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

[rdmpe]

Cool - great that you guys got it working! Now the scary part - to test your emergency drain - close your main drain valve completely.

When I do that, it is nerve wracking, but it works. Of course, it has a 1.5" emergency drain which can really suck an insane amount of water through it if you don't mind the jet powered toilet noise.

When I have emptied the sump before and then look down my main drain at how small the opening in my gate valve actually is, I realize how much flow rate increases when a full siphon developes in the main drain.

 

[jacksparrow7]

very new to reefing but need help bad

very new to reefing but need help bad

Hey all, Herbie, I've have read this tread from begining to end several times and I am still very confused on how to make my system silent. I have a 90g pentagon corner tank with one center overflow box that has two returns and two drains in it, I believe their 1". Please forgive my lack of terminology I have been doing as much research as I can but litterally just set my first tank up. I don't even have the salt in yet, just rodi water. I created my own durso pipes but am having trouble getting those to work. The water level keeps going up and down in the overflow. Anyway, I was wondering if you can do a step by step outline of your setup? I understand if you don't, but I have to try something else to stop this waterfall in my living room. To bad you don't live close to NH I would pay to come over and show me. Thanks for all the ideas and help.

 

[robertifly]

rdmpe, I'm glad to say I passed both ways, water all drained down and stayed in sump with 3" to spare(it's 20" tall) and closed the main drain and let it all go through to emer. drain (which is actually the same size 1.5") and the pumps continue to cycle the water. Yesterday I did change the control from a ball valve to a gate valve, hmmmmm maybe it made some dif, it is easier to make minute adjustments for sure. As stated before I have a Calfo overflow box that goes all the way across the b.o.t.with just two exits 1.5" ea. and returns over the top. Works MARVELOUSLY ! Only thing I'm concerned is if I have flow directed to clean the water (by taking it out at the surface skimming and through sump where I run sock on returning water) because it see a lot of floating debris in my water that I'm thinking should be getting filtered out sooner or later. BTW, this is still anew setup with nothing but sand and water.

 

[jefathome]

tagging

 

[Avast Marine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9047188#post9047188 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jefathome
tagging

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[Avast Marine]

jacksparrow7, the first post of this thread is a step by step. Which part are you having trouble with? We can get it figured out it's pretty simple and worth the little bit of effort.

 

[jacksparrow7]

Thanks Dan, This is what I have, 90g pent corner tank with a center pent shaped overflow box with two returns and two drains in it, I think there 1" bulkheads. I am running a mag 12,in sump, with three maxjet 900 powerheads in the tank. The tank came with these slotted pipes,like the ones Herbie uses, that where covered 1/2 in sponge, the water level in the overflow box was about 3 inches with these pipes so the drop was about 26", Niagara Falls sound. The tank height is 30", I made my 2 dursopipes 29" and the first thing was the water level came up above the elbow just below the caps, and there was this large flushing sound that happened very frequently and I could not get the water level to stay constant it would ride and fall. I had started my durso cap holes very small and went up to a 1/4 with no change in the sound. So then I just removed the caps and still no change. Then after reading several threads here at reefcentral I noticed my drain hoses had many dips and loops so I changed thoses out as well. I tried to use flexible pvc but the constraints of space and the sump can not fit directly under my drains, I couldn't use the pvc and I had to cut and splice my original drain hoses that resemble vacum cleaner hose.
My first question is can I use Herbies method in my overflow box and my second question with my setup is where to start? I am struggling I guess with where to begin on my system. What size pipes do I use? I looked at Herbies pics and I wish I could see how he has it plumb into the bulkheads. Where does his return lines go? Please forgive my ignorance on this. I am tring to read everything I can on reefing but am struggling with a time issue right now with family and work, any free time is with wife and kids so that leaves me late nights only. It took a year just to get RODI water into my tank. I like to do things slow and right the first time. LFS is really no help with this. Being in the medical field I can save your life with what I know but reefing is much more complex than that. Thanks for any help.

 

[Fishel]

after reading about this method I am torn now...

i am in the process of setting up my 240g tank but it only has 1 1.5inch drain and 1 1inch return for each of the 2 overflows....this means i don't have an emergency drain unless I hang the returns over the back side.....

i was hoping to use my tank in a island setup to divide my living room (4 viewable sides) with the tank back up against a couch. tank size is 8ft x 2 ft x 2ft... but having returns over the back will make this ugly....

i guess i could run the 1" returns up the back vertically where the overlflow backs are and over the top into the aquarium in a corner. i was planning on somehow covering the back of the overflow chambers anyways to make them as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

if anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.....

 

[ultra spikey]

wow...i just spent a REALLY long time reading all of this...I understand completely how it works...BUT, I dont have an internal overflow...this should work with an external overflow correct? Can anyone give me some ideas/suggestions/tips on how to set it up for an external overflow???

 

[timrandlerv10]

i just set it up using an external...we have a 1" out the bottom with a pvc gate valve, and we tuned it to match the mag 5 return pump (i know, i could go higher, but we dont need it). i also put a 1/2" drain out the side of the overflow higher than the normal level, but about 1/2" below the max water height of the tank. if the main drain gets clogged--snail in the gate valve--then the 1/2 should take over. we tried it once, and it worked, and it made noise (self alarming system). the only trick was making sure the overflow was stable and the extra drain didnt move a lot (afraid of cracking the overflow).

it all works...the loudest thing in the setup is the air getting sucked into the skimmer!

 

[ultra spikey]

ive never messed with pvc piping...is there a way to connect a gate valve inline with some vinyl tubing for the drain line? I would think the vinyl tubing weighs less than pvc?

 

[jacmyoung]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9164119#post9164119 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ultra spikey
ive never messed with pvc piping...is there a way to connect a gate valve inline with some vinyl tubing for the drain line? I would think the vinyl tubing weighs less than pvc?

Of course, 1" vinyl tube fits right on 3/4" pvc pipe just to give you an idea.

 

[Gobie74]

I just set up my system using this system. I'm using an external overflow so it's definitely possible. Thanks for the great thread!

 

[THEKIDSTA1]

why not just use the tee and 90 degree elbow with the three holes in it?,,,it costs $50 and its an overflow kit with bulkheads and everything. Or you could make it out of PVC and save $50.
I did it, and my sump is in the garage. I ran all plumbing thru the wall, and around my house into the garage....so you cant hear nothing in the living room for my 180 gal. Its so quiet that at times i check to see if the water is flowing...

 

[THEKIDSTA1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9161816#post9161816 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by timrandlerv10
i just set it up using an external...we have a 1" out the bottom with a pvc gate valve, and we tuned it to match the mag 5 return pump

Just put a tee with a riser at the top. Drill a small hole at the top of the riser cap for air intake. on the other hole coming frm the tee put a 90 degree elbow facing down ofcoarse and drill two holes around the back for self priming...thats it! a quiet and failsafe overflow. the idea isnt new, you can pay $50 for an "all aquarium" overflow kit or just make your own like i did....very quiet...trust me you cant hear a thing....

 

[Beenalongtime79]

Thekidsta1,

You of course just described the durso overflow... however, it is not exactly perfect as it creates saltspray and salt creep in the sump and can cause noise in the sump due to the air bubbling. It is quiet, but not silent. It also cannot handle as much flow as this method using the same diameter pipe.

This method is absolutely silent and causes no saltspray/saltcreep in the sump which is nice since a lot of people keep their powerstrips and other electrical equipment under the tank close to the sump. Once again, using the same diameter pipe, it can handle more flow than either durso or stockman methods because it does not depend on air intake to quiet the overflow.

I hope that answers your questions on why people have decided to use this method over the durso or stockman method.

Peace,
John H.

 

[eameres]

I am wondering if there is a way to something very similar to this with a single drain. I started a thread about it here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1047629

The idea is to have a single drain from the overflow box that splits into two paths. One straight "prefered path" that has a gate valve, and one that would act as a bypass if the gate valved path is overwhelmed (requiring the water to fight gravity a little bit). I'm looking for opinions here or there!

 

[jacmyoung]

The only way this can work is if your bypass is somehow open to the ambient air (back to the start), otherwise when air inside it is purged it becomes a siphon and we know how much flow a siphon can drain! And when it does you are back at the beginning again.

But to make you feel better, I use only one drain without the backup, and have been doing so for over a year without any issue. And if you can dig up one of my posts earlier you will understand why I sleep very well at night with only one drain. There are physically no possibilities that something bad can happen provided that a few very basic measures are taken. Such measures are necessary with or without this type of drain anyway. The only downside is it will not work with an auto top-off.

 

[eameres]

I figured the bypass would have some sort of vent, just like house plumbing to avoid a siphon. I assume the vent doesn't really have to go all the way back up, just enough to let air in at the top of the bypass elbow at the top of the picture.

I'm not sure I follow as to why this won't work with an auto top off? Maybe I missed something in the thread.

 

[jacmyoung]

If you add a vent, the air gets in and the drain would not be silent therefore why I said you are back to square one.

Auto top off will not work if there is no backup drain because the water level in the sump is influenced not only by evaporation but also changing water level in the overflow box. However I can think of adding a float switch in the overflow box may solve the issue but it is too complicated and float switches are not known to be very reliable.