Silent and Failsafe Overflow System

[eder10986]

I have been lurking around this thread and it's wars for months.

A couple of months ago I successfully plumbed my tank with a bean animal system with no expectations.

The only thing we hear is the humming of the return pump and the fan of our ATI/kessils

WATER FLOW DEAD SILENT. It's incredible.

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[austinl]

Hey everyone, great thread. Would like some advice from the gurus.

First one is does it look like my stand pipes are too low?

And the more important question is in regards to horizontal runs. I know they are not the best to use. That's said I may have to use them to go through a wall.

If I do have to use them this is what I would have to do.

From the bottom of the overflow box there would be a 7" drop to a 90 followed by a 1' horizontal run back to a 90 then a 2' drop to the sump.

I look forward to hearing from you guys, thanks in advance!


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[Aquamechanic]

In case it lends some insight.

I set up a 135-gallon 32" tall corner tank for a client in their living room. The plumbing was installed during a whole home reno into the floor joist and travels 25' horizontally before turning 90 degrees along a wall then 90 degrees into the top of the sump. Total drop from B.A. output is about 8'-9'
It is all plumbed with 1" (drains) and 1.5" (return) from a Sicce 16HF

The setup runs silently. I do not hear water flowing through walls/ ceilings in basement, and with a piece of braided flex tubing between the pump and the rigid return line, there is no resonance to be heard either.

I am now working on a 350 reef that will be setup similarly. This one will drop 12 feet and be about 40' from the aquarium to the sump.

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

I'm not sure how much I'll participate on the forums. I'll probably lurk a ton.but I had to say this to the folks who share their knowledge of the bean animal drain system.

THANK YOU!!!!!
Thank you Bean, uncleof6, everyone who shared their experiences, and every person who asked a "stupid" question. After reading this thread and the original, then readings beans website, I successfully implemented this system. It's fantastic. Stone silent and moves every bit of water I can ask it to.

I am right now working up the courage to close off my siphon and make sure the back ups do their job. It's not a massive aquarium. 40 breeder with a 20 long sump. It's plumbed in on one end olny. Peninsula style. 40 gallons is all the condo association will allow.

Once again, THANK YOU!!!!!

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

Ignore my typos in the previous post please ��

Works as advertised. Each and every drain do what they are supposed to, when they are supposed to. After power shut down it comes back to life in about 30 seconds. It is really nice having my pump be the limiting factor in my tank versus the drain being the limiting factor. Having a backup to the backup is also quite nice. That was a huge concern for me. I live in a second floor condo.......

 

[meegwell]

I have been lurking around this thread and it's wars for months.

A couple of months ago I successfully plumbed my tank with a bean animal system with no expectations.

The only thing we hear is the humming of the return pump and the fan of our ATI/kessils

WATER FLOW DEAD SILENT. It's incredible.

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As someone who learned so much from the bean animal thread, and built my own silent sweet coast to coast setup years ago - it is very nice to check back in here and see that the subject is alive and well and people are still innovating. I particularly like the bacon rug rolled up in the background.

 

[vhuang168]

I have my gate valve on the main drain mounted vertically right now. But because I mounted it vertically I had to run 90deg elbows.

Can I install the gate valve on a 45deg pipe instead?


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[Syntax1325]

What a great thread! I used the information here almost three years ago to build my 125 gallon bean animal overflow with internal overflow box. I'm now in the process of planning my 180 gallon build using a Modular Marine external overflow box with a slim internal surface skimmer. A couple questions:

1) The design require two holes to be drilled in the tank to connect the internal surface skimmer box to the external box that has the drains plumbed through the bottom of that box. The holes need to accommodate two 2 inch bulkheads to allow water into the business side of the overflow system. Any advice on exactly where to drill these rather large holes... I believe I will need to drill at least a 2.75" hole for each bulkhead.

2) is there any concern that the use of an external box will lead to a flood? Will the system purge itself fast enough before the height of the water in the external box overflows? I guess as long as the emergency siphon is about .75" below the top of the external box I shouldn't have a problem... still makes me nervous!

3) The box I'm going to purchase uses 1.5" bulkheads for the three drains. This seems a little excessive to me; however, I don't think I would need to worry about flow restriction of any sort. I'm using a Reeflo Snapper and I'll be pushing around 1300 gph. The box I'm purchasing is rated for 1800gph... here it is: http://modularmarine.com/collection...box-bulkhead-mounted-aquarium-surface-skimmer


Thoughts? Comments? Thanks.

 

[Adamc1303]

Must the exhaust of the secondary drain be submerged underwater? I ask because I currently have it this way but want to know if I can plumb it to a Theiling Roller Mat without having any issues.


Thanks,

Adam

 

[Syntax1325]

Must the exhaust of the secondary drain be submerged underwater? I ask because I currently have it this way but want to know if I can plumb it to a Theiling Roller Mat without having any issues.


Thanks,

Adam

Yes. It must be underwater in the sump (same depth as primary) in order to create a full siphon if the primary fails to function for some reason.


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[Adamc1303]

Does it only have to be underwater to create a full siphon if the primary fails? I am not too worried about that because I still have the dry line too.

 

[mjr1]

Is it possible to rig a bean animal for variable flow? I upgraded my pump and can now slow the return to the main tank for feeding, but if I do this with the bean animal it causes the siphon to break and suck air. Once the pump goes back to normal speed the overflow adjust itself back to silent, but I am wondering if there are any techniques to accommodate a variable flow on a bean animal.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

Is it possible to rig a bean animal for variable flow? I upgraded my pump and can now slow the return to the main tank for feeding, but if I do this with the bean animal it causes the siphon to break and suck air. Once the pump goes back to normal speed the overflow adjust itself back to silent, but I am wondering if there are any techniques to accommodate a variable flow on a bean animal.

Thanks in advance.

I don't know that modding is needed. I have my return pump and PH on the same switch. I kill both and when they come back on it takes about 30 seconds for the BA to get a siphon and be right back at silent.

it seems to me that if you installed a 4th down pipe for a feeding time flow that would work. but both your full siphon and feeding time would require gate valves to adjust for the trickle on your open pipe. They would also both need a ball valve so that you could shut the flow off on them. IE... at feeding time, completely open the 4th pipe/feeding time siphon and completely close the main full siphon, but not changing the adjustment on either gate valve. does that make sense?

after feeding, close the ball valve on the feeding siphon and open the valve on the main siphon. seems like over kill to me

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

I suspect there is another thread on RC about "Modified BA systems". I cannot remember exactly where but I know I saw it mentioned somewhere on this thread. where though is a guess. I read every last page in this thread.

 

[pweissma]

Is it possible to rig a bean animal for variable flow? I upgraded my pump and can now slow the return to the main tank for feeding, but if I do this with the bean animal it causes the siphon to break and suck air. Once the pump goes back to normal speed the overflow adjust itself back to silent, but I am wondering if there are any techniques to accommodate a variable flow on a bean animal.



Thanks in advance.

It is easiest to just turn off your return pump during feed as that would be silent.

But you might try slowing your return pump during feed to the point where your siphon would operate like the open channel. The problem though is that you would need to get rid a downward turned opening on the siphon which could create problems with a vortex forming on the siphon.



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[saf1]

Quick question, I hope, regarding the emergency drain. My overflow is 22" wide and has 5 pre-drilled holes. Outside holes are 1" bulkhead and the 3 in the middle are all 1.5". Using 1.5" piping is not allowing the traditional BA style of sanitary tee's with elbows due to lack of space. Got crowded real quick.

Can the emergency overflow be open without a elbow or in a worse case scenario just a straight pipe 1.5"?

I guess another option would be to reduce down to 1" piping for better fit and do it properly. I don't need that much flow anyway in a soft coral and LPS tank but was just going to plumb it with what it has in case down the road I change corals or tank bio-type.

 

[awais98]

So Ive set up my brandnew 240G with a reefsavvy ghost box with bean animal overflow.



Iv have the full siphon and the open channel with airline, made into a 'n' shape using 2 elbows, where as the emergency drain is a simple vertical pipe, higher than the other two.



The drop from the overflow to the sump is only about a feet vertically, but is atleast 8-10 feet horizontally. Sump is in the sump room, on a stand. It cannot be changed.



Now when I start the return pump.... the water in the overflow box uses the open channel mainly, and then frequently water rises and uses the emergency drain and then the level goes down, BUT the full siphon BARELY FLOWS.

I have no idea why. Maybe air is trapping in it initially? or maybe Is it coz of the small veritcal drop, that the wayer cannot makes it way through the 'n'.



Its been running without manipulating for past 12 hours, exact same thing.

No changes.





What can I do?:deadhorse:

Do I remove the 'n' from the full channel and let it be a tiny vertical pipe lower then the other two and see?

( ofcourse currently the full siphon gate valve is fully open)



I want it to run normally. I also want to increase the flow from the return line more, currently a ball valve has kept it probably around 30-40% flow.

I want it to run smoothly and restart smoothly if power over goes.



Please give your suggestions.



Thank you.


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[Scuba_Steve]

Can someone please show me some low flow BAs?

I will have a DT that is just under 15g. Overflow will be internal coast to coast and 18" wide. Flow will be under 300gph.

What size pipe should I use, and how wide/deep should I make my overflow?

 

[rocking]

Is it ok to run

Is it ok to run

Is it OK to run a trickle filter down to a a been stanchion overflow system ? What I have is a 35g truv reaf ready tank made 15 years ago and it has the built-in trickle filter at the bottom of this filter is where I want to put the bean animal flow system in place going into a 27 gallon sump holding A eppo 150 protein skimmer along with GFO bio pellets and LR this tank will be turning over at 32 times an hour

 

[saf1]

Looking back at Beans instruction and outline on his site I see that he had 1.5" bulkheads but reduced to 1".

"All of the standpipes are built with 1.5" PVC fittings (adapted to the 1" bulkhead with a bushing). I worked with the 1" bulkheads that I had, but larger bulkheads are perfectly suitable"

With that being said mine are similar at 1.5". Due to space within the overflow I think I'm going to go ahead and drop down to 1" has well. Since it appears his is working correctly and designed that way I think it will make more sense so spacing and fitting is proper. I think I answered my own question I posted above