Overflow Help :(

[matt19849]

Hi,
We've had our tank up and running for a while now and never been completely happy with the overflow
The guys who installed it didn't do it properly which is a shame. We have two pipes going down into our sump both at the same height (although I think one is a mm taller). We are struggling with the noise these make from the water and air going down them
We can control the pipes by a valve to back the water up and remove the noise but it stops the water from being sucked in from the tank as well because the valves are nearly off to make it silent.

Does anyone have any fancy quick win to make these silent but also keep the valves open (at least more open than they currently are)

We are considering trying to make a couple of gurgle busters but I'm not 100% they will fit in the space we have




Cheers

 

[Phil077]

One should have a bend on it coming back to the water line. if that makes any sense

Not sure [MENTION=17165]les[/MENTION] might help there. he is good on those things Big Thumbs Up

 

[matt19849]

Yeah I figured both should have that bend, I asked the guy after and he said yeah that would have been better but they won't fit in there now!

 

[Phil077]

No just one. 1 sec I will take a pic of mine

 

[Phil077]

Don't know if you can see that. There is a hole drilled at the top.
You have 2 gateways yes?
one for your return pump, and one on your sump pipe?

 

[doug_amanda]

Which pipes are the valves on, is it both drains or one drain and one on the return pipe?

 

[cuprajake]

thats set up wrong.

google a herbie overflow.

basically the pipe with the valve on needs to be chopped down. this means its under the water. atleast 5 to 6 ".

this way you get a full syphon going. the other pipe is an emergency overfllw should the first ever get blocked.

the way to set it up is as follows.

open the valve fully and turn on your return pump. slowly close the valve till the water in the overflow rises.

do this slowly. as the water reaches the top of the emergency pipe. it will just start to trickle down. this is then set.

itd the quietest way to do it.

hth

jake

 

[matt19849]

We figured it was set up wrong, the two pipes with the valves are the returns into the sump. The piping pushing the water back into he tank doesn't have a valve but it is a controllable return pump with some smaller valves on the return ends in the top of the tank (if that makes sense)

What do you mean by gateways?

I wonder if I can extend one of the pipes slightly higher for the emergency rather than cutting one down...

 

[northernreefa]

Check out gmacreef.com great website and very easy to understand

We figured it was set up wrong, the two pipes with the valves are the returns into the sump. The piping pushing the water back into he tank doesn't have a valve but it is a controllable return pump with some smaller valves on the return ends in the top of the tank (if that makes sense)

What do you mean by gateways?

I wonder if I can extend one of the pipes slightly higher for the emergency rather than cutting one down...

 

[matt19849]

It makes sense I just wish it was done like that to start with!
The issue I can see by cutting he pipe down by 5" would mean more water would drain into the sump in a power cut and I don't think the sump would hold all that water

 

[doug_amanda]

The extre water would only be the 4 or 5 inches from inside the weir, so not very much.

 

[cuprajake]

as above.

plus you can set your sump so it will nevwr overflow.

if you go on youtube and search majestic aquariums and setting sump level paul turner has a great vid showing how.

so really that pipe needs cutting.

it needs to be so low in the water so that it doesnt create a whirlpool and suck air in.

 

[matt19849]

I'll have to YouTube that - in my head I'm picturing the whole tank level going down to that pipe height rather than just the water in the queer and it's a big tank!

 

[les]

My own setup is similar to yours in fact with 2 open ended pipes in the weir, not ideal but I bought it like that secondhand. However with mine, only one pipe takes the water to my sump, the other is an emergency overflow pipe and stands a little above the main drain pipe. My return pump is a Jebao DC 8000 and the idea is you balance the output from the pump to the drian pipes ability to take water down to the sump. My drain pipe came with a ball valve to balance the flow but I fitted a gate valve beneith it as they are much more controllable than a ball valve. I only use the ball valve now if I want to shut off water all ltogether from the drain pipe. Like I say not ideal but it works. Here is a couple of pic's of how I have mine setup.

 

[matt19849]

What distance do you have between your pipes in the weir? Are you at around 5-6"?

 

[cuprajake]

the water level will only go to the height of the wier, it wont drain the full tank and the wier is the barrier.

 

[matt19849]

I'll give it a go today - gone to pop out now and get pvc pipe cutter

 

[cuprajake]

heres a pic

 

[doug_amanda]

I'll have to YouTube that - in my head I'm picturing the whole tank level going down to that pipe height rather than just the water in the queer and it's a big tank!

It'll only do that if the weir's not watertight, you can soon check for piece of mind by turning the return pump off, if the water level in the weir stays below the water level in the tank your all good

 

[matt19849]

Righty, I've cut one pipe down and have it just trickling over the higher pipe....wow it's so quiet now. It's a 640litre tank and you can nearly here it running now, it actually sounds like it isn't running!! Thanks for all your help