Would You Agree?

szhttm

New member
Hello,

During a fresh water leak test of my new 210-g system, I noticed that the two overflows continue to drain into the sump causing the water level to be too high when the system is turned off for an extended amount of time. When the system is shut down for 8 hours or more, the two overflows drain completely.

I had the AGA durso pipe setup in the overflows. It seems the water is sneaking past the bottom of the durso pipe into the bulkhead, then into the sump.

I tried pushing down on the two AGA durso pipes to make sure they were seated correctly, but the issue is still occuring.

When the water level in my sump gets too high, it will begin leaking out of the air intake of my AquaC 400 skimmer.

I was going to try to build my own durso pipe from supplies from the local hardware store to see if that would fix the issue. I'm hoping the PVC pipe from the hardware store is a little thicker and would prevent this from occuring.

If this doesn't work, then I think I have no choice but to PVC glue the drain connections in the overflows to the bulkhead.

Would you agree with my plan above, or do you have other suggestions?

Thank you very much ahead of time for looking at this thread and/or responding!!!!!

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:
 
im guessing you have slip bulk heads. correct???
if so then yes you will have to glue them if thats your problem
or you can change to threaded bulkheads and glue a male threaded adapter to the bottom of the overflow kit, this will give you a water tight seal and they can still be taken apart
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11676129#post11676129 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scubasteve247
im guessing you have slip bulk heads. correct???

You are absolutely correct. I do have slip bulkheads. The reason I got them was because the AGA durso pipe required it...

Sounds like I'm going to have to glue it...

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:
 
Gluing should be your last resort. If anything goes into that overflow you will have no way to get it out; fish snails etc. Try wrapping the end with teflon tape for a better seal. good luck.
 
Teflon tape just above the end of the pipe is the way to go. You may have to tap it in with a rubber mallet. But not much. That will seat the teflon and fill the gaps.
 
Obviously, you would rather not have this situation but during practical usage of your system, your pumps will nearly always be on so it should be a non-issue.

I would not be surprised if many other people have the same problem and dont even know it.
 
My motto is always hope for the best, plan for the worst. A system should be able to handle an extended power outage without overflowing the sump. This would include draining the overflow. Which, as others mentioned, you may have to do if something becomes lodged in one of the drain pipes.

I would think about lowering the water level in the sump, or work in a larger sump to hold the extra water.
 
OK, first of all, props to you for doing a FW leak test. Imagine if you just filled your 210 with SW and livestock, then realized you had a leak and had to drain the tank to fix it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11676805#post11676805 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davester1
Obviously, you would rather not have this situation but during practical usage of your system, your pumps will nearly always be on so it should be a non-issue.

I would not be surprised if many other people have the same problem and dont even know it.

You need to make sure that you don't have this problem. What if you go to work and the power goes out for say, 6 hours. The water overflows onto the floor. (now your wife/husband is ****ed) Then the power comes on and runs your pump dry. You always need to check if your sump can hold all your water with the pump of.

In my large systems at work. I did the water test and that is how I decided on the water level for the sumps.
 
Thank you!!!

Thank you!!!

Thank you all for the great replies.

I would not have thought to try the teflon tape on a slip fitting and pipe. I will certainly give this a try tomorrow!!!!

I'll let you know.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:
 
Teflon should do the trick. If not use a little bead of silicon around the pipe after you stick in the bulkhead. It's easy to break off if needed.

Make sure you use the right silicon if you go this way.

I glued mine from the get go. If I ever have to take them out I will just unscrew the bulhead fitting from below.

HTH
 
Well...I tefloned both the durso drain pipe and the return pipe and pushed them into the bulkhead as far as I could by hand.

I was too scared to use the rubber hammer... LOL!!!!

Then, I ran the two main pumps for a few minutes to ensure that the two overflows were completely filled. I then marked the water lines with some post-it notes.

Now, I'm letting just sit there to see if any of the water in the overflow drains into the sump.

I'll keep up updated...

Good Luck and Have fun!!!;
:thumbsup:
 
ditto

ditto

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11683074#post11683074 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by djfrankie


I glued mine from the get go. If I ever have to take them out I will just unscrew the bulhead fitting from below.

HTH



ditto
 
As I stated in a previous post, I removed both drain pipes and return pipes from both overflows. I then tefloned each of them and then inserted back into their overflows and bulkheads. Then I ran the two main pumps for a few minutes to ensure the two overflows were at the highest level. I then turned the pumps off. After another few minutes to ensure all the expected drainage had stopped, I marked the water line in both overflows and I let it sit overnight.

A day later I noticed that the right overflow was at the same water level when I marked it the day before. But...the left overflow was still draining and the water was at about the half way point.

The right overflow is now fixed!!! WOO HOOO!!!!

I then pulled the pipes out of the left overflow, removed all the teflon tape tape, and start over again. Hopefully this time the left overflow will behave!!!! LOL!!!!

I let you know if I finally have my problem resolved.

Thanks again!!!!

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:
 
:mad2:

The left overflow is still draining somehow. I don't know if I am missing something or if I'm not putting the teflon on the pipes correctly on this side.

I guess I will try again...

But, if this third time does not work...have any of you ever used the "liquid teflon" that comes in a tube or plumbers putty? Are these items safe t use in aquariums?

Thanks again!!

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:
 
I Believe We Have A Water Tight Seal!!!!!

I Believe We Have A Water Tight Seal!!!!!

Well, after the third attempt to teflon the pipes in the left overflow, I think we now have a seal.

Woo Hoo!!!!
:celeb3: :beer: :rollface: :bounce1: :bounce2: :bounce3:

Thank you all again for the wonderful (as always) advice!!!!

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:
 
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