Overflow Gurgling / Flushing noises

[ZachB]

Picked up a new return pump yesterday. It's an Eheim 1060, and does about 400gph at 4 foot head. My overflow is rated at 700gph. So I'm not overloading my overflow, it's a 1" overflow in a Perfecto reef ready tank.

It drains, water builds up a little in the overflow box, then drains quickly and builds back up again - in the process making a flushing gurgling noise. I have checked the airline hose on the standpipe, cleaned it, then popped it back in so there are no obstructions, so it's able to "breathe."

Getting a bit irritated here, any suggestions? My tank sounds like a toilet.

It doesn't matter if the drain line is above or below the water line in the sump.

 

[MVlk]

Man that sucks. I battled that on my old perfecto 125 as well. Wish I had a solution for you but good luck on it.

 

[ZachB]

Man that sucks. I battled that on my old perfecto 125 as well. Wish I had a solution for you but good luck on it.

Damn it. It's causing my ATO to switch off and on too.

Anyone have suggestions on how to stop this. Gurgle ... hissss ... whoosh!! ... click click ... gurgle ... hisssss.... whoosh ... click click ... :hmm5::furious::uzi:

 

[omreardon]

I'm not sure if this applies but I can tell you what I do and you can see if you can mod it for your purposes. I'm not sure how a reef ready tank is set up so this may not be helpful.

I have an overflow box on my tank. The water comes into one side and then goes over a wall into the other section where it drains through a bulkhead to my sump. I would have the problem of water flowing into the second section, building up an inch or two and then suddenly draining sounding like a toilet. I took a piece of airline tubing and placed one end in the bulkhead to the depth that the water built up to 2 inches or so and then would drain steadily, no flushing. I used a clothespin (very attractive) to pin the tubing to the side of my overflow box so it can't get sucked into the drain and end up in the sump. The tubing allows the air causing the flushing and sudden draining to escape allowing the water to flow steadily and quietly.

I hope this helps and if it doesn't maybe it will help someone with overflow box issues!

Olivia

 

[Pickupman66]

are you sure thatthe hole where the airhose goes to isnt clogged? im not familiar with them as I have a CPR. Do you have a Durso type standpipe (sorta upside down U shaped?


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[poolkeeper1]

Try a longer piece of airline and slowly move It up or down until you find the sweet spot! When you changed GPH It changes the Air/Water Mixture and you need to find the proper new ratio. Simple, But sometimes hard to find the sweet spot and It may just need to get slimed up again If you cleaned It too well. If that don't work there are several overflow threads you can find every suggestion In the world to remedy your Issue If you need more help Call!
Bill

 

[rcmike]

If it is built sort of like a durso it sounds like you need a bigger hole for air to come in. Could you take a picture of the overflow?

 

[omreardon]

Is that question to me or the OP?

Olivia

 

[ZachB]

are you sure thatthe hole where the airhose goes to isnt clogged? im not familiar with them as I have a CPR. Do you have a Durso type standpipe (sorta upside down U shaped?


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This is what mine looks like. Very sure it is not clogged.

 

[Pickupman66]

hmmm... Have you tried running it without the tubing? from the looks, like poolkeeper said, you may need to adjust it up and down. mine is rather home made and as it comes out of the drain, it goes to a "T". one end goes into another 90 turned down for the water in and the other goes straight up and it capped with a hole in it. TRY THIS. put your finger over the airhole. if it flushes immediatly, you have too much air. make a bigger diameter hole.

 

[ZachB]

hmmm... Have you tried running it without the tubing? from the looks, like poolkeeper said, you may need to adjust it up and down. mine is rather home made and as it comes out of the drain, it goes to a "T". one end goes into another 90 turned down for the water in and the other goes straight up and it capped with a hole in it. TRY THIS. put your finger over the airhole. if it flushes immediatly, you have too much air. make a bigger diameter hole.

OK - bizarre. If I cap the air hole, it doesn't gurgle, doesn't flush, and stays consistent.

If I take the airline tubing out it still does the same thing only the does increase the amount of air I would think?

 

[rcmike]

Maybe plug the hole up then.

Seriously though, that seems backwards.:hmm5:

 

[ZachB]

Maybe plug the hole up then.

Seriously though, that seems backwards.:hmm5:

Yea, it does seem backwards.

Bill, I don't have any other airline tubing to try moving it up and down - this piece is just tiny- would home depot sell it?

 

[ZachB]

OK, so I rolled up a small piece of paper and shoved it in the airline hose. It dramatically helped the problem. The water level in the overflow stays consistent now.

It does still gurgle and flush a very little bit but at least it doesn't sound like the biggest crapper ever that just got backed up. It just farts once in a while.

 

[andywe]

Air is getting trapped and eventually enough pressure builds to flush it. You have a loop in your return pipe below?

that pipe is a durso design, and the height of the pipe can effect this as well. The water level in the overflow is reccomended by Perfecto to be about 2" below the top of the wirt intake grate.

Here is an idea for you to help adjsut if your hole is too big:

Buy a maxijet 900 rebuild kit that has the airline tubing and the air venturi intake adjuster (its the littl black screw cap that open and closes to adjust the air intak. Pop that onto you air inlet tube up top and clsoe it down until your overflow smooths out. A needle valve conencted will also do the same thing.