Overflow box problems!

[Carto]

I purchased two Amiracle overflow boxes from Ron's Saltwater Heaven numerous years ago. They have worked flawlessly until recently.

I have two of these units (they are the tube-less type) and one is working perfectly while the other nearly fails within 48 hours and needs to be reset. The water in the box that sits inside the tank fills up rather than pulling the water in and over into the outside box. The water inside the tank raises until you can see the tank's center brace. The tank does not overflow (atleast yet!) but I do not feel that I can leave the tank unattended for longer than two days.

Has anyone else had this problem, or have this overflow box and have run into this before? Any tips for correcting it?

Any ideas what is going on here?

Thanks!

 

[CarlC]

You most likely have a build up of crud in part of the C. Tube worms have a tendency to build up in there.

I fish a piece of string through the C and on one end attach a piece of cloth. Pull that through a few times and it should open up. A good long soak in vinager will help break the worm tubes down.

Hope that helps!

Carl

 

[coralnut99]

You would be amazed how much simple coralline accumulation can slow down the waterflow through those tubes. I would follow Carlc's advice first. That's been my experience with them.

Another possibility would be a hairline crack in the tube that lets air into the tube.

I bought a spare tube some years ago, so that I could just swap one out that looks particularly cruddy, and not even have to shut anything down while cleaning.

 

[Aquarose]

Another option is to dump the boxes and drill the tank. That is a much easier solution than those boxes.

 

[Dr4g0nf1y]

I believe these type of overflow boxes are supposed to be used with an Aqualifter pump to keep the water flowing. Since you mentioned they are "tubeless" I can only imagine these are the type you are refering to.

The aqualifter helps maintain the siphon in the C tube.

I also think the idea of a hairline crack sounds plausable.