Need Help With Overflow Noise

M

Multiham

New member
Need some help! I finally convinced my wife to let me have a 120 gallon tank in our Family Room. Have had many back surgeries so I am not capable of lifting tank and equipment. Paid a store to set-up my tank, sump, equipment. To make a long story short, it is so loud that my wife has made me turn it off and is threatening to take it down unless I can get it fixed. The store that did the install is saying it is as quiet as its ever going to get. I know there is something that can be done as I've heard many of these tanks before and none sounded like this (toilet flushing).

It is a 120 gallon Aqueon pre-drilled tank with 2 non-corner overflows. Here is the list of the equipment:

  • Aqueon Megaflow/Twin Flow Overflows
  • Pondmaster model 9.5 return pump
  • All plumbing is via flexible tubing (no pvc)
  • The Pondmaster pump is using a T to return the water to the returns on both overflows
  • The water drops about an inch to 2 inches from the drain hose to the 2 filter socks

If possible, could you please provide me with some simple things to check? I understand I could change the type of overflow, but I'm not capable of doing that now. Hoping to get some suggestions on ways to silence system using current configuration. If not, I'm afraid my experiment with a larger tank is going to end quickly!

Thank you
 
Do you have a durso or stand pipe in overflow?

On, my old setup, my drain emptied below the sump waterline, but water would fall about 3" from overflow to my stand pipe and it was loud.

Current setup has drain about 2" above water line in sump, but with a complete bean animal and it is very quiet.
 
I've got two tanks with factory overflow kits that I'm betting are exactly like yours, and I don't think it's possible to get them truly quiet. I just built my first herbie system on a tank downstairs, and the only real sound is from the hum of the pump. I'd bet it would take less than $30 worth of PVC to convert your tank to a herbie with no glass drilling required.
 
Most overflows are one drain and one return. You could turn these both into drains, then run the return up the back of the tank and over the edge.

The smaller bulkhead would be the main drain, the second larger one would be turned into the back-up (dry drain). You could then run the primary drain GATED at full siphon. It would be dead silent. Note: Never gate a drain to silent it without a dry back-up drain.

You could then find quality silent pumps used on reefcentral.

post pics of your set up.
 
Multiham said:
if possible, could you please provide me with some simple things to check? I understand I could change the type of overflow, but I'm not capable of doing that now. Hoping to get some suggestions on ways to silence system using current configuration.
Click to expand...

As folks have noted, revising your plumbing into a herbie style drain will be most effective, however, you may be able to quieten things down a bit by throttling back the pump with a ball valve. I am unfamiliar with your pump, but as flow approaches the maximum capacity of durso drains they get vey noisy and start to 'flush'. Throttling the pump will not hurt it and may significantly reduce noise. For a 120, 400 gph will be more than enough flow.
 
Mine I actually drilled, but this thread shows what I'm talking about http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...&highlight=convert+factory+overflow+to+herbie

Basically what you do is convert the return line in your overflow to a drain, so that you have two drains. One will be submerged, and you need a gate valve between the tank and the sump to control the flow rate. The other drain stays above the water line in the overflow, and acts as an emergency drain in case the main siphon gets clogged up or stopped. For your return you glue a few 90° elbows of pvc and some pipe that can hang over the back rim of your tank, and attach the original locline return.

Depending on your mobility you might need a helper, but it should be a fairly easy project as far as plumbing goes. Would only have to partially drain the tank, and no moving required.
 
ca1ore said:
as folks have noted, revising your plumbing into a herbie style drain will be most effective, however, you may be able to quieten things down a bit by throttling back the pump with a ball valve. I am unfamiliar with your pump, but as flow approaches the maximum capacity of durso drains they get vey noisy and start to 'flush'. Throttling the pump will not hurt it and may significantly reduce noise. For a 120, 400 gph will be more than enough flow.
Click to expand...

+1
 
I had the same problem and took a couple of hours to switch to a "Herbie" style and the difference is unbelievable, all I can hear is the pump returning the water to the DT
 
Thank you all for the suggestions! Disappointed to learn that my pump does not have adjustable flow so I will have to add a valve to throttle back the return rate. This return pump does about 750gph given its head feet. Not sure if you need to cut that in half since it is T'd off to handle both returns.
 
My drain made the same toilet flushing noise when I started. Mine is a PVC 3 way splitter with a cap, and all I had to do was drill a hole in the top to let air in and the noise went away.

dbececc81925307548bd97e3d50a41e4.jpg
 
You mention that your drain is 1-2" above the waterline in your socks; if possible, extend this so the drain is below the waterline (you might only need a coupler). This will make an enormous difference in the noise level. I also had a company set up my new tank and they did the same thing; it was like living next to Niagara Falls. Extending the drain to under the water line made the single biggest difference in the noise coming from the tank.
 
Multiham said:
Thank you all for the suggestions! Disappointed to learn that my pump does not have adjustable flow so I will have to add a valve to throttle back the return rate. This return pump does about 750gph given its head feet. Not sure if you need to cut that in half since it is T'd off to handle both returns.
Click to expand...

Unless you just bite the bullet and go herbie, you will have to experiment with throttling back the pump. Maybe not to half, but some to reduce flow through the durso drains. I assume the Aqueon tank you got came with the drain pipe kit? If so, required air vents are already there.
 
Yes, the air vents are already there on the caps.

One small thing I should be able to easily(I hope!) handle is eliminating the vibration of the pump. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to eliminate the vibration of the return pump in the sump?
 
I will try and reduce noise by extending the returns into the filter sock so they are below water level.

One quick question on that. Will extending the drain lines below the water level cause any problems if the pump shuts off and the water in the overflow drains into the sump?
 
BTW, the pump you have is actually quite common in the hobby but is know as a Danner MagDrive 9.5 just sold under a different name.

To answer the last question, there should be enough space in the sump to handle all the back flow from the system. Since the tops of the drain lines have an air inlet, as soon as the water level in the overflow box falls below the inlet to the stand pipe, there shouldn't be any additional drainage to the sump.

The best way to set the water level is to fill the display until you just begin to see water going into the sump, then fill the sump to within 1" over the top. When you turn on the pump everything should settle out and after it does, mark the water line in the return section so you know where the top off level should be to prevent flooding.

HTH,
 
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