Overflow experts....HELP!

[Crevalle]

I can't seem to equalize the water level in the slotted internal overflow and the external overflow. The external portion has a far lower water level, and therefore, I'm having trouble increasing the gph being siphoned out. I'm having to back off my mag9.5 WAY too much, and my siphon flex tube (to the sump) isn't even three-quarters full when it empties into the sump. How do I increase the flow (i.e. equalize the water level in the internal and external overflow boxes)???? I've attached a pic so you can see.

[peterl23454]

u need to raise the pipe in the external box. i have mine right below the teeth on the inside box...too much lower then that and it will poduce bubbles which could possibly result in a siphon break. i think it has to be below the teeth to be an effective skimmer box

[redawg]

i don't know about the pipe.. but if u loosten the wing nut and lower the inside box you will move more water(turn pump back up of course).. unless your inside box is getting water over the top of the teeth..

i have the same thing on my 125

[moconet]

Have you tried adding another U-tube?

[Crevalle]

peter23454--do you mean the pipe that sticks up about 2" in the external box (that the pre-filter foam sits on)? If so, how in the world would I do that?

redawg--I've tried lowering the inside box, but the siphon can't keep up...that's my problem--I need to increase the siphon flow.

[outprowllin]

i agree. lower the inside box if it is up to high it will close the flow betweem the bottom of the inner box and the bottom of the "u" pipe this can restrict the flow . to test this simply lift up on the "U" pipe a little and see if the flow improves..........jaime

[The Aquarist]

I spent the weekend dealing with a similar problem after I upgraded my sump pump and the sump was getting low, the tank was filling up and the overflow wasn't handling the flow.

The drain pipes never seem to fill up as much as a high pressure pipe from a sump pump, it's just a gravity flow and it's less intense. The first thing you can try is to add a 2nd "U" Syphon tube to possibly put more water into the external box if the design of your external box will let a 2nd syphon tube fit in there. The design of my overflow has 2 syphons and 2 one inch drain pipes and with a new Quiet One #6000 pump the skimmer couldn't keep up. I made a home made skimmer to try running 2 because my skimmer design wouldn't allow a 3rd syphon tube and left no room for expansion. Now I had the original with 2 one inch drains, plus a DIY one with 1 one inch drain. This improved the situation, but wasn't goo enough. I made another one, but I couldn't get the balance between the 3 and for some reason, I could run the original and either one of the DIY ones, but not all 3.
This made the weekend seem like GroundHog Day! Everytime I thought I was at the end, it was back to the drawing board.

There are several DIY overflow skimmer plans on the internet, but the basics are pretty clear and I made some less attractive ones from 4 inch PVC home made internal and external skimmer cups and some PVC Syphon tubes with a small piece of clear tubing in the middle to see if any air was in the tube.

The end result was that I gave up and plumbed the new Quiet one as a circulation only pump and I'll get a smaller Quiet One Quarium series for the sump.

I do know what I needed to do to be successful though ......
I needed to make ONE BIG OVERFLOW skimmer rig with an internal and external cup large enough to fit 4 one inch syphon tubes with 4 one inch drain pipes (or 2 two inch drain pipes!).
I believe this is relative to your current disappointing situation! It may be easier to buy a larger overflow or a 2nd one with extra drain pipes in case you need them.

The Pump is powered and the water is under pressure. Your Overflow doesn't involve any pressure, just gravity. It reaches maximum gravity flow and that's it! If you can fit a second or even one larger diameter syphon tube in your overflow setup, that would be the easiest possible solution, but if it doesn't work, you will need to upgrade the overflow. I know what you are dealing with and you have my sympathy!

[Crevalle]

Aquarist--the funny thing is, coming from my mag9.5, I have FOUR 90-degree elbows, PLUS a "T" at the top to split the return. All this, and my lifereef overflow STILL can't keep up with my pump. Supposedly, the lifereef is clocked at 700gph. But, I'm not getting anywhere near that. Do you think that if I added another U-siphon, the weight of the additional water in the external overflow chamber will increase the flow a noticeable amount?

[redawg]

yeah... maybe

[The Aquarist]

It's definitely the cheapest option and that's where I always start!

I had a major DIY weekend without having planned any DIY activity in advance besides plumbing the new pump.

I don't know what a Mag 9.5 puts out, but this weekend was a surprise for me because although my overflow came with 2 syphon tubes and 2 drain pipes, I only used one syphon tube because the pump I used in the sump didn't put out enough to keep the 2 tubes moving and I'd get big bubbles in them, so I knew when I upgraded the pump that I could add the second tube to allow the extra water flow and didn't expect problems. The second tube helped, but not enough in my situation. It's worth a try in yours.

The second "U" syphon tube could possibly be a simple fix. If not, it only gets worse!

[justgettinstarted]

i have a 1" internal.... bulkhed... and i can do well over 700 gph... sounds like you guys got hosed! lol

[justgettinstarted]

why 4 1" tubes? why dont you make 1 2" tube out of pvc?

[Crevalle]

Ok, Justgettinstarted, I have to ask (I'm sure you get this a lot): how is it that you live a block from the ocean when you're in Indiana?

BTW, an internal bulkhead is not possible, since my tank is not drilled. Currently, everything is in balance (overflow/pump), but I'm having to redirect a lot of my return flow back into the sump so that my tank doesn't overflow. I find it hard to believe that my mag9.5 is putting out over 700gph (a figure the lifereef should be able to match in optimal conditions) when, as I stated earlier, I have four 90-degree elbows, and a "T" at the top of my return. I just can't figure out how to get more gph out of my overflow. I may try the double U-tube method that Aquarist spoke of, but the Lifereef instruction booklet warns that it could cause problems. All things considered, my sump/plumbing initiation went very well last night. Just need to increase that overflow gph....

[BrianH]

Why don't you try contacting lifereef?

Brian

[The Aquarist]

Originally posted by justgettinstarted
why 4 1" tubes? why dont you make 1 2" tube out of pvc?

2 ich would be good. One 4 inch would be good! In my case, I had some one inch PVC and elbows already, plus the industry standard seems to be one inch.

justgettinstarted,

You are right. When you run the bulkhead out of the tank, everything is better. There is no 2 cup and a syphon set up, which is why I suspect the 2nd syphon to resolve this thread.

[Crevalle]

BrianH--yes, I will end up calling Lifereef today.

But, since I'd like to at least try the extra U-siphon, can anyone recommend a place I could pick one up (aside from online purchases) asap?

[dominic]

that box will not handle that mag 9 ,you need 2 tubes and drains i went through the same thing with a sen 9, with splits and elbows, ps i have the overflow for sale you would need, but those boxes will only handle max400 gph i dont care what they rate them at .

[Crevalle]

I'm thinking that two internal overflows will look ackward on my 75g, but how much do you want for yours?

[The Aquarist]

Originally posted by Crevalle
BrianH--yes, I will end up calling Lifereef today.

But, since I'd like to at least try the extra U-siphon, can anyone recommend a place I could pick one up (aside from online purchases) asap?

I don't know what is in your area. I'd be surprised, but you might get lucky and find one at Walmart. I know they have air valves and other basic aquarium things. Otherwise, you can check your LFS, but the ones in my area didn't have them. I was going to drive almost an hour from my place to That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA because they are well stocked, but I decided to make my own from PVC pipe and elbows and a clear piece of tubing from Lowes at the top of the U. You could even try just using a piece of tubing, but because it's soft, it tries to pinch in the turn. Several thin pieces of tubing may be more cooperative than one large piece because it's a sharper turn for a larger diameter piece of tubing. Getting a few of them started could be a hassle though.

[peterl23454]

i dont think i understood your question...another u tube and possibly a dual overflow sounds like a step in the right direction.


the easiest way to raise the pipe in the outer box is to get a coupler and just put it on the pipe.dont force it on just set it on top

[dominic]

65 shipped email me dtata2@attbi.com