uneven overflows

[Pickupman66]

OK. so get this. my darn overflows are UNEVEN! I get more flow thru one than the other. UGH! the one that gets too much is loud, the other is silent! go figure. so , the question is, do I open up the teeth on the slow one or find a way to close off the one that gets too much? they are about 1/4" off.

BTW< on that frozen bucket of water idea in teh freezer, it took 48 hours to completely freeze a 5 gallon bucket of fresh water.

ive also got alot of bubbles coming into the tank. I have microbubbles and then some that are not so tiny. I cannot see any in the pump intake area and have even put a 4" sponge infront of the inlet. this has helped, but still have the bubbles. DT flow is not wide open on the pump.

on the good side, it does make it easy to see flow patterns.

also the bubbles are sporadic. maybe they will calm down after the system gets some slime in it.

 

[poolkeeper1]

Are you sure the tank itself is level? If so It may be easier to block off some of the lower overflow than cutting the other. I had this problem with my 185 of the boxes being higher on one side than the other, I solved it by blocking off part of the one overflow until they drained evenly into the sump.
I used one to run my skimmer when i had a recirculating model and saved money with one less pump, And you get more surface scum that way too.
The bubbles will clear up when you get it slimed like you said, If not try some pond filter material from AC it worked great for me.
Bill

 

[Pickupman66]

Yup, the tank is level. we had to shim up one end cause the floor was not, but we got he bubble inside the lines. the guy I got it from had it arranged oddly when I got the tank. it has dual overflow boxes with a 1 1/2" and 1" bulkheads in each. in the "taller" one, he used the small for his tank return and had the large one as a drain with a valve on it. in the shorter overflow, he used the 1" as the main drain with a valve on it and used the larger one as an "emergency drain. as this was a glass cages tank, the slits in the top of the overflow were tiny so he broke out some of the "teeth" which left some large gaps. what im going to try to do is take a piece of acrylic about 1/4" tall and the width o of the overflow and place it in there to see if that raises the water level in the tank enough to make them flow evenly. I also have to pu tin new standpipes as they are too short and im getting a nice waterfall sound.

yes and hopefully the sliming up of brand new pipes will help with the bubbles. I cannot for the life of me figure out how they are forming. I have some 4" square blocks of filter foam in the sump. one stuck right to the pump inlet and one that covers the water path completely.

 

[poolkeeper1]

You know you can get new Black Acrylic Covers from GC to replace the broken one's! I do not think they are that much to just replace them and It will look a lot better. JMO
Bill

 

[Pickupman66]

I think they are siliconed on cause I tried to remove them and was just going to turn them upside down.

 

[poolkeeper1]

Yes they are, But usually just in 2-3 spots and can be pried off and cut the Silicone with a long knife or Machette, But watch the fingers....
Rick may be able to make you new covers to clean it up that don't go all the way to the bottom, JFYI Worth a try...
Bill

 

[Pickupman66]

hmmm.. wonder if I can pop them them off with the tank full of water. ONly problem is the rock is now leaned up against them. Had I known this was to be an issue prior to setup, I would have done some work to remedy the situation.

Ill have to try fitting a little lip on the short one and go from there. my dremel makes quick work of the acrylic with the little cutter blade. I had to trim up the sump baffles last night to lower the water slightly. even worked good under water!

 

[poolkeeper1]

Is that an Electric like plug in Dremel??? you used under water Hmmm Do you have a death wish or something?
Bill

 

[Pickupman66]

Here is a video of the tank. toward the end you can see the bubbles I am dealing with. click on the photo and it will pull up the video

 

[poolkeeper1]

Maybe a Pin hole in the plumbing some where that the glue missed? Or the overflows are letting air into the system some how? Or just give it time to Slime up! JMO
Bill

 

[Pickupman66]

Yea, all the sudden im thinking a pin hole. Dont know how I glued the tar out of it and didnt see any leaks when the water was off. and I dont remember those bubbles before I changedthe plumbing out in the garage. ill run some blue glue over each joint and see if that helps it tonight.

 

[tahojones]

Bubbles

Bubbles

Here is a video of the tank. toward the end you can see the bubbles I am dealing with. click on the photo and it will pull up the video

HOPE you find out........ cause I have the same silly bubbles comming from my skimmer....

LJ:uzi:

 

[Pickupman66]

the bubbles were coming from vortices in the pipes due to the elbows in the return line. slowd teh water down a hair and it is now perfectly bubble free. that water is crystal clear now. Looks awesome. got my moonlights installed and its all looking awesome..