uncleof6
Active member
Why not just run a single good pump such as a Reeflo Snapper? It is going to be more efficient than running two pumps.
Jim
Silent and Failsafe Overflow System
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
Why not just run a single good pump such as a Reeflo Snapper? It is going to be more efficient than running two pumps.
Jim
I just finished setting up my overflow today, I had a few problems as i wanted to send the main siphon direct to skimmer. I have since put a feeder pump on the skimmer, and put all 3 pipes into the sump.
It is all working fine in my freshwater test, except only real annoyance is on a power outage the primary siphon does not restart after the pump kicks back in. It gets an air bubble for some reason, and the secondary takes over. Then the calfo fills, secondary drains, airline kicks in, fills again, secondary drains, airline kicks in.. over and over again etc etc.
Only way i can fix it is to remove the cap off the primary which seems to unlock it, then replace the cap. It then it kicks back in after another drain cycle.
Obviously if i am not at home, i wont be able to do this..
I thought my pipes might be too far below water line in sump, but they are only about 1 inch or so.
I also added an extra bit of pipe to secondary to make it lower in the calfo in hope that the primary would then kick in first as it was higher, not sure if it made any difference, as it still has the bubble problem.
Pics below to show my setup.
Left to Right: Main, Secondary, Emergency
You can see the bit of pipe i added to secondary
Pipes about 1inch or so below water line
It is all working fine in my freshwater test, except only real annoyance is on a power outage the primary siphon does not restart after the pump kicks back in. It gets an air bubble for some reason, and the secondary takes over. Then the calfo fills, secondary drains, airline kicks in, fills again, secondary drains, airline kicks in.. over and over again etc etc.
Only way i can fix it is to remove the cap off the primary which seems to unlock it, then replace the cap. It then it kicks back in after another drain cycle.
Obviously if i am not at home, i wont be able to do this..
I thought my pipes might be too far below water line in sump, but they are only about 1 inch or so.
I also added an extra bit of pipe to secondary to make it lower in the calfo in hope that the primary would then kick in first as it was higher, not sure if it made any difference, as it still has the bubble problem.
Pics below to show my setup.
Left to Right: Main, Secondary, Emergency
You can see the bit of pipe i added to secondary
Pipes about 1inch or so below water line
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
The bit of pipe does not change the height, as the height of the siphon is dictated by the crest of its weir 
You are using SLIP type caps and I would imagine that they are not air tight, that is going to prevent the siphon from starting. All of the joints in the siphon standpipe must be 100% air tight.
A few small holes can be drilled in the siphon standpipe just above the normal operating waterline in the sump.
From the photo (it could be due to the angle and the motion of the water) the siphon standpipes bulkhead looks to be 1/4" or so lower than the open channel. You have vavles on both. You may want to try and switch the roles of the open channel and siphon and see if that helps.
You are using SLIP type caps and I would imagine that they are not air tight, that is going to prevent the siphon from starting. All of the joints in the siphon standpipe must be 100% air tight.
A few small holes can be drilled in the siphon standpipe just above the normal operating waterline in the sump.
From the photo (it could be due to the angle and the motion of the water) the siphon standpipes bulkhead looks to be 1/4" or so lower than the open channel. You have vavles on both. You may want to try and switch the roles of the open channel and siphon and see if that helps.
The bit of pipe does not change the height, as the height of the siphon is dictated by the crest of its weir
You are using SLIP type caps and I would imagine that they are not air tight, that is going to prevent the siphon from starting. All of the joints in the siphon standpipe must be 100% air tight.
A few small holes can be drilled in the siphon standpipe just above the normal operating waterline in the sump.
From the photo (it could be due to the angle and the motion of the water) the siphon standpipes bulkhead looks to be 1/4" or so lower than the open channel. You have vavles on both. You may want to try and switch the roles of the open channel and siphon and see if that helps.
Cheers mate,
Bit of pipe will go then.
Unfortunately screw on caps are bloody hard to come by here in Australia if at all, and I don't wanna glue em obviously for cleaning etc. Hmm, maybe a little bit of plumbers tape (teflon tape) to really tighten em up?
Will have a go at switching the primary over..
I think the problem is that because there is a T on the main siphon, when the weir drains and the main siphon breaks, then fills up on power on, air is getting trapped in the excess pipe of the top of the T and the cap, and so creates an air bubble.
As someone else suggested to me, a 90deg bend would be better on the main siphon, but then how do I clean it out when needed.
Couldn't i put another airline on the main siphon, and just put it close to the bottom of the siphon bend in the weir.. this would then expel the air before the weir water level reached siphon point?
As someone else suggested to me, a 90deg bend would be better on the main siphon, but then how do I clean it out when needed.
Couldn't i put another airline on the main siphon, and just put it close to the bottom of the siphon bend in the weir.. this would then expel the air before the weir water level reached siphon point?
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
It is not the "air bubble" that is causing the problem, even an elbow will air-lock if the flow does not fill the space fast enough to displace the air and start the siphon. 10:1 it is air leaking in the cap.
You can try teflon paste, but you may still have an issue with a poor seal. The tape will be useless (likely).
You can use an airline on the siphon but getting things set properly and maintaing a fail-safe system is not straight forward, so it is not mentioned as an option.
No screw on caps? Maybe even try something like plastic wrap and a rubberband to determine if the problem is in fact an air leak (if you see bubbles exiting the siphon standpipe, it is an air leak!).
chrisfowler99
Premium Member
Has anyone tried this yet for a wavebox? Considering trying it on a coming setup. I figure it can't do any worse...
chrisfowler99
Premium Member
I'd say he needs two. His open channel should have a screw cap as well so that it can create a proper siphon in an emergency situation.
Russter
Northern Reefer
Bean,
I am setting up a second tank with your overflow. The first one is working great and dumping water into an under-tank (in cabinet) sump. My new tank is going to have the sump in a fish room with the plumbing running through the wall. I am wondering if this system have any problems with a 20 degree run of the pipe as it exits the tank into the other room. Will this be enough for gravity to do it's thing over about 5 feet?
Thanks
I am setting up a second tank with your overflow. The first one is working great and dumping water into an under-tank (in cabinet) sump. My new tank is going to have the sump in a fish room with the plumbing running through the wall. I am wondering if this system have any problems with a 20 degree run of the pipe as it exits the tank into the other room. Will this be enough for gravity to do it's thing over about 5 feet?
Thanks
WOOHOO :dance: fixed the siphon problem..
Had to read back 7000 pages but saw your posts about a couple of small holes in siphon pipe in sump.
Fixed it straight away, instant restart after power outage.
So, threaded caps would be good, but thread tape makes a tight seal (would prefer screwed but hey can't get em here). So all good thx Bean and others for your help.
Now just gotta find a fix for my micro bubble issue.
Had to read back 7000 pages
but saw your posts about a couple of small holes in siphon pipe in sump.Fixed it straight away, instant restart after power outage.
So, threaded caps would be good, but thread tape makes a tight seal (would prefer screwed but hey can't get em here). So all good thx Bean and others for your help.
Now just gotta find a fix for my micro bubble issue.
WOOHOO :dance: fixed the siphon problem..
Had to read back 7000 pages
Fixed it straight away, instant restart after power outage.
So, threaded caps would be good, but thread tape makes a tight seal (would prefer screwed but hey can't get em here). So all good thx Bean and others for your help.
Now just gotta find a fix for my micro bubble issue.
are the bubbles coming from the full siphon tube? if so id say that your cap isnt 100% sealed and its pulling small amounts of air in via a venturi.
No I dont think so, I am pretty sure its a protein skimmer issue.
I will start a new thread on so as not to hijack this one.
poppafish29
New member
With a Dremel and diamond coated tile bit.
sctoutkast
New member
BeanAnimal,
I have been keeping Cichlids for sometime now, and would love to get into saltwater world but time mainly keeps me from doing so. Anyway I'm in the process of buying a new tank either a 180 (72x24x25) or a 240 (96 x 24 x 25) and was wondering why I don't see anyone with this type of overflow system on freshwater tanks? Is this simply a saltwater type system or can this be used on any type of system? If so what are the draw backs or gains I will achieve by using this type set up? I have logged on to your site and also have been following this thread for sometime now and I'm sorry if someone has brought this up previously. The main reason for me wanting to incorporate this type of overflow is because of the noise level. I have used the traditional Marineland corner overflow system on my other tanks before, but when I came across this I was simply blown away by this great build
. Last but not least, if I were to go with the 240 (96 x 24 x 25) do you think the silicone will be enough to hold this type of coast to coast overflow up. I would like to run it the entire length of the tank internally, or will I have to secure it differently?
Thanks in advance
I have been keeping Cichlids for sometime now, and would love to get into saltwater world but time mainly keeps me from doing so. Anyway I'm in the process of buying a new tank either a 180 (72x24x25) or a 240 (96 x 24 x 25) and was wondering why I don't see anyone with this type of overflow system on freshwater tanks? Is this simply a saltwater type system or can this be used on any type of system? If so what are the draw backs or gains I will achieve by using this type set up? I have logged on to your site and also have been following this thread for sometime now and I'm sorry if someone has brought this up previously. The main reason for me wanting to incorporate this type of overflow is because of the noise level. I have used the traditional Marineland corner overflow system on my other tanks before, but when I came across this I was simply blown away by this great build
. Last but not least, if I were to go with the 240 (96 x 24 x 25) do you think the silicone will be enough to hold this type of coast to coast overflow up. I would like to run it the entire length of the tank internally, or will I have to secure it differently?Thanks in advance
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Silicone will hold the overflow up, though on a tank that large, an external setup would be nice (look at the build by GlassReef in this thread!)
Yes the system will work on freshwater, I am not sure why the freshwater folks have not found this setup but would imagine that most don't utilize sumps.
Yes the system will work on freshwater, I am not sure why the freshwater folks have not found this setup but would imagine that most don't utilize sumps.
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