Silent and Failsafe Overflow System

[soleglo]

What size holes do you drill for a 1" bulkhead. I ordered 25 mm hole saw but now im realizing this may not have been right. Any help is appreciated in advance.

 

[SkyReef]

What size holes do you drill for a 1" bulkhead. I ordered 25 mm hole saw but now im realizing this may not have been right. Any help is appreciated in advance.

Hi, Soleglo:

Please go to http://glass-holes.com/Glass-Hole-Cutters_c7.htm;jsessionid=9AF0861085EEF4CCE97E785BCFE570CB.qscstrfrnt06 for the answer to this question and ability to order the size you need. You will see on this website that it says that you would use a 1-3/4" or 45 mm holesaw to make a 1-inch bulkhead. There's also a video there, showing you how to drill the hole. You can buy a whole set of diamond-encrusted hole-saws/drills there for $65.00. That's what I did, as it seemed like a good value compared to the prices I was finding elsewhere. Good luck!

 

[soleglo]

Thank you very much skyreef! :wave:

 

[BeanAnimal]

Not all brands of bulkheads have the same outside diameter. You really need to check the specs for the bulkheads you purchased.

 

[SkyReef]

Agreed with Bean that different manufacturers can alter the sizing requirements for bulkhead holes. Nothwithstanding such differences, Delbeek & Sprung mention, as an example, sizing requirements on pp. 90-91 of their book, The Reef Aquarium, Vol. 3, as follows: "[f]or example, to install one inch PVC pipe/hose via a bulkhead fitting into your sump, you would first have to drill a 1-3/4" hole in the sump and install a 1" bulkhead fitting."

 

[golf nut]

Agreed with Bean that different manufacturers can alter the sizing requirements for bulkhead holes. Nothwithstanding such differences, Delbeek & Sprung mention, as an example, sizing requirements on pp. 90-91 of their book, The Reef Aquarium, Vol. 3, as follows: "[f]or example, to install one inch PVC pipe/hose via a bulkhead fitting into your sump, you would first have to drill a 1-3/4" hole in the sump and install a 1" bulkhead fitting."

Messers Delbeek & Sprung are aquarists and very good ones, unfortunately they do not manufacture bulkheads. they are using that information more of an heads up rather than a definitive answer, they are giving the reader a heads up so to speak, 1 -3/4 bulkheads holes are standard for some schedule 40 bulkheads but not all. check with bulkhead manufacturers before you drill.

 

[SkyReef]

Messers Delbeek & Sprung are aquarists and very good ones, unfortunately they do not manufacture bulkheads. they are using that information more of an heads up rather than a definitive answer, they are giving the reader a heads up so to speak, 1 -3/4 bulkheads holes are standard for some schedule 40 bulkheads but not all. check with bulkhead manufacturers before you drill.

Agreed. There's no dispute here.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

BeanAnimal, Uncleof6, Teesquare, you all have to be the most patient people I have ever met. Over the past couple of days I have read (almost) this entire thread. Almost every question imaginable has been asked and answered, and asked again (and again, and again). If I was not clear on a specific point, I needed only to continue on with my reading to find clearification. Kudos to all who have contributed. I just aquired a used 135g tank for free. That's right, free. Once it is cleaned up, I'm going to use the Bean System to spec, no modifications, no reinventing the horse. However, this aquisition was not planned or budgeted for, so an upgrade from the mag 9 return on my 45g reef will have to wait. Do you think this pump will supply sufficient flow at about 3.5' to keep the 1.5" plumbing flowing quietly?

Yes. Thanks for providing the opportunity for a one word answer.

Realizing that Bean has repeatedly said that a gate valve is not required, IMO a gate valve will be easier to fine tune the system.

 

[bad santa]

Ok, I have the SFOS running and it is perfectly silent and starts up without any issues after repeated power shut downs. The only complaint I have is that this system is soo quiet now I need to work on my return pump as it's the loudest part of my reef I have a Quiet One 3000 and it's humming is noticable now. Have you guys had to change out your return pumps to have an even quieter system?

 

[cfsindorf]

Bean: I am having 24X24X24 inch cube built and will be in livingroom right by the TV. So the boss said I dont care just keep it quiet and no bigger then 24 square. The cube will be 24 square with a CTC wall 4 inches or so in with 3 holes in bottom for drains. Return I am not to sure of yet. My question is how much lower should the wall be then the tank rim to put in your drain system? Also can I do less then my idea of 4 inches? Would 3 inches work? I am trying to reduce the loss of area inside the tank as much as I can.

Thanks

Craig

 

[BeanAnimal]

The titanium (Velocity) T4 pumps are the quietest you will find. They do however impart more heat (per watt consumed) to the water than most other external pumps. They are truly dead-silent, so much so that you have to put your hand on one to determine of it is running. They are also somewhat of a maintenance chore due to calcification in systems with high calcium dosing.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Any depth and height will work, as long as you can get the fittings in and do maintenance.

If it is a trimmed tank, then the top of the weir should be at the bottom edge of the trim. In that way, you never see an active water line below the trim.

If it is a trimless tank, then you need to be 1/2" - 1" down I would say. That gives you room for nomral operating level + some buffer area before the emergency kicks in.

FWIW, I much prefer trimmed tanks, as the trimless look somewhat funny being "not full" where a trimmed tank looks "full".

 

[BeanAnimal]

Rocket... I don't advise against the use of a gate valve, I just don't see the need for one in most cases. They can be a help with a split setup (sump in basement) where the valve is a long way from the display.

 

[DeePDiSHeD]

Ball valves can be a pain to adjust. You go to make a minor move and then it makes it a big jump. But once its set your golden.

 

[110galreef]

Can this be done from the bottom of an overflow? I have an external c2c and want to use the bottom of the overflow box to keep thing compact?

I plan to flow about 700gph max. Would 2 durso accomplish a silent overflow as well? As each one would only have 350gph max and I would assume the water would always stay on the sides, & never clog to create the syphon.
I know eack one would easily handle the flow if one got clogged?

 

[BeanAnimal]

Ball valves can be a pain to adjust. You go to make a minor move and then it makes it a big jump. But once its set your golden.

The point being that this system only needs adjusted once and is VERY tolerant of adjustment variations, that is the operating bandwidth is very wide. A bit more or less flow in the siphon only changes the flow in the open channel and the system stays balanced, silent and fail-safe.

While gate valves are "easier" to adjust, gates valves are more expensive, bulkier, and prone to leaking at the stems. The fine adjustment also means that to fully open or close the valve you need to turn it many times.

The overflow system was designed to be easy to implement with fairly standard parts. Quality PVC gate valves are not as common as PVC ball valves.

There are certainly instances where a the gate valve is a must have, but this is not one of them

 

[BeanAnimal]

Can this be done from the bottom of an overflow? I have an external c2c and want to use the bottom of the overflow box to keep thing compact?

Yes, there are many examples of bottom plumbed standpipes in this thread.

I plan to flow about 700gph max. Would 2 durso accomplish a silent overflow as well? As each one would only have 350gph max and I would assume the water would always stay on the sides, & never clog to create the syphon.
I know eack one would easily handle the flow if one got clogged?

I can not tell you if other standpipe setups will be silent or flood-safe on your system. Aside from being out of context with this thread, there are too many variables for anybody to give you a reliable answer.

This overflow system is comprised of (3) standpipes, each with a specific function. I would suggest taking a look at the first few posts in the thread and the design page at my website. 10 Minutes of reading will provide you with answers to most of your basic questions and allow you to determine if this setup is for you.

 

[110galreef]

Ok, Thanks,

Anyone know where in this thread some example or pics of these coming from the bottom would be? 121 pages is a lot ot surf thru. I read a few of the first pages, understand the basics and principles and really like it and plan to use it.

 

[uncleof6]

 

[110galreef]

ok, no BV? are these both just siphon's then or do they both have vents in the caps?

I am running 1" Bulkheads, so should I use 1" or 1.25" plumbing in the overflow and then should i run 1", 1.25 or 1.5 from bulkheads to the sump? Planning a max of like 700gph?

Thanks