DIY OVERFLOW (Weir style) - KEEPING THE BALANCE - Calling all owners

[JMWALTON92]

Hello all,

I have had a lot of tanks and fish over the years. Most of my tanks were drilled however the 2nd tank in my main display wasnt and I didn't fancy drilling a newish tank so I built a DIY overflow the weir type with one large pipe with the overflow built inside that.

Now it all seems to be working fine, however I am a marine engineer by trade so I work with pipework and fluid quite a bit and I can foresee a problem;
unless I get the flows perfectly matched then the water level inside the main weir pipe will go up/down until it either overflows or gets to the bottom of the overflow and stops the siphon, it does auto restart but still if this is happening repeatedly then its inviting disaster.

I seem to have it balanced quite well as I have valves on the pump output and overflow pipe. I've had it running on test for over 24hrs and it seems stable.

Am I worrying for no reason? Anyone built this type and have experiance?
I am tempted to put a float switch on a relay for the return pump just in case.

Thanks
Jonjoe

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Read this ;

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-dual-overflows/

 

[mcgyvr]

Jonjoe, can you share a picture or sketch of your overflow?
That would make commenting on its pros/cons easier as we don't have to make assumptions based on your description of it..

There are always potential issues with a hang on type overflow.. Redundancies should be established to help mitigate that as best as possible... I have had hob overflows l in the past and just don't ever want to worry about them again.. I will have a drilled tank or I won't have any tank at all.. I sleep much better at night..
Every system has potential failure points though..

 

[JMWALTON92]

Read this ;

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-dual-overflows/

Just had a quickskim read....
That doesn't reference my type of overflow? Mine's a single weir type DIY with no holes drilled at all.

Mine is very much like this
https://goo.gl/images/mLYdaU

 

[JMWALTON92]

Jonjoe, can you share a picture or sketch of your overflow?
That would make commenting on its pros/cons easier as we don't have to make assumptions based on your description of it..

There are always potential issues with a hang on type overflow.. Redundancies should be established to help mitigate that as best as possible... I have had hob overflows l in the past and just don't ever want to worry about them again.. I will have a drilled tank or I won't have any tank at all.. I sleep much better at night..
Every system has potential failure points though..

Hello, thanks for the reply.
Ive posted a link to a Google image result that is very similar to mine, the only difference is mine has a larger weir to offer more of a buffer this in theory should be very good if I can get the balance, if I wire in a float switch or two it should be totally failsafe well not totally as the heating would be off until someone hears the alarm but you get the idea

 

[mcgyvr]

link didn't come through.. This site has some protection in place for new users (low post count) trying to post external links..
But yes.. a float switch or 2 can be one failsafe.. until you get busy and forget to maintain that float switch and its clogged with algae/slime,etc.. and fails to trigger.. Or a snail sits on it keeping it down,etc...
So at the very least I'd recommend multiple floats both equipped with snail guards and a set preventative maintenance period for them to keep them clean..

Another good "failsafe" is to ensure that the return pump section/pump will run dry before your tank overflows.. To me thats one of the best failsafes.. Virtually impossible for it to not work when needed..

 

[JMWALTON92]

link didn't come through.. This site has some protection in place for new users (low post count) trying to post external links..
But yes.. a float switch or 2 can be one failsafe.. until you get busy and forget to maintain that float switch and its clogged with algae/slime,etc.. and fails to trigger.. Or a snail sits on it keeping it down,etc...
So at the very least I'd recommend multiple floats both equipped with snail guards and a set preventative maintenance period for them to keep them clean..

Another good "failsafe" is to ensure that the return pump section/pump will run dry before your tank overflows.. To me thats one of the best failsafes.. Virtually impossible for it to not work when needed..

https://goo.gl/images/mLYdaU 《《 I'll try again with the link

The seccond failsafe is one I have thought of, I have it almost like that at the moment I think it would possibly overflow the tank by a 2-3L maximum. I could lower the water level slightly in the sump to acheive this.

I agree with your previous comment, I'll just drill the back of the tank next time, if I hadn't have built this into my display I would drill it now

 

[mcgyvr]

And FYI.. I can tell you posted again after my post #5 because I have wizard like skills but I/we can't see your new post at all.. This is the classic "jailed" post protection I was alluding too..
Typically a moderator will unjail that post in 24 hours or less..
I try to tell people when I see that because this site does not and I don't want you to think we are ignoring you..

 

[JMWALTON92]

And FYI.. I can tell you posted again after my post #5 because I have wizard like skills but I/we can't see your new post at all.. This is the classic "jailed" post protection I was alluding too..
Typically a moderator will unjail that post in 24 hours or less..
I try to tell people when I see that because this site does not and I don't want you to think we are ignoring you..

That's appreciated thanks for that
Not sure if my last post posted either as that had a link in there;

The seccond failsafe is one I have thought of, I have it almost like that at the moment I think it would possibly overflow the tank by a 2-3L maximum. I could lower the water level slightly in the sump to acheive this.

I agree with your previous comment, I'll just drill the back of the tank next time, if I hadn't have built this into my display I would drill it now

 

[Zephrant]

Several local people have put these in, I strongly reconnend against them.
One I visited did a fill/flush cycle every 30s, 24/7. Was driving the owners nuts. Was able to talk them in to drilling and using a Heriberto setup. They are extremely happy with how quiet it now is.

While you have it balanced now, it won’t last. Watch out for changes in surface growth (scum), snails, water level changes, etc. Its a virtual guarantee that if you are balancing with both in and out valves, that it will get out of balance.

It’s like balancing a basketball on another one. Can be done, but any disturbance causes the system to break down.

To be safe, you need excess unused capacity in your drain setup, which you have removed by closing the drain valve.