Internal overflow issue

[dblimousine]

So just for clarification. When the pump is turned off like in the case of a power outage, would it be normal to see a gap between the tank line & waterline? Is it normal for the tank to drain a couple inches off the top when power is off?

 

[dblimousine]

Or should the waterline stay consistent regardless?

 

[dblimousine]

Lastly. How high should the water be in the sump when power is offm

 

[MG98]

K. So here is the drain pipe with elbow. The water is draining into the small hole to the sump.

Why is there a hole on the side of that pipe? Water will gravity drain until the level in the overflow is below that hole. If you are trying to prevent a siphon the hole should be on the top where water can't get in.

The lowest point in your system is that hole. The next lowest is the overflow teeth. when the pump stops and the return nozzle siphon breaks, water continues draining into that hole reducing the level in the overflow. Since the overflow teeth are above that hole, but below the level in the main tank, water continues to drain into the overflow.

You can raise the teeth or raise that hole. Water flows downhill until it can't.

 

[dblimousine]

Agreed. Not sure why the hole is there. Came from the factory like that. If you look online at kits you can see lots like it. Actually there are 3 holes total.

 

[MG98]

Lastly. How high should the water be in the sump when power is offm

There's no "right" answer to this. As long as it can hold everything that drains when the pump is off you're good. That said, more water in the system is better as changes will happen more slowly.

 

[MG98]

Agreed. Not sure why the hole is there. Came from the factory like that. If you look online at kits you can see lots like it. Actually there are 3 holes total.

Interesting. Check out some of the YouTube videos on the herbie overflow. There is lots of knowledge there. I'm in the process of upgrading my new tank to the beananimal system. Both are very quiet.

It's super easy to diy the plumbing for $20 or less and having everything exactly how you want it.

 

[JUNBUG361]

I think the holes are suppose to break siphon of the overflow box. I keep my sump water level 2 inches below the rim when the system is off, playing safe

 

[PilotMaximus]

So just for clarification. When the pump is turned off like in the case of a power outage, would it be normal to see a gap between the tank line & waterline? Is it normal for the tank to drain a couple inches off the top when power is off?

Yes the the water level in your over flows will fall and the water level in your tank will will drop until your water outlets(returns) are completely above water. Your drain pipe is multiple pieces also. So water may continue to drain in your overflows until the TOP of the 2 sliding pieces of your stand pipe is below the waterline in your overflow. So the Display portion of your tank may be done draining but your overflows may drain a few more inches. Again......all normal

Or should the waterline stay consistent regardless?

Nope it can definitely drop. this is normal

Lastly. How high should the water be in the sump when power is offm

As long as it doesn't overflow and flood it can raise to just a few inches from the top. That is part of initial tank fill and set up to allow for this "power off" failsafe condition

It sounds like everything in your tank seems to be OK. Just double check that your sump can hold all the water if your pumps are off. If not just remove some water.

Good luck

 

[ca1ore]

Looks to be a deep blue tank? They build their weirs with an adjustable back piece so that you can vary the water level in the tank. It's a nice feature but it does mean that excess water will drain back into the sump than with a 'normal' wier design. There are ways around this. You can silicone the adjustable back piece in place, but this requires at least a few days for the sealant to dry. You can raise the height of the drain, but this means less overall drain capacity. As long as your sump can hold the extra volume, just leave it as is.

 

[dblimousine]

Black epoxied half way up the overflow teeth. Solved problem

 

[dublo8]

Black epoxied half way up the overflow teeth. Solved problem

Glad you solved the problem, but I don't think there was a problem to begin with. It's common for your tank to drain to the lowest point (this case being your overflow teeth). Your sump should be able to handle the excess overflow of water. If it's not, get a bigger sump or lower the water level in the return pump chamber to wherever your comfortable with. Every time you perform a water change, the return pump goes off and back siphons, filling the sump. After it's turned back on the tank fills up and the sump returns to normal operating water levels.

For example: My sump is a chambered 40g breeder tank. I have roughly 30g of water in it during normal operation. When my return pump is turned off, water will back flow through the return line and some through the overflow back into the sump. This is roughly 5-6g of water. My sump can handle an addition 4 if needed. Which it never will due to the size of my display and the location of the overflow and return line. The return line only being about 1/2" below the water surface. HTH.

Happy Reefing.

 

[dblimousine]

Yeah you're right. I could turn the pump up to push water quicker out of the sump but that created a lot of noise and excess splash. Shortening the teeth allowed for a much better overflow. This is a problem unique to Aquarium Masters tank. Great quality but poor overflow box.