burst pipes

[falcon4]

just installed an external canister filter and after a friend told me his one burst a hose and flooded his house i'm worrying a little.
apart from putting the intake at the top of the tank has anyone got any ideas to stop the water draining if a hose does burst.
is there any way of fitting a float switch or something more simple i havent thought of.

 

[catfishmike]

i can't fathom how one could get a silicon hose to burst.canisters aren't rated at the pressure levels high enough to burst.it's more likely that his hoses were old and dried out.i'm thinking under normal conditons it's next to impossible for a canister hose to burst.under normal use i would be more worried that i forgot to make sure everything is watertight,or if the o-ring is seated properly.

 

[Avalon]

I agree with catfishmike: how on earth do you get a hose to burst?!? Smells fishy to me. Sounds like he/she forgot to check his/her connections. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just make sure you follow the instructions and that all connections are tight.

So, how do you make sure all of your connections are tight? Set everything up and running. Follow the pathway of the water flow. Look at all places where there are terminations...are they hanging by a thread? Fix them so that you overcompensate. Is there plenty of slack in the hose and no kinks? All connections must be nice and smooth, as well as appealing to the eye. No ghetto connections; no shortcuts. Do it right the first time and you will surely be successful.

 

[falcon4]

Thanks for the reasurrence.
the hoses in question are the plastic ribbed fluval ones.
my friend said that it just split.
i read somewhere that if you put a small hole near the top of the intake tube when the water goes below it it will just suck air, ruin's the pump but wont flood the house. any body know if this works???

 

[catfishmike]

ah,now that does make some sense.
i forgot about fluvals silly ribbed hoses.
they are the most pointless overengeneered pos i can think of,and plastic too boot!
plastic can split,and that wold explain why your friends would.
theoreticly yes if you put a small hole somewhere near the top of the hose,but low enought that evaporation would never expose it that should work.if you put it too high and evaporation exposes the hole your filter could run dry and that could be equaly disasterous
key word,and i can't stress this enough SHOULD.
if you do have a fluval,and those ribbed hoses,poking a small hole could accelerate deterioation of the hoses.i suggest extra hoses as back up in case you try this and it doesn't work.
and just as a disclaimer,i am not responsible if it doesn't,nor am i responsible if something breaks

 

[falcon4]

thanks thought it would work
have put the hole in the hard clear pick up pipe about 2 inches below the water line so shouldnt effect the tubes, does anyone know if normal hoses would fit ok, might change them.