Strange noise comming from overflow box

[sugarmaltese]

I just got my 90gallon tank up and running a few days ago and it was working fine. When I got up this morning, the overflow box was making a noise that sounds like a frog. I fiddled with it for awhile and nothing changed. Any suggestions?

 

[jimbo045]

Check the "U" tube, make sure there are no air bubbles in it.

 

[sugarmaltese]

What is a U tube. There is a tube making a noise. It is the one that comes out of a square sponge. I think it sucks the air out of the water, but I'm not sure.

 

[topmav1]

Also try adjusting your water flow. Meaning, make sure that your return pump is not pumping more water back into the tank at a rate that your overflow cant handle. What kind of overflow do you have? Do you have a u tube that carries the water from one section the overflow to the drain?

 

[sugarmaltese]

The overflow box has a pump on top that pumps water from the inside of the tank to a box in the back. The box has a square sponge in it with a little tube sticking straight up. The tube doesn't connect to anything. The water just goes through the sponge to a pipe that leads to my fuge.

 

[sugarmaltese]

Well, I just tried adjusting the water flow, and it worked!!!!! Thanks for the suggestion topmav1.

 

[theop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6625038#post6625038 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sugarmaltese
The overflow box has a pump on top that pumps water from the inside of the tank to a box in the back. The box has a square sponge in it with a little tube sticking straight up. The tube doesn't connect to anything. The water just goes through the sponge to a pipe that leads to my fuge.

That sounds like a very scary design for an overflow. What happens if your return pump is turned off? Does water overflow the sump? Also, what happens if that overflow pump is off? Does enough sump water get pumped into the tank to overflow it? Also, what keeps the overflow pump and sump pump flow matched so that one does not outpump the other?

If either pump failure condition causes a flood, you are asking for trouble down the road.