Why is my overflow "burping and making noise?"

[BigBert96]

First, I would like to thank everybody for helping me last week with my leak problem on my new 120. I used all suggestions and now that issue is resolved. Now I have a new problem. My drain pipe is making a horrible gurgling, burping noise. Its a durso type drain that goes up approximately 12 inches. I have one elbow on the drain at 180 degrees. On the top i have drilled a hole thats about 5/8's of an inch. This is what the LFS recommended, and everything works ok, but its ridiculously loud! Does anybody have any ideas?

Ps.. Im currently running a mag 9 for my return. Its a 1 inch drain and Im running 3/4 inch tubing for the return.

 

[BigBert96]

Anybody?

 

[bsaastad]

5/8" sounds way too big, to the point of basically being an open top on your standpipe. I have a durso-type 1" drain, 3/4" return being powered by a Mag 9 and I used a 3/32" bit to drill the vent hole. It's practically silent. Hopefully your setup will allow you to easily replace the vented piece and start with a much smaller hole - maybe 1/16" - and gradually increase it until it sounds good.

 

[BigBert96]

Thanks for the info. Do you run 1 elbow, or 2? I have just the one due to lack of room in overflow box.

 

[bsaastad]

Actually, I don't have any elbows - I'm running the Stockman modification of the Durso. Here's a thread I posted about it some time back:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=433759

I had to fit all of my plumbing (open loop drain and return, closed loop drain and wiring) into one end-mounted overflow, so had no room for ANY elbows

 

[mikedsokc]

If you will turn the bell upside down so that the water overflows into, I think you will get rid of the sucking noise. This is what I had to do to mine.

 

[Johnsteph10]

Partially cover the hole with tape, epoxy, gum, etc. to see if it temporarily makes it more silent.

 

[cw150]

i removed the top entirely and it significantly reduced the gurgle.

 

[andynyc]

You can do what Johnsteph10 recommended. However when you seal it, leave a little hole in the middle. Instead of keeping it completely closed put a piece of air tubing inside the hole. This way instead of the air making "burping" noises it can constantly leak out through the air tubing thus reducing the noise tremendously.

That's basically the concept of most overflow silencers.