Silent and Failsafe Overflow System

[Hudds]

Again, a 1.5" pipe is more than sufficient for the flow rate in question. Increasing the size and capacity is pointless and will only make the siphon harder to start and require the valve to be almost fully closed to maintain balanced flow.

Return plumbing should be sized as large as reasonably possible, but for the pumps and flow rates in context, anything over maybe 1.5" will not yield any great benefit.

Respectfully, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of folks using this system "as published" with returns pumps similar to what you will be using. Don't complicate your setup by trying to change the parameters when such changes are not needed.

Many thanks :thumbsup:

 

[torino06]

i was trying to finalize all my dims for the glass shop and just wanted to ask a couple questions. i will be doing a internal/external overflow. for constructing the exterior box, what is the best way to place the glass? i was going to put everything on top of the bottom piece of glass and the middle piece between the 2 sides. if available, i was also going to try to get the bottom piece to be 3/8" thickness (assuming they have it) and everything else 1/4". on the interior weir i was planning on doing the same glass placement but use all 1/4" glass. thoughts on this??? dims on the exterior will be 20 x 5.5 x 7.5" i will leave a 1/16" gap for silicone.

 

[KindCorals]

How critical is it that the John Guest fitting has 3/8" NPT threading into the cap? I can only find the 3/8" tap in a $40 + shipping kit here or ordering from overseas and Im not even sure how many teeth per inch on on these taps. I can find a 1/4" tube x 1/4" NPT John Guest fitting and a 1/4" imperial tap kit (hopefully that has the correct number of teeth per inch).

Would this work or any other ideas?

 

[uncleof6]

How critical is it that the John Guest fitting has 3/8" NPT threading into the cap? I can only find the 3/8" tap in a $40 + shipping kit here or ordering from overseas and Im not even sure how many teeth per inch on on these taps. I can find a 1/4" tube x 1/4" NPT John Guest fitting and a 1/4" imperial tap kit (hopefully that has the correct number of teeth per inch).

Would this work or any other ideas?

Then use 1/4", it hardly matters...

 

[rocking]

kind go to dr foster and smith they have it for around $7

 

[BeanAnimal]

the 1/4" will be fine. If all else fails, drill the hole slightly undersized and use a piece of iron pipe as the tap and then epoxy, tape, or whatever to help seal the fitting in place. Not ideal, but it works

 

[dga78]

crazy Aussie idea

crazy Aussie idea

Hi guys new to the forum and overwhelmed with all the info regarding this overflow.

I was planning on setting up a freshwater (Don't kick me out, cant afford marine just yet) breeding tank and sump using BA setup. The issue I have is I want to filter from the bottom of the tank near the substrate for obvious reasons.
I realise this method is primarily used to skim, but if I put an under flow baffle in the DT before the over flow would that work to suck from the substrate? and would it create a strong enough vacuum to draw waste to the over flow?

Crazy right??!

eg

 

[Volkman]

Hi all, I've been doing some reading through this thread and haven't seen exactly what I what to ask. Sure it was so apoligize if I'm asking again.

I have a 180 tank on order and the bottom will be currently drilled with two 1.5" drains and two 1" returns. It sounds like I can use the second 1" return as part of the bean system correct? I am also checking to see if they have drilled the tank yet to see if the sizes can be changed.

That brings up my second question, how does this system work with a internal overflow, bottom drilled tank?

Thanks!

 

[BeanAnimal]

Hi guys new to the forum and overwhelmed with all the info regarding this overflow.

I was planning on setting up a freshwater (Don't kick me out, cant afford marine just yet) breeding tank and sump using BA setup. The issue I have is I want to filter from the bottom of the tank near the substrate for obvious reasons.
I realise this method is primarily used to skim, but if I put an under flow baffle in the DT before the over flow would that work to suck from the substrate? and would it create a strong enough vacuum to draw waste to the over flow?

Crazy right??!

eg

Will it draw waste into the overflow? That depends on the volume of flow and the cross section of the area under the baffle and between the baffle and the overflow. Higher flows and narrower areas create higher velocity and ergo more detritus kept in suspension.... So high velocity, but then what about the fish that get sucked in? Lets ignore that little issue

The real problem is that you lack surface skimming.....

The better solution is to provide ample flow in the display to keep detritus in suspension so that it goes over the overflow and reaches the mechanical filtration.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Hi all, I've been doing some reading through this thread and haven't seen exactly what I what to ask. Sure it was so apoligize if I'm asking again.

I have a 180 tank on order and the bottom will be currently drilled with two 1.5" drains and two 1" returns. It sounds like I can use the second 1" return as part of the bean system correct? I am also checking to see if they have drilled the tank yet to see if the sizes can be changed.

That brings up my second question, how does this system work with a internal overflow, bottom drilled tank?

Thanks!

The water cares-not where it passes through the glass. That said, the "holes" need to be in the same overflow box

 

[Volkman]

So basically would I have the ball valve below my bulkheads and them just a piece of PVC as long as I would need inside the overflow for the approximate water level?

Thanks.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Yes, the ball valve would be below the tank. The standpipe, tee and elbow combination IN the overflow box and set to the desired water level.

 

[Volkman]

Beau-te-full! Thank you sir!

 

[Firochromis]

Hi folks,

Sorry if my question is covered before.

I'm planning my 250g reef nowadays with BA method. I'll use IKS Aquastar aquarium computer in this setup which has some nice features like sending SMS to aquarist in case of an alarm situation. This alarms are sent when the connected modules like pH, Redox etc. reached the preset alarm values. There is also 4 digital inputs to connect other sensors etc.

As I understand the system, main flow is go through siphon line and if it blocked for some reason Durso and Emergency lines kicks in. The system is so silent that, assuming it's well designed in terms of pipe diameters and return pump, aquarist will never now which line is operational at the moment. So I want to use some sort of control sensors in Siphon and Emergency line to notice that some lines are blocked. Yes, I'll use water sensors around the aquarium to receive an alarm in case of flood, but since I have the opportunity I want to use sensors for the lines.

Emergency line seems the easy one. There are several water sensors to use in kitchens against flood. When they sense water send a signal to alarm system. So I'm considering to put a "wet sensor" to the output of the emergency line. If I can find a small one, I can even put it inside the line.

For the Siphon line I thought some sort of flow meter. It should send a signal either when the flow stops or if it's a high-tech one, when the flow reduced a preset value. The problem is I couldn't find any sensors for this application.

Any suggestions for my plans?

 

[Cableguy88]

Just installed a bean overflow.

Just installed a bean overflow.

Startup is not working for me for some reason. Basically what is happening is when the display fills up the emergency pipe begins to siphon 1st then the airline pipe. At that point the over flow gets enough flow for the tank to get stuck into a continuous air sucking extravaganza. Any thoughts? The adjustable pipe never siphons, unless i pull the air line out. Then super sweet and quite...I followed the directions exactly.

 

[dga78]

Will it draw waste into the overflow? That depends on the volume of flow and the cross section of the area under the baffle and between the baffle and the overflow. Higher flows and narrower areas create higher velocity and ergo more detritus kept in suspension.... So high velocity, but then what about the fish that get sucked in? Lets ignore that little issue

The real problem is that you lack surface skimming.....

The better solution is to provide ample flow in the display to keep detritus in suspension so that it goes over the overflow and reaches the mechanical filtration.

Being freshwater surface skimming wont be a real problem (Agreed better with it).
Having a slotted grate infront of the baffle like the intake on a canister filter would stop fish getting sucked through, however might cause trapping issues.

varying the width of the baffle will determine the velocity of water, so I guess thats where the trial and error will come in.

Does anyone think this would work or should I stick to basic methods?

This guy has done something similar without the BA part.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showt...mp-stand-overflow-lighting-diy-everything-lol

Sorry for the thread drift probably should be in a different forum but wanted Bean's and others expertise.

 

[KindCorals]

Then use 1/4", it hardly matters...

the 1/4" will be fine. If all else fails, drill the hole slightly undersized and use a piece of iron pipe as the tap and then epoxy, tape, or whatever to help seal the fitting in place. Not ideal, but it works

Thanks guys. I figured this wouldnt be a big deal since it reduces to 1/4" anyways.

One more issue is that I cant find sanitary tees. Will I run into issues with a standard 1.5" tee? My system is only going to be pumping about 800 gph if it matters.

They only have threaded bulkheads too but I can make do with that..

Its a lot of the little things that I miss about the good ol' US of A.

 

[BeanAnimal]

A straight tee will be fine. Worst case, cant it slightly from vertical to ensure that the water does not fall straight down the center and splash at the bottom.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Being freshwater surface skimming wont be a real problem (Agreed better with it).

It has nothing to do with the type of water

surface skimming is needed to remove the organic film from the water surface and promot good gas exchange.

Does anyone think this would work or should I stick to basic methods?

As stated, with enough flow it will pull detritus out, but to what advantage? You lose surface skimming so you will have to greatly increase surface turbulance AND greatly increase return flow AND fiddle with trial and error velocity, etc. Why not just use the time tested method that works for millions of systems?

It is your time and money and if you want to invest it to be "different" then I am sure you can come up with a workable solution. I just don't see ANY benefit from a mechanical, biological or husbandry perspective.

 

[torino06]

i was trying to finalize all my dims for the glass shop and just wanted to ask a couple questions. i will be doing a internal/external overflow. for constructing the exterior box, what is the best way to place the glass? i was going to put everything on top of the bottom piece of glass and the middle piece between the 2 sides. if available, i was also going to try to get the bottom piece to be 3/8" thickness (assuming they have it) and everything else 1/4". on the interior weir i was planning on doing the same glass placement but use all 1/4" glass. thoughts on this??? dims on the exterior will be 20 x 5.5 x 7.5" i will leave a 1/16" gap for silicone.

i tried searching for better photos or posts and it looks like the bottom piece of glass should not have any glass on it. the sides and front should be attached to the sides of the bottom piece. will anyone confirm this??? thanks