Durso Overflow: Near Disaster

[TimS]

I had questions about the overflow and creatures clogging it. I went ahead anyway. We were out of town for two nights. I thought the tank could take care of itself, but I guess not. A snail had made its way into one overflow and was lodged in the tube that drains into the tank. Water was passing through, but not very fast. The second overflow was working double duty. The water level had risen above the top of the overflows. The center glass brace was underwater, but the tank had not managed to overflow. The water was 1/4 inch from the top and disaster.

I recommend a strainer of some sort over these modified overflows or you are courting disaster.

Tim

[aLittletank]

lets hear it for having two overflows :)

I court disaster on adaily basis. My water line is always 1/4 inch from the top. but I am Crazy like that:)


some people put egg crate over the top of the overflow to prevent the snails from clogging up the pipes.


keep in mind that this would have been a problem even without the durso

Allen

[Larry M]

Originally posted by aLittletank

some people put egg crate over the top of the overflow to prevent the snails from clogging up the pipes.


keep in mind that this would have been a problem even without the durso

Allen

Absolutely. I had an AGA overflow get so full of calcerous tubeworms the float stopped moving up and down. Snails can and will get in where they can. All it takes is a bulkhead strainer, eggcrate, or plastic gutter mesh to cover the overflow compartment. That, and a visual check from time to time.

Glad to hear it wasn't a disaster, Tim!

[Tommy]

Wow that was a close one Tim.Good thing you weren't gone for three days.Glad to hear you caught it in time.
Tommy

[Dwayne]

Tim ask Agu about the strainers he put on his mods.

If I remember right, he had similar problem with a cuke.

FWIW

Dwayne

[Agu]

Tim, Did you put a piece of pvc drilled with a whole bunch of small holes on the down facing elbow? There's also a cap on the bottom of the pvc(also full of holes). You must have missed that part because anything that can get through a 1/4" hole isn't going to plug your drain line. Glad it didn't turn into a disaster. Agu

[john f]

I had a similar problem with my Durso overflows.
At least my wife was home so she could call me at work and ask me what to do. Water was overflowing over the top of the tank as I have an Iwaki 100 on a 135 reef and the one working standpipe could not keep up.
Needless to say the Dursos are GONE!
Much rather deal with noise than disaster.

p.s. Yes, I have eggcrate over the pipes but it fell of one of them and the snail got in.

John

[aLittletank]

wont a snail clog your drain with or with out the durso?

[KW]

A flat piece of eggcrate is not good because the surface area is much less than a standard cone-shaped strainer. Drilled or slotted PVC is OK too.

If you don't have a strainer on all of your intakes you are asking for trouble!

Weekly maintenance should include inspecting and cleaning all strainers.

[newkie]

You might consider a float switch mounted at the top of the tank to cut off power to the main pump. I'm toying around with that right now, plus another one to turn the pump off if the sump runs dry. 3 float switches on 1 tank isn't too many, right :)

[TimS]

Agu,

I had one of your strainers drilled but hadn't put it on yet. Now I will.

Tim

[Snailman]

We had a 125 with two overflows and a crazy turbo snail got in the overflow and jammed itself in the tee where the lines from the two corner boxes come together to head into the basement. He did it in the middle of the night so we woke up to a nice flood. :( I now put bulkhead strainers on everything so no snail can get close to it.