latest overflow

[justDIY]

alrighty

I've finished my latest overflow project - this one I'm confident enough with to not call a prototype.

the outer drain box is constructed of 1/4" plexi, bent via heat gun to hang on the tank.

the inner skimmer is 1/8" plexi, screwed onto the drain box lip with some plastic screws.

the drain box has two 3/4" drains, will easily upgrade to 1" drains down the road.

it measures 12" x 3", so it doesn't need a lot of wall space.

here is a shot of the system under test - going to run it for a few hours before gluing what needs to be glued ... I'll also be installing the durso modifcation on the drain tubes, to help with the noise issue.

 

[Electrobes]

pretty nice man, I like it! Looks like the store bought ones in truth...

 

[dustybrannum]

Looking good. how many gallons you think it is moving?

 

[justDIY]

it's running with a maxi1000 right now, so I'd say around 220-230 gph

I've tested 3/4" drains good to about 600 gph, so this overflow should handle 1200 gph provided the siphon tube can keep up.

the tank is only 30 gallons, fresh water, so the the maxi1000 is more than enough right now.

will be doing the gluin tomrrow when the sun comes up again - this room is a bit dark without the tank lights on

 

[justDIY]

ok, well the new overflow is in production

the drain portion is virtually silent, thanks to mr durso's design

HOWEVER

the exhaust of the drain inside the sump sounds like a bubbling cauldren of a witches vial brew.

I've tried terminating the drain with Ts', elbows', snaking a piece of airline into it, nothing much seems to be helping

if I allow the water to drain above the waterlevel in the sump, it sounds like Niagra Falls, and under the waterlevel, witches cauldren.

I'm only pushing about 250 gph here, hardly a force 5 hurricane.

any tips?

 

[Scottw68TN]

Make it plane out like on a flat peice of plexi.

 

[justDIY]

the source of the bubbling is too many elbows in the drain line... air is getting drawn into the line, and then trapped by water from the top, and all the elbows make it too hard to escape the way it came in, so it reaches a critical mass and comes out the bottom instead!

I'm going to test some ideas I just came up with, and will see if that solves it.

doesn't matter much, this is only a temp setup 'cause I'm darn tired of changing HOB filter cartridges twice a week... in a few weeks the 30 g is getting torn down and a larger tank put in it's place... haven't decided on having the tank drilled, but will drill the stand for sure, so overflow lines don't have to go down, around and back under the stand.

 

[nguyen27]

Nice job man, I just got back from HD 10minutes ago with a piece of acrylic, probably 1/4 piece and will start on an overflow! One question for that is there a limit of how many times you can bend a piece of acrylic? I plan to use the least joints as possible, for example with the intake box, probably the same for the outter box
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That is about 3 turns on the piece, so less change of leaking, and also anyone know what is the flow rate of 1/2inch drain? The drain tube probably go straigh into the sump without any elbow or bend! I'm making this overflow for a 15gals tank so I'll like to use the least space as possible, or may be increase the lenght of the boxes!
Thanks
P.S. My family told me this site is evil as it turn me into an DYI monster!!!

 

[justDIY]

the welded joints are much stronger than the actual acrylic itself... don't worry about having too many of them - to minimize leaks be sure to sand your pieces thoroughly so they fit flush.

you can also use the Weld On #16 which contains acrylic resin and can fill small gaps

i'm not sure what you mean with 3 bends, any overflow I've seen has either had a single bend (in the traditional case) or 2 bends (the cpr c-siphon style)

a 1/2" drain will handle 300-350 gph

best of luck!

 

[nguyen27]

Thanks again JustDYI
Will a 1/2 U tube give enuf water for 1/2 drain? And is there actually a U tube or just bunches of PVC pipes and 90 degrees elbows put together? And what type of water pump will be good to handle such flow of water from a 1/2 drain? And lastly, will a 5/7gals small tank, or a 5gals bucket good enuf as a sump for a 15gals?
Also what I meant by 3 bends is how many time can I bend a piece of acrylic, like bend a long pice into a U shape then up with little hook to hook it up! And may be enforce the place where the acrylic get bend with little silicon/weld on!

 

[justDIY]

they sell U-tubes at various online aquaria retailers - U-Tube link


use a U tube bigger than your drain to avoid a restiction, so with a 1/2" drain, I'd recommend a 1" u-tube

when you go to bend the acrylic, just make sure it's plenty hot and you won't have any problems ... I originally bent the U in my overflow a bit too much, so I had to heat it up and bend it out a bit, no problems.

avoid getting the weld-on on any acrylic that is not a joint. the weld-on melts acrylic, and this melting can causes hair line cracks which are very bad.

 

[nguyen27]

I can't find weld-on cement as my local HD, Lowes, or Ace, do you know where else they would have sell those?
Thanks

 

[justDIY]

Ace 'shoud' have it, as Plastokite Adhesive... but failing that

www.craftics.com

 

[BBReef]

Just DIY...Did you ever find a solution for the witches cauldren problem? im having similar problems with my overflow i just made.

 

[NASCAR_Dave]

Would someone mind explaining to this newbie what the overflow is and what it's for? I have HOB filters but I am thinking of going to a sump system before I start the tank, but I don't understand how it works (even after reading as much as I could on the subject).

 

[JProx]

hey dave,

if you want a simple explanation of how overflow's work, follow this link
http://www.cyberreefguru.com/general/overflow/overflow.html
The 'reef guru' explains it better than i can. hope it helps and if you have any questions let me know, i will try to answer them.