Diy pvc overflow

[Rscomia]

Please feel free to critique it and ask questions I used this option because I didnt want to risk breaking the glass by trying to drll my new 90 gallon tank and was able to build it for a reasonable price

 

[kngsht420]

Im tring to do the same thing with my 55 gallon i just did mine yesterday. had everything working great dry fitted soon as i took it apart and glued it stopped working. so im following you on this one

 

[Rscomia]

Can you post a picture maybe I can help you

 

[krap101]

Did you add in a siphon break somewhere to keep your tank out of your sump? It just needs to be a hole below the water line.

 

[Rscomia]

The overflow will drain down to the bottom of the screens There is a siphon break in my return line about a inch below the water

 

[fishmonkey]

awesome. what kind of glue do you use that is fish safe?

 

[Rscomia]

I just used regular pvc glue and have had no issues My thoughts were if you was putting a water line together for human use that is what you would use

 

[David S]

The overflow will drain down to the bottom of the screens There is a siphon break in my return line about a inch below the water

That syphon break is a bit low,An inch of tank water is a lot of water!!
keep the syphon break as close to the water level as possible,this will also keep the surface aggitated as well.

 

[jeremy arsement]

how does your return line enter your sump and how is your siphon maintained if pump fails?

 

[Rscomia]

My return is just plumbed right of the top of my pump out the top of the sump if my pump fails it will only siphon so much out till it runs out of water which is less then enough to overflow the sump once my pump restarts and water builds back over the overflow siphon will begin again by its self

 

[jeremy arsement]

I guess what I'm asking is, the pipe that brings water TO your sump, how exactly is it plumbed? Is it just a direct shot down to the sump? I put two 180 degree bends so that section will store water in order to maintain the siphon if the power goes out. It seems to work pretty good, I like your design.

 

[Rscomia]

I just have mine plumbed over the back of the tank down to the sump where it just dumps the water into the sump

 

[SaltyH2O]

Does your PVC overflow you have illustrated above include a vent pipe (vented to room air) as i have seen on many other designs or is that second water intake replace it?

 

[Rscomia]

Yes it does have a vent with a cap on it with a small hole drilled in it

 

[francis]

can you post some more detailed photos of your actual setup? I am looking for a diy pvc overflow that will not overflow in the event of a power outage. But I need images and details of how this certain designs protects from this compared to other ones.

 

[ChizerBunoi]

You can put a ato float valve upside down in your sump and above your water pump level. Incase the overflow fails, the pump will turn off by the ato, thereby saving you the cost of a new pump.

 

[Rscomia]

Good idea where would I get 1 of those

 

[Rscomia]

Here are some more pictures of my overflow over time my paint on it has not held up I think this is because I have a wave maker pointed at it

 

[francis]

what did you use to cement the pipes together? Do I need to get some special one? Or is the regular stuff okay. (I worry because the label on the can says warning use in open space blah blah thanks) Looks very good btw

 

[Rscomia]

I just used the normal stuff keep this in mind the normal stuff glues pipes together that you drink water from so imo that would make it safe for fish let it dry good and maybe run some water through it before using it in the tank