Over flow help needed….

[kamla]

Over flow help neededââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.

Hi guys..
I have a Amiracle Overflow Box Set ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ rated for up to 600 GPH..
I am using a MAG 7 for my return pump with 1 inch PVC..
@ 3.5 foot head the mag should be put out 472 GPH..

My problem is that the over flow cannot keep up with the return Pump.
I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t under why?????

I know I can use a Ball joint and reduce the flow, I just need to understand why the overflow cannot keep up..

 

[sjm817]

Re: Over flow help needed….

Re: Over flow help neededââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6678798#post6678798 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kamla
Over flow help neededââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.

Hi guys..
I have a Amiracle Overflow Box Set ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ rated for up to 600 GPH..
I am using a MAG 7 for my return pump with 1 inch PVC..
@ 3.5 foot head the mag should be put out 472 GPH..

My problem is that the over flow cannot keep up with the return Pump.
I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t under why?????

I know I can use a Ball joint and reduce the flow, I just need to understand why the overflow cannot keep up..

Because the rating is not accurate. I ran into the same thing. The Amiracle overflow is a good reliable unit, but its flow capacity is not very good. A Mag5 maxes it out. In fact on mine, the Mag5 maxed it out to the point that it worked, but did not surface skim since the water level on the outside and inside of the skimmer box was equal. You can convert the Mag7 to a Mag5 with an impeller swap.

I wound up replacing it with a Lifereef which laughs at a Mag7.

 

[kamla]

That sucks.. I thought I research it well.
I guess I will use the mag 7 for my CL..
When I get around to itââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦

Thanks

 

[kamla]

But I wonder why the Lifereef model performs better..
They bought use 1 Inch u tubes and there design are pretty much the same..

????????????????

 

[sjm817]

I always wondered too. Now that I have one, I think I understand. The LR skimmer box is much deeper and it has a longer U tube. Something to do with the pressure by the deeper skimmer box?? I now run an Ehem 1260 which has a lot more flow than a Mag7 and it handles it without even breaking a sweat.

 

[kamla]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6679407#post6679407 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
I always wondered too. Now that I have one, I think I understand. The LR skimmer box is much deeper and it has a longer U tube. Something to do with the pressure by the deeper skimmer box?? I now run an Ehem 1260 which has a lot more flow than a Mag7 and it handles it without even breaking a sweat.

Huummââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦ I wonder if I increase the length of my u tube if it will increase the flow rateââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦

Did you try that..

 

[sjm817]

I think you need the deeper skimmer box. I never tried a longer U Tube. Maybe worth a shot.

 

[Abysswater]

Add another u-tube!

 

[kamla]

i will try it and let you know how it goes...........

 

[sjm817]

Dual U Tubes are generally a bad idea. You are cutting the velocity in 1/2 which can cause air accumulation. Its not the dia of the U Tube that is the restriction. LR and Amiracle are the same in that respect.

 

[escape2theocean]

Most of the time the flow is restricted due to the spacing of the teeth in the overflow box. If you grind the spacing wider between the teeth or remove a few of them it will make a big diffrence. I just did this on one of my tanks. I had to steal the big overflow box for my reeftank so when I put a small one on my eel tank it would overflow. All I did was remove 3 or 4 teeth and now the water has a good 1.5" drop and flows like a champ.

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6683016#post6683016 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by escape2theocean
Most of the time the flow is restricted due to the spacing of the teeth in the overflow box. If you grind the spacing wider between the teeth or remove a few of them it will make a big diffrence. I just did this on one of my tanks. I had to steal the big overflow box for my reeftank so when I put a small one on my eel tank it would overflow. All I did was remove 3 or 4 teeth and now the water has a good 1.5" drop and flows like a champ.

That is a good point. I always wondered if that would help. I didn't want to do any mods to mine that couldn't be undone. I'd be interested to see if it helps. Except for the low flow capacity, the Amiracle is really a nice box. It would be great if it could be modded to flow better. I can say the Lifereef does have fewer, but bigger slots.