The Z-Flow, $7.50 pvc no hassle overflow

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
I'm starting my Z-Flow! I'm thinking in the future, I'm going to use an enlarging tee to make a dual collection cup set, while allowing for maximum gph. But hey, excellent idea! And off I go... at 1-­­½" PVC.
 
when I got mine done a couple of days ago and I so badly want to try it out along with my DIY skimmer and refugium!
 
Hey, I'd probably be willing to pay royalty. =] I built two of them, and it took roughly 45min...I used 5.5' of 1-½" PVC (messed up the first two 2" pieces trying to get the darn saw set). I'm about to go clean/glue them together because mine loosely hold, if that! I'm only going to leave the cap removable, in case I need to get into it or let some air in to break the siphon. Anyways, here are some photos...and thanks to all for their help. In the last few days, by reading this forum and chatting with its regulars, I've trimmed nearly $500 off of my estimated initial setup costs...instead of buying a manufactured refugium and overflow, I'm making(/have made!) my own. This'll let me focus all my capital on the kickin' MH hood I'm getting...that's gonna be sweet! Anyways, thanks all and I leave you with my photos! (some distortion...lost my image resizing program)
 
lookin great! in reference to the cap, I would drill a small, probably 1/8th" hole in the top of the cap that is attached to the T. This will provide you with a siphon break and very little, if any, noice will escape the hole.

Anyone been able to test the flow rates with the 1-1/2" pipe?
 
I can probably give you an estimate once I get mine up and running. The cap themselves are the only parts on the whole thing that connect VERY securely without needed glue...so I may leave them alone, as they are easily removed. Great idea though, really. =]
 
well I tried making the 1 '' model and it was siphoning so hard that it is outdoing the motor each time... is there anything I can do to fix this?? I did have a drilled hole in the cap the first time but it wasn't working.. then after replacing the cap got it to work.. but all too well. I was thinking of a ball valve or soemthing like that but then I would have to get the EXACT setting to get it to work right, for even if it was a little off.. one would start overflowing... Is there a minimal amount of GPH the motor should be spitting out...? thanks
 
okay got it working but its super loud!.... anyway to fix that at all??? the constant sound of flushing and gurgling doesn't appease my roomate all that much.... anyway to fix that?? thanks!
 
okay got it working but its super loud!.... anyway to fix that at all??? the constant sound of flushing and gurgling doesn't appease my roomate all that much.... anyway to fix that?? thanks!
Click to expand...

Drill a small hole in the cap, this will allow air in the line and quiete the overflow.
lookin great! in reference to the cap, I would drill a small, probably 1/8th" hole in the top of the cap that is attached to the T. This will provide you with a siphon break and very little, if any, noice will escape the hole.
Click to expand...
 
Where's the gurgling coming from? The intake or the outlet? (I haven't put mine into commission yet) If it is the intake, not sure how you can fix that...if it is the outlet...you can place the end of the PVC below the water line of the sump. It will still flow into the sump, as it is lower than the aquarium, so being below the water line won't hurt it. If it gurgles a lot...you may try an elbow on the end below the water line...though I'm not sure if it will help any. :) I discovered a building flaw in my tank, and the glass is slowly cracking outwards. It gets a ride to the manufacturer Monday to see if they'll replace it, and I'm going to ask them to put overflow(s) in the replacement for which I will pay. Sooo, I haven't been able to test mine....but those darn things are monstrous. :) Out of curiosity, what did you to as far as fixing the flow issue?
 
reefrunner, I already have a hole drilled and its still super loud.. I needed the hole to compensate for the water pump.. without the hole it was super siphoning. Descambre its coming from the intake.. where the hole is...
 
How big is the hole? you may need to enlarge the hole. That cap and hole are the heart and soul of the durso/stockman part of the overflow.
 
I needed the hole to compensate for the water pump.. without the hole it was super siphoning
Click to expand...

what do you mean by super siphoning? the overflow should really only take as much as your pump is supplying. So even if you have a huge overflow and tiny pump, you should only be getting a tiny flow through the overflow.
 
I could see without the hole it creating suction, which would make it go in waves, or possibly overflow the sump (if the overflow was low enough and the sump was full enough), before the pump could keep up.
 
yeah thats what was happening.. it did create a monster suction and would stop once it got no more water, and then the siphoning would stop all together and start overflowing the mian tank. I'll try the bigger hole idea... what happens if you take the cap off all together,.. would it just stop everything?
 
ahhh, you were getting the toilet flush effect... I got cha.

It works just fine without the cap... you just hear the water gurrgling down the line. The cap/hole in its optimum form provides you with a sound muffler and siphon break. The way to get it to work is to start with the smallest hole, 1/8th inch and test. if that's not enough of a siphon break, make the hole a little bigger, test again, repeat until you're satisfied.
 
Try sliding a small tube down in the hole in cap. The proper size and depth may silence the noise. The tube should be snug in hole.
 
I'm just got parts for my Z-Flow, one question about painting/darken the PVC parts, Have anyone find something to darken the PVC part, I read somewhere on here that using purple primer to paint it?
Thanks

P.S. Wish everyone a safe weekend as the cold weather still beating down on us , and don't forget to turn up the heat, my aquarium can't rise above 78 even with heat running all the time :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Sump and overflow problems
Replies
14
Views
1K
Thomsm10
T
Toro
New Addict
Replies
11
Views
530
Toro
Toro
F
I thought it was Ick and now I wonder if it is 2 illnesses
Replies
5
Views
875
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
D
Filtration and Water Change Questions
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
Aiken Drum
Aiken Drum
V
Reticulated Hillstream Loaches
Replies
1
Views
672
Vince Bassist
V

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom