats to be about 45 degrees apart.
Using the cable tie secure the flap valve pull strap to the center of the small float (5
" pipe) just lose enough so that the flap is closed when the large float is in the
down position.
Add plumbing as needed to route the output to the desired location(s).
Add plumbing as needed to route water supply into the surge bucket. The discharge into
the bucket should be on to the side of the bucket near the bottom at an angle which
reduces splash when the bucket is empty. This will reduce noise and bubbles. It should
also be secured to the bucket so that it will not interfere with the moving parts. You may
drill small holes at the top of the bucket to secure it with cable ties.
Adjustments
The 1" tee can be turned slightly to adjust the position that the large float falls
to when in the down position. The large float should be parallel to the over flow pipe
when in the down position. Use the wall of the bucket to keep it from falling past this
position.
The level which the water rises in the bucket before surging out can be controlled with
the angle between the two floats. Increase the angle to raise the water level and decrease
the angle to lower the water level.
If the flap does not open properly you may need to increase or reduce the slack in the
pull strap when in the closed position. Minor adjustments can be made by sliding the cable
tie up or down the small float.
Final Notes
Check to ensure that the holes in the 1" tee are large enough to handle the
overflow if the surge bucket fails. Do this while the bucket is running by holding down
the large float thus preventing the bucket from surging. Then watch to see that the over
flow holes can handle the volume of water entering the bucket. If not, you will need to
drill additional or larger holes in the 1" tee or add a " tee and elbow to the
over flow pipe to create another over flow area.
For a more powerful surge raise the bucket higher above the tank. This surge devise can
also be adapted to a container larger than the five gallon bucket for a longer surge.
We do not have time to help with trouble shooting problems you may have with this surge
bucket.
This document was written by Devon Bolt of AquaTouch.
It may be reprinted by nonprofit or not for profit clubs or societies,
provided the following conditions are meet.
Credit is given to the author.
It is noted in the reprint that the document was obtained from the world wide web at
www.aquatouch.com.
Any changes in the document are noted as such.
No charge is made for the document other than reasonable copying cost.
