Urgent Bean Animal Advice in External Overflow

[Barcvision]

Hey folks! Hoping for some bean animal wisdom from you pros. I have an external (ghost type) overflow and have limited space to work with in the box and the water enters pretty low leaving little room for my main siphon and open channels down turned elbows.
Any advice and especially pictures would be much appreciated! There are two 1.5 inch bulkheads entering the overflow box and from the bottom of the bulkhead (where the after will first trickle in) to the bottom of the overflow box is 1.5 inches. Total height of overflow box is 4.75 inches.
The height of the weir from the inside of the tank portion (where water will first cascade over the teeth then in through the bulkheads) is 3inches.

 

[Barcvision]

***Supposed to say where the water will first trickle in.

Hoping to figure out the height to place my emergency drain, open channel, and main siphon.

 

[Jon0807]

Which overflow do you have? I have the http://synergyreef.com/product/16-shadow-overflow/ and they have some pretty specific instructions of how tall the tubes should be. Maybe yours will be the same? The lengths are just guidelines but very useful. I found that the emergency drain was way to tall for comfort so I cut off 1/4"

 

[Barcvision]

Mine was fabricated by a local company and doesn’t have a brand name or instructions unfortunately

 

[mcgyvr]

Hey folks! Hoping for some bean animal wisdom from you pros. I have an external (ghost type) overflow and have limited space to work with in the box and the water enters pretty low leaving little room for my main siphon and open channels down turned elbows.
Any advice and especially pictures would be much appreciated! There are two 1.5 inch bulkheads entering the overflow box and from the bottom of the bulkhead (where the after will first trickle in) to the bottom of the overflow box is 1.5 inches. Total height of overflow box is 4.75 inches.
The height of the weir from the inside of the tank portion (where water will first cascade over the teeth then in through the bulkheads) is 3inches.

yes you are right... pictures would be much appreciated... So post them
No seriously.. I'm not even sure what your urgent problem is.. so please use the pictures and more words to describe what you need help on..

 

[ReefNomad]

It sounds like you're asking for a proper height for the water level inside the final chamber of the overflow, is that correct?
Your only limitation is the 1.5" measurement from the bottom of the incoming bulkheads to the floor of the overflow. You don't want your water level climbing much into the bulkhead opening, or you limit the effectiveness by creating back-pressure eddies in the corners of the box.
Pictures would definitely help...

 

[Barcvision]

Yes I am looking for the correct/ideal heights of the three drains. It won't let me upload any pictures from my iPhone, keeps failing. Maybe wrong file type I will try again from my laptop later today. It is just like the synergy reef overflow where the slim box with teeth/weir is on the inside of the tank then is attached by two 1.5 inch bulkheads which drain into the external overflow at back of tank. There are three 1.5 inch drains in the bottom of the overflow box and measurements are as previously mentioned. Thanks again and being blunt is fine haha.

 

[ReefNomad]

Since your unit is custom, I'd recommend starting at about 2" height, and trimming down as necessary.
Most setups end up trimming the downturned elbows shorter for best performance, and leaving the straight tube a bit taller... it's really going to depend a lot on the flow rate coming in.

 

[mcgyvr]

In general I'd start with the tops of the elbows at around the midpoint of the bulkheads..
That way you don't have the water falling and making noise..
Something like this..
and don't glue anything inside the box yet so you can always remove/cut if you want to adjust..

 

[Lsufan]

The syphon i keep about 3/8” to 1/2” from the bottom of the overflow. The open channel u want to set so u don’t have water falling from the pass thru bulkhead & splashing. It will be loud. I keep the water level in the overflow about 1/2 way up the pass they bulkhead.

The picture mcgyver posted is pretty similar to how I have mine & is a good place to start

 

[Barcvision]

Perfect guys I will do that for sure!

 

[Barcvision]

Sorry one more thing. Do you guys use the 1/4” or 3/8” tubing on the open channel like bean animal does or just drill a hole?

 

[Lsufan]

I would use 3/8” if your plumbing is larger than 1” & 1/4” on 1” plumbing. The open channel isn’t supposed to syphon unless both the syphon & emergency get clogged. So the end of the airline is supposed to be above the emergency. If the hole itself is above the emergency then I don’t see a need for the airline, but usually that isn’t the case & the airline is needed

 

[Barcvision]

Ok only reason I ask is because without the tubing coming off the top I could still close the lid on the overflow box.

 

[Lsufan]

Just cut it off below the lid but above the top of the emergency drain. U could also use a couple of the push connect 90’s with a couple short pieces of tubing

 

[Barcvision]

Ok will do thanks