$15 PVC Overflow

[Gordonious]

Why buy a 20 gallon sump when you could, "just spend the money" and buy a 1000 gallon sump? I think next time I go to pick up a bulb for my fish only tank I'll "just spend the money" and pick up 10 MH bulbs and an extra battery back up and throw away my old lighting fixture. (sense the sarcasm?)

Not all of us can just spend the money. Also how many of us do you think spend 6 months reading and planning on RC before we bought a tank and filled it with water and animals? Most people probably already have spend there money, bought and filled a tank, and have that tank just about flush up against a wall and have hardly any space for an overflow.

This thing works, is cheap, easy to make(once you understand it), and fits in a small space.

 

[Gordonious]

All that being said once I learned my lesson with my first salt system I saved up the money and bought a megaflow(reef ready) tank the next time I set something up. So I agree reef ready is a great idea, but it is good to have the plan around for those people trying to improve the tanks they already have inexpensively.

Jon

 

[pvtschultz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9046565#post9046565 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gordonious
All that being said once I learned my lesson with my first salt system I saved up the money and bought a megaflow(reef ready) tank the next time I set something up. So I agree reef ready is a great idea, but it is good to have the plan around for those people trying to improve the tanks they already have inexpensively.

Jon

+1 here!

 

[dendro982]

Sorry, missed the part about CPVC vs. PVC. Did anyone had problems with using CPVC (off-white water piping from hardware store)?
In theory, it may contain antifungal additives, may not. First-hand experience, please?

 

[Gordonious]

dendro982 I would post in the reef chemistry forum with that question.

 

[dendro982]

Sorry, direct relation to this thread - I made one for Nano-Cube, using CPVC. Was everyone used PVC only for this, or CPVC too?
Thanks.

 

[crazy loaches]

Okay question about optimizing this design.

I hope this wasnt already asked, I read over this whole thing a few months ago and do not believe I remember it being asked.

Referring back to the original design:

For the ease of understanbing i will refer only to the left hand side, and just realize this will also be mirrored on the right.

Would not the maximum flow be available when the bottom U-bend [part F] be as far down from the upper U-bend [part D] as possible? And to make this happen without having siphon issues then F would be the same horizontal level as B and as low as the tank allows (part B inside tank resting on bottom).

Also for maximum flow, the overflow part, the cross, should also be as low as possible so that no extra head loss is introduced, so basically part G is the minimum length just to connect the two 90's together with no space between them. In fact, downstream after part E no PVC pipe should be visible, the three 90's and one cross could all be made to connect butting together (this wouldnt make the big of difference, but just minimizing space and reduces any unnecessary length of pipe even if its horizontal.

Just wondering if I have some of the theory wrong or if there is any other reason my optimizations would work?

 

[tikireefer]

Bump.....good question crazy loaches........I am building one right now and I would love to hear some feed back on your questions.

 

[Drag Racer]

only one guy mentions the noise level. Is this set up noisy? Is there alot of bubbles that make it to the sump because it uses a durso style before going to the sump?

 

[tikireefer]

I thought that I would give you guys an update on this PVC overflow that I built for my 10 gallon nano tank with a 10 gallon sump. I painted the PVC black with Krylon Fusion spray paint so that it was not such an eye sore in the tank.

It is basically the same design as the original one posted here at the beginning of this thread but I made mine a smaller version to fit on a smaller tank.

Instead of using 1 1/4" PVC I used 1” and instead of 1" I used 3/4".

I had very limited space to work with since I was installing this on a 10 gallon tank, so I tried to customize the shape on the PVC so that things fit together like a puzzle and saved space. I also wanted it to be very stable while hanging on the back of the tank, so that I never had to be concerned with it moving around on me.

This is what I came up with:

Top down shot

This is a close up shot of the overflow filter I installed so that snails or fish would not end up going down the pipe.

This is the return line that I designed to fit snuggly into the plumbing of the overflow.

Top down shot

This shot shows in all put together and hanging on the back of a 10 gallon tank. Not to confuse anyone, I used my sump in these photos.

Top down Shot

This is a shot of the back side of the tank with the overflow and the return line installed.

I have had it up and running for a few weeks now and am pretty happy with it. I would suggest that an Aqua lifter be used as this really adds to the level of reliability with this kind of overflow. It would also make it much easier to get the siphon started the first time.
It is pretty quiet once it gets broken in. I am working on reducing the amount of bubbles that I get in the sump on my setup. I have the overflow dumping into the sump below the water line and I seem to be getting a lot of bubbles and salt creep. Any suggestions on that would be helpful.
I will update with pictures of it setup and running if anyone is interested.
Let me know what you think.

 

[Gordonious]

Have you tried opening the top cap in the middle once it is up and running? If you opened that or opened it somewhere else before it dumps into the sump most of the bubbles should escape. I'll see if I can draw another way for bubbles to get out and get back to you.

I don't think you need as much tubing in the display tank. When mine was up and running none of the tubing was in deeper then 1.5" of water so if you were standing in front of the tank you didn't even see it.

I like that you plumbed the return line in with it, that was slick. Nice paint job as well.

 

[Jen D]

What sort of flow are people getting through the siphon? I've read that the flow through a siphon is different than the flow through a gravity fed drain.

 

[dreday]

cant say for sure, but at 3/4" with 2 pipes i would say 400. if you do separate drains to the sump you should get a little more. i am looking at building one this week at 1.5" or 2" pvc. i need it for 2 75g tanks to run of one sump. with a large pump so i need around 800gph per tank.

if i ever get batteries for my camera i will post some pics of my horrible construction skillz. i am one of those guys who will plumb himself into a corner withhis arm between 4 pipes....

 

[Wilku]

this thing is great!

 

[myaerica]

Its A good idea,but I would take the 15$ you started with to buy the pvc and went to BRS and bought a dimond bit and bulkhead. Shipped to your door would be 25$ or less and no worries when power goes out.

 

[barnett8]

Here's my insanely complex overflow:

I've built two of them and they have both worked pretty well.

 

[zsqure]

I am obviously missing something here. I have made an overflow exactly like the one on the first page and cannot get it to flow enough to handle the flow from an old rio 2100. It (the overflow) is very slow. Should something be different in the design? I need help.

 

[SuperNemo]

zsquare,

make sure you have taken all the air out of the tubes or it will not flow properly.

 

[zsqure]

I have done that two different ways: the first time I placed the overflow contraption in my garbage can of make up saltwater and spun it aroud everyway to chase out the air bubbles. Hooked iy up and it didn't flow more than 1/4 pipe depth maybe less. I got a couple check valves and pulled the air out with them and the flow was no better.

 

[SuperNemo]

you will have to post a picture. i made a one sided one as well using 1 1/2 and my ehiem 1262 does not even attempt to keep up with it. Granted it can't. I made a two way version with increased skimmer capabilities andwill be using that on the saltwater tank.