NEW plumbing method for an ULTRA QUIET REEF TANK!!!! LONG !!!!

[Willy315]

lower the emergency drain .....I have this setup on my tank with a HOB overflow and it works perfect and is silent all except for the hum of the pumps

 

[drock59]

DrBDC, did you read this thread. most of us are using this plumbing method as opposed to the durso. Thanks for the input though.

Indy and other, that is just he problem the emergency drain cant be lowered. both pipes are 1.5" and im running a mag 9.5.

 

[Beenalongtime79]

Having to throttle back the return pump is actually no diff than controlling flow of the drain

Actually, there is a big difference in that you are not slowing down flow to your display to quiet down the drain. That is a huge difference and not trivial in the least. Your flow is at full bore when you use this method.

Peace,
John H.

 

[drock59]

yep

 

[Nirol]

drock59... why can't it be lowered? Granted you may have to adjust the drain some....

 

[drock59]

E drain is just about this one. if i lower it any more the water will run down the E drain and make noise.

If i lower the water level, air gets sucked into the main drain.

 

[Nirol]

It shouldn't flood...if the E drain is the same size as the main drain, something else is weird here....

 

[drock59]

ya that is what i thought too. Its not like this is hard though. I have one main drain, and one emergency drain. Both 1.5"

If i simulate a clogged main drain, the water level rises in the overflow box until it drains down the e drain. Then the water level in the tank continues to rise.

I dont get it.

 

[barnacle bill]

I know a way easier way to have silent overflows as long as you have no j-tubes (overflows in tank). cut a piece of acrylic for a lid, take a 3-4" piece of pvc silicone it to the bottom of the lid so that it centers over your standpipe and is long enough to go 2-3" lower than the top of the standpipe. Drill 1/4" hole in the lid centering it with the pvc pipe to prevent a siphon. Put your new barnacle bill silencer on your overflow box and enjoy! The closer the standpipe is to the top the less waterfall effect.

 

[DrBDC]

That would probably be that the e drain doesn't flow as well or if they are exactly the same bends etc then the difference is that the water column pressure over the main drain is just enough to allow the regular drain to keep up.

Going back to the full open vs throttling back the return. You have a set amount that can go through your drain hole depending on cross sectional area of that drain hole, friction coefficients of the drain pipe material, bends in the drain, and height of the water column causing pressure. That is unchanged. You will always reach that maximum if you over power the gph of the return pump and cut it back to the correct amount. I.e. you can flow 1000 gph with your plumbing. You deliver 1200 and cut it some til it's down to 1000. If you go the route of pinching the drain, that would mean the overall flow is less than that maximum.

 

[barnacle bill]

With a "lid" you don't throttle anything back, my iwaki 100 is rockin (2000 gph 2x11/2" drains)and the overlows are quiet!

 

[thrlride]

That would probably be that the e drain doesn't flow as well or if they are exactly the same bends etc then the difference is that the water column pressure over the main drain is just enough to allow the regular drain to keep up.

Going back to the full open vs throttling back the return. You have a set amount that can go through your drain hole depending on cross sectional area of that drain hole, friction coefficients of the drain pipe material, bends in the drain, and height of the water column causing pressure. That is unchanged. You will always reach that maximum if you over power the gph of the return pump and cut it back to the correct amount. I.e. you can flow 1000 gph with your plumbing. You deliver 1200 and cut it some til it's down to 1000. If you go the route of pinching the drain, that would mean the overall flow is less than that maximum.

You are right that if you pump more than your drain can handle you will have to throttle back the pump. It seems that most that did this mod don't have that problem. I actually don't have that problem and it sort of bothers me that I don't. I know that my tank can handle a little more.

What's really odd about this setup is that it seems there is no flow really happening. My sump water surface is almost stagnant. No bubbles or anything but my pump is running at full power.

 

[patsan]

This sounds to be a great method to silent the tank.

I just got a new tank that I need to plumb. It has 1 drain and 2 returns drilled in the overflow box.
I'm thinking I can use the 2 supposedly returns as emergency backups and then run the returns over the back of the tank instead of thru the bottom.

I need to ask a question. When you turn your pump off, does the water in the overflow drain into the sump like it does with regular type plumbing?

 

[Nirol]

This sounds to be a great method to silent the tank.

I just got a new tank that I need to plumb. It has 1 drain and 2 returns drilled in the overflow box.
I'm thinking I can use the 2 supposedly returns as emergency backups and then run the returns over the back of the tank instead of thru the bottom.

I need to ask a question. When you turn your pump off, does the water in the overflow drain into the sump like it does with regular type plumbing?

Yes, Pat it would drain from the overflow down to the top of the submerged drain standpipe. You will also back siphon to the lowest point of the return plumbing. unless you put in a siphon break hole in the nozzle.

 

[patsan]

Yes, Pat it would drain from the overflow down to the top of the submerged drain standpipe. You will also back siphon to the lowest point of the return plumbing. unless you put in a siphon break hole in the nozzle.

Thanks so much. I think this would be a good method to use with the new tank. I think I even understand "most" of it...which is scary.
I understand the basic concept of plumbing a tank...I just didn't know how I was going to do mine because I wanted to avoid all the hassles with the noise and bubbles.
So basically it works like all the traditional type plumbing, except it's silent?

 

[tygger]

Unless your drain pipe is water tight at the bulkhead, water will begin to seap through and eventually drain all the water in the overflow box. Leave room in the sump for the extra water, unless you want to glue your drain pipes in the overflow... I wouldn't though.

 

[patsan]

Unless your drain pipe is water tight at the bulkhead, water will begin to seap through and eventually drain all the water in the overflow box. Leave room in the sump for the extra water, unless you want to glue your drain pipes in the overflow... I wouldn't though.

No, I don't want to glue them in. I should have enough room in the sump to handle whatever water is in the overflow.
What do you mean it will seap and eventually drain?
I know with the tank we have running right now, when we turn the pump off, the water immediately starts draining from the overflow into the sump. The pipes aren't glued into the bh's on that tank either.

 

[Nirol]

Unless your drain pipe is water tight at the bulkhead, water will begin to seap through and eventually drain all the water in the overflow box. Leave room in the sump for the extra water, unless you want to glue your drain pipes in the overflow... I wouldn't though.

I agree with Tygger. I had to change out a bulkhead fitting and it was good to know that all that water in there would fit in my sump.

 

[patsan]

I agree with Tygger. I had to change out a bulkhead fitting and it was good to know that all that water in there would fit in my sump.

Why did you have to change it out....was it a bad bh?
I'm assuming the bh's I have are good. They appear to be in great shape and the washer is very thick. They look like heavy duty bh's.
I don't have a problem gluing a pipe underneath in the stand. I'll put a threaded male adapter into the bh and than can glue the pipe onto the male. If I need to change it, I only have to unscrew the male adapter and get a new adapter rather than a new bh.
I just don't want to glue the pipes inside the overflow so I can take them out to clean. Inside the overflow are slip, and underneath in the stand are threaded.

 

[Nirol]

I overtightened it and broke it. Dumb me. And I didn't want to drain the tank, so I just pulled out the standpipe and let it all drain to the sump and switched it.