Silent and Failsafe Overflow System

Bean (or anyone else who can answer)...

First off thank you for your dedication to helping everyone... I had a 210 gallon reef in which I ran your system and it worked great!
<a href="http://s448.photobucket.com/albums/qq210/jusbechillin/250%20gallon%20FOWLR%20build/?action=view&current=DSC_0068_2.jpg~original" target="_blank"><img src="http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq210/jusbechillin/250%20gallon%20FOWLR%20build/DSC_0068_2.jpg" border="0" alt="210 gallon reef"></a>


Anyways I have recently purchased a new tank and would like to incorporate a similar system. The new tank will be viewable from two rooms so it currently has an overflow built in to one side.... If the overflow wasnt already built then I could just make my own like on the last tank.... The overflow runs all the way to the bottom of the tank and has a hole drilled on the bottom already... I guess I could plug the bottom hole and just drill 3 of my own in the back? do I need to somehow block off the bottom portion of the overflow chamber or can I somehow use the whole thing? Would I drill all three holes near the top of the tank or can I make it work near the bottom? Not sure if I'm making much sense... =)


Heres a pic of the new tank..
<a href="http://s448.photobucket.com/albums/qq210/jusbechillin/250%20gallon%20FOWLR%20build/?action=view&current=IMG_0298-1.jpg~original" target="_blank"><img src="http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq210/jusbechillin/250%20gallon%20FOWLR%20build/IMG_0298-1.jpg" border="0" alt="new tank"></a>
Oh yeah.. The ocean clear filters are not going to be used... I will have a sump with a large skimmer. The filters came with the tank and I havent got rid of them yet.....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You need three holes. They can be at the top or bottom or mixed. What you need is to then make them your three drainds: siphon, open, and emergency. The current hole could be your siphon. Drill another whole and put a standpipe in it - depending on size/water variation you may not even need to make it a durso. Drill a hole in the side (at the correct height) and emergency.

IMHO a lot of people over analyze this (Bean can correct me if I am wrong) a lot of the plumbing was to make Beans tank design work. But it can be simplified as I mentioned above. The catch is that you have to be able to implement the three types of drains. The siphon could be a simple bulkhead in the bottom of a reef ready tank. The standpipe only help to limit the amount of water that get into the sump in the event of a power failure. The emergency can be an open pipe as long it can be covered with enough water to create a siphon if needed. The open/durso requirements I am a little less clear on - other than it need to be quiet.
 
Is it absolutely necessary to have a valve on the siphon side? or is that more or less to control the volume of flow in the full siphon?
 
Yes the valve is needed for the reason RocketSurgeon said. It controls the height of the water over the siphon drain. Even if it did not run completely dry there is a risk of a vortex forming and making noise.
 
chimmike said:
Is it absolutely necessary to have a valve on the siphon side? or is that more or less to control the volume of flow in the full siphon?
Click to expand...

Yes you need to have a valve on the siphon. Under any circumstances, and is not system dependent, or optional.

The main flow control for the system is the valve on the pump outlet. Although the valve on the siphon DOES limit the flow capacity of the siphon (controls the volume as you put it,) the restriction raises the water level in the over flow, till water just flows in the open channel. The total flow splits between the siphon and the open channel-- with the flow in the open channel quite low: For silence, and allows an increase or decrease in the flow (variety of reasons) without affecting the balance of the system.

Jim
 
Kind of an on topic/off topic post here:

I've had the BA system on my tank for 7 months now, quite and very versatile :)

Anyways, my question for everyone is how (with the ease of removing the caps from the top of the pipes) often is everyone actually removing them and cleaning from top to bottom?
 
I've just implemented this on my new system. Could you please give me some pointers on getting it fired up and tuned in? Specifically getting the siphon started. Please excuse me if it's been covered. I just browsed through the thread and couldn't find the info.
 
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1310585&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

#1 problem with getting the siphon to start, is the outlets to the drains too deep in the sump.

Flow rate is set by the valve on the pump return. After the siphon starts, the valve on the siphon is closed (raising the water level in the overflow) till water just flows in the open channel. Done. (Unless you have design issues, that would cause it to function differently) It can take several minutes for the system to settle in, purge the air in siphon etc, so the siphon will most likely not start instantly, and the system will make noise and bubbles till the siphon kicks in.

Jim
 
If you look back at post 2232 the detail that uncle did is exactly how I have my overflow plumbed. When I added water to the system the drain started instantly and went into the sump. However, I still have major bubbles in the sump coming from the main and secondary drain pipes. I have throttled back the main drain and checked to make sure the caps are tight, any ideas as to what I am doing wrong? The other modification I made was a small pipe on the emergency higher then the overflow water line, but below the top of the tank, cause it started draining too.
 
If you have air discharging from the siphon standpipe then it is either:

A) Leaking air from a joint or the cap
B) Pulling in air from the overflow box

​
Did you use teflon past on the cap? Are all of the joint properly glued? Are there bubbles in the overflow box being sucked into the intake?
 
I did not use the paste on the caps, but I will get some. All joints are properly glued as there are no leaks anywhere now, used to be a small drip out of the bulkheads that I took care of. Water is above the two intake tubes by about a half inch so I don't think/know that are is getting sucked in. Guess the main thing I need to check is the caps.
 
Questions for anyone who can give the advice.

I am setting up a 250 gallon FOWLR. I am looking at picking up a used Reeflo Barracuda tomorrow for the setup.

a)is 3500 GPH good flow for this size tank?

b)would this be too much flow too run through my sump? I also have a little giant md4sc around 750gph I could use...

c)if I did run the Barracuda as a return for the sump how could I make the system handle the flow through this style overflow? Would I need two open syphons or would one handle it?

I could also use the barracuda as a closed loop system and use something else for the sump return.


Thanks!
 
Beananimal using reef-ready with four holes?

Beananimal using reef-ready with four holes?

I learned about the Beananimal overflow only AFTER ordering my custom 180-gallon tank. It has a coast-to-coast overflow and the bottom is drilled with 4 holes -- 2 x 1" and 2 x 1.5" (see this photo). The original plan was to use two 1.5" Dursos and 2 1" returns from the basement sump below.

I'd like to do a Beananimal now, and wonder whether i could just use my four standpipes as follows:

1.5" Emergency Standpipe
1" Full Siphon Standpipe
1" Open Channel Standpipe
1.5" return from sump to tank.

Will this work? Any downside or better alternatives?

thanks,
Brian
 
Thefishman65, thanks. Good advice.

Another question: should I use 1.5" pipe for the 1" bulkheads? I seem to remember reading something about upsizing.

thanks,
Brian
 
Turns out mine was the depth of the return pipe in the basement sump... After I sealed the cap with paste, and removed one of the valves, as my wife commented... 3 inches can make a big difference!

Thanks Bean and Uncle for the advice, mine still cavitates a little, but still pretty quiet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

AquaticReefTV
DIY Cable management time lapse
Replies
1
Views
530
S|\/|S
S
DjPhato
Overflow and flow-pump location for peninsula
Replies
1
Views
310
Vinny Kreyling
Vinny Kreyling
H
Dry Fit Plumbing Test for 200g, Critique before I glue?
Replies
4
Views
473
Hezamam
H
isseym328
Adding water volume to current set up help
Replies
18
Views
948
JohnL
JohnL
T
220G Tank Setup - Flow/General Advice Needed
2
Replies
23
Views
1K
The Reef Addict
T
Back
Top