tired of sucking air out of my overflow box...

[Tava176]

Hey all!

Here is my overflow box....
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-2006-Model-...ryZ46310QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I have a one way valve on the air line coming out of the top. I get air bubles in the top and have to suck them out through the hose. Does anyone have a clever idea for hooking up an air pump (in reverse) or something? I am tired of sucking air out. I do not want to lower the box anymore into the tank, because my sump will overflow if I have a power outage.

Thanks for advice!

 

[sjm817]

I would toss it and get a decent U Tube based overflow which doesnt have this problem.

If you want to keep it, get an Aqualifter pump which will pull the air out.

 

[larryl]

That looks like a clone of the CPR overflow boxes. A couple things you can do are:

1) Attach an Aqualifter pump to suck air out, the output can just go back into the tank or the front part of the overflow. Definitely also use the Aqualifter pre-filter to keep the Auqaalifter from clogging. (This is what I use on my CPR overflow.)

2) Attach to the venturi of a powerhead in your tank, so suction is created which pulls the air out (although when that happens you get bubbles spraying into the tank).

If you search around for threads with CPR overflows or Aqualifter pumps you'll find more info.


Larry

 

[MayoBoy]

Can you hook the venturi on a MaxiJet to the airline? I think that would keep the air out.

 

[areze]

a venturi can and will suck water as well as air. probably not a problem while running, but if the sump pump went off, and the maxijet kept going... youd suck the water out of the syphon and be SOL id think...

Id drill the tank..

 

[larryl]

a venturi can and will suck water as well as air. probably not a problem while running, but if the sump pump went off, and the maxijet kept going... youd suck the water out of the syphon and be SOL id think...

Turns out not to be a problem. There's a divider in the back box (at least there is on the CPRs) that traps a pocket of water, so even if the venturi sucks enough water out that air comes in under the front part of the overflow, there's still water in the back part to restart the siphon when the return pump starts back up.


Larry

 

[10" Red Devil]

I hate the design of those overflows! Totally rediculous how they call them continuous siphon when it fact the only way it continously siphons is with the aid of a ph or aqualifter.

I just drilled my tank. Pretty easy to do and pretty easy to add a External durso style overflow. I never have to worry about floods now.

I was constantly obsessing over my aqualifter failing. Those Aqualifters arent real reliable either they go out after about 5-6months so have a spare around and replace it no matter what after about 4 months.

 

[areze]

but if you suck the water out of the box, you are decreasing the pressure, sucking the water right out of the box, eventually you'll go down till the hump no longer has water in it to flow over the wall.

 

[Tava176]

Question...

If there is a power outage and the pump stops running, will it backflush air into the overflow and stop the syphon, or does it have some sort of one way valve biult into it that keeps it from doing that?

 

[originalozzyo]

Overflow problem

Overflow problem

I have a solution for you Tava. I have the same overflow box but a smaller version and mine kept getting full with air bubbles. I went to home depot and into the plumbing aisle and bought these male double end connectors for use with i think either sink or sprinkler applications. It's in a small clear plastic box with four or five black plastic tubes with tapered ends. Each tube is only an inch long and there is a whole shelf of these kind of fittings. I found them right beside the in ground sprinkler stuff. Anyway you take two of these fittings and cut them in half so that you retain the stopping block on one of the ends near the tapered end and drill two holes in the top of your overflow box, since you already have one fitting on the left drill one hole in the middle and the other hole on the right. Then use weld on cement and glue them in and attach two more air lines to the connecters and to whatever extra pumps you have running and now you have three times the vacuum power to get rid of all the air getting caught in there. This is probably hard to visualize so i will try and post pics of what i did when i get home from work tonight. I've been trouble free since!

 

[perpetual98]

It might help to increase the flow through the overflow too. I've got a u-tube overflow on one of my tanks and when I jacked up the flow, the bubbles in the u-tube stopped because they were getting blasted through the overflow.

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6439594#post6439594 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by perpetual98
It might help to increase the flow through the overflow too. I've got a u-tube overflow on one of my tanks and when I jacked up the flow, the bubbles in the u-tube stopped because they were getting blasted through the overflow.

That works with a U Tube overflow. High flow through a C channel overflow just makes the problem worse.

 

[perpetual98]

I didn't know that. I learned something new today! I'll take the rest of the day off.

 

[BRG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6438347#post6438347 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MayoBoy
Can you hook the venturi on a MaxiJet to the airline? I think that would keep the air out.

I did just that for several years before I got my R/R tank and it worked fine for me.........just keep the pump clean.......

bg

 

[Silencer]

a venturi can and will suck water as well as air. probably not a problem while running, but if the sump pump went off, and the maxijet kept going... youd suck the water out of the syphon and be SOL id think...

This kinda of setup CAN be very dangerous, but not for the reason you think.

Normally when the power goes out the tank would only drain to the level of the overflow box but with an airline going to a powerhead you complicate things a little bit. When power is lost and the powerhead shuts off the airline tubing used to suck air out of the siphon tube will reverse and start siphoning water FROM the tank into the external half of your overflow. Depending on the specific design of the external half of your overflow box and the height of the powerhead in your tank you could drain a LOT more water out of your display than you thought was possible and overflow your sump (albiet at a very slow rate).

You can do this, but you need to be aware that the tank will drain to the level of the powerhead OR the level of the drain line/wier on the EXTERNAL half of your overflow box, whichever is HIGHER.

 

[tmitlton6]

if you already have siphon tubes set in just put one of the slip fitting ball valves on it and from the ball valve send the tube to your sump then let the gravity do its job as long as there is water in the line it will pull out air when you open the valve up dont leave it open though, if you loose power you will kill the sipon, it sucks that good!
i will try to post a pic or two

 

[tmitlton6]

this is the overflow i designed its not pretty but it never fails!

 

[radiata]

Aqua Lifters ???

Aqua Lifters ???

Aqua Lifter Owners,

How reliable are the Aqua Lifters? How long have you had them running for? If any have died, low long was their life span?

TIA,
Bob D.

 

[sjm817]

Here is my answer.

No Aqualifter needed.

 

[outy]

my aqualifter is almost a year old the trick with them is to put it down by your sump so that the syphon works 99% of the time that way your dont need the aqualifter exept for power failure only. oh and use the 2 dollar prefilter.

i did utubes for 8 years and they are a pain constantly cleaning