Over the edge or drill?

[80Juwel]

Advice needed please!

Should I use a hang on over the edge overflow or should I drill the tank?

What are the pros and cons please? My Juwel is not going to be easy to drill.


Thanks heaps!

 

[Terrance]

Get it drilled. It will be one of the best decisions of your life.

HOB overflow does not offer peace of mind because you have to worry about other components and possibility of flooding.

Search "flooding HOB overflow" and read the stories.

 

[Phranque]

If you're even debating..... drill it.

I've mentioned this in other threads. If you are drilled with an overflow, the only water coming out of the tank is what's being pumped in. If you have a power outage, no big deal.... no water in/no water out, it's a balance. With a HOB overflow, that requires a siphon. When (notice I didn't say IF) you have a power outage, the siphon will continue to run water into the sump until it gets low enough to break that siphon, so enough room has to be left in the sump to account for this..... now the real problem is when the power comes back on and the pump begins to return water from the sump back to the tank, but there is no longer a return siphon....... Flooded tank & floor.

 

[mfdrookie516]

You first need to be sure that the panel you're considering drilling is not tempered. If it is, HOB is the only option. If it's not, I'd definitely recommend drilling. I've drilled 2 tanks and it's super super super easy.

 

[80Juwel]

Thanks to all for the really quick responses. Juwel doesn't temper their glass do I will drill it. I'll use a 1.25" for the drain, and a .75" for the return.

Fingers crossed!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Sounds like a plan. I have a 1.5" overflow box from glass-holes.com and love it. Not sure if they ship to new zealand or not, but might be worth checking in to (unless there's maybe something equivalent over there?).

 

[Terrance]

Sounds like a plan. I have a 1.5" overflow box from glass-holes.com and love it. Not sure if they ship to new zealand or not, but might be worth checking in to (unless there's maybe something equivalent over there?).

I'm trying to buy 2 of the 1500 kit. They look really neat.
Did you also get the complete return kit or did you make your own?

 

[mfdrookie516]

I did my own return, just used a threaded street elbow and a standard thread x slip elbow to make the 'over the tank lip' part, then put a thread x thread x slip tee and screwed on two sections of 1/2" loc line. If I had it to do over again, I'd drill the return.

 

[Retired_AF]

Many tanks today use tempered glass for the bottom. If yours has tempered glass you cannot drill it. However the sides are usually regular glass and you CAN drill through the sides or back, most people preferring the back for aesthetic reasons.

 

[80Juwel]

I hadn't considered going through the back but those overflows look great. Juwels aren't tempered anywhere but going through the back means not having to drill my stand too which is a big plus.

I will just build my return myself as it seems really easy. A quick question please - do the overflows come with instructions as to what level to install them?

 

[mfdrookie516]

It's kind of personal preference. Basically, you just eyeball it. I'm not familiar with the juwel tanks, but if it has trim, you want to get the teeth at least half way covered by the trim, so you won't see the water line. The return pump will determine how high the water comes up on the teeth. If you're close to the max flow of the drain, it'll be higher up on the teeth, than if you're at half the max flow.

 

[80Juwel]

Well I did it on the weekend. Dismantled the tank, cleaned, moved it outside, drilled the two holes after measuring 4 times, checked and all worked! Then painted 4 coats of glass etch paint and left over night.

Removed the glass etch paint that didn't and repainted with spray paint which almost sticks.

The hardest part? Converting the imperial plumbing from Glass-holes to metric. Just too big means heaps of sanding. The non-return valve is great.

Here's some pics. Yes the sump is tiny (60l) but thats the space I have.

Thx for all the advice.