# sooooo overflow issues



## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i have let a few people know that i spent the vast majority of this weekend addressing some overflow issues and that turned into messing with alomst all of my tanks at one point or another ..LOL .... so i wanted to share my experiance with this particular issue....
origonally i had gone online and found a really cool DIY over flow that was fairly easy to make and looked self sufficient once built.... HA oh no what was i thinking i even recomened it to a few people.... well one major flaw in the design is that over the course of 24 hours it will almost always get an air buble large enough to stop the out flow from the tank... after 4 days trying various solutions i decided i was really done with this noncense and wanted a better overflow.... so i hit up every LFS in 1.5 hours from me and not one had one and only 1 of them (5 total) would actually order me one!! umm not i will make one and it will work !!!!!! soooooo i hit up my regular fish guy and we get chatting about the issue and he suggested one of those trim cups from Home Depot that has the brush holder on one side and a small bucket for paint... hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm i kinda like the idea... so the adventure starts again...... oh by the way no matter how many coats you use PVC cement and or silicone WILL NOT STICK TO PLASTIC!!!!!!!!! yeah only took 5 tries for me to get the point (did i mention i was extreamly stubborn).... so off to home depot again today found a bulk head (BTW not located with the rest of the PVC, its in appliances for some unknown reason) had to readjust the plan abit due to size (1" the rest of the plumbing is 1/2" just a simple reduction part) and we get it put togeather oh yeah and we test it out (took 4 attempts before we worked out all the bugs)....
so we got it working and it wounds like a toilet in my dining room!!!!!! uuuuuuurrgggggggggg oh wait if i use a piece of air tubing it will get quiet...
small issue my plumbing (due to reducer part) runs slightly up hill instead of flowing level or down as desired......... so how to get the air line where the air is???
ok this sounds nuts but did the folowing and it worked !!! seriously it worked!!!!
1. take 10 pund test fishing line
2. attach a small bit of spong to it
3. soak said spong 
4. let the flow of the drain pipe take sponge down the pipe and out to sump
5 tie fishing line to air tubing 
6. pull it through...
7. cut off line and pull back to highest point in the pipe
8. trim just above overflow box and any pent up air will escape and the over flow will be SILENT!!!!!!!!!!

tune flow and you are rocking.........
so that was teh majority of my week end


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

what type of diy over flow did you try first that failed? diy pvc siphon overflows are the cheapest and easiest to make, and if you flow the proper directions on these they are very stable. I used one for almost a year str8, and alot of the members of mfk used them. BTW even store bought ones can get air bubbles and fail, as a matter of fact the CPR style overflows are so notorious for this they sell them with aqua lifters to remove the air. Oddly enough the aqua lifters are equally notorious for randomly failing, thus allowing the overflow to build air and fail.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

noted and i am not saying that they can not be good i am saying the one i made was not... LOL... it was similar to this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAysVFXDA2c i am not entirely sure it was a flaw in design again i am man enough to admit it was more likely a flaw in exicution on my part.. either way it failed and the new one is gong along good ATM and if i find it holds stable i will post in the DIY section full step by step as i have enough materials to make another for show....

i am glad your worked out well for you..


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

Almost always the failure with these is the absence of a hole at the top of the U. When the PVC goes over the tank at the top of that U drill a hole only large enough for a check valve to fit. You then silicone the check valve to this hole, be sure its siliconed in the direction that allows air to escape but prevents air from entering. what this does is allows the bubbles to be forced out of the overflow, but prevents from entering.

The one in that video would also fail as it was missing the air escape valve. I look forward to seeing your diy as well as hear its noise level.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

ya see a flaw in execution LOL i did not put the hole in soooooo i failed LOL but yeah i will try to get a video up after i am sure all is well again this is great ATM. but time will tell right?


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

bearwithfish said:


> ya see a flaw in execution LOL i did not put the hole in soooooo i failed LOL but yeah i will try to get a video up after i am sure all is well again this is great ATM. but time will tell right?


Yes, I always say no DIY is wasted as long as you learn I personally have spent a couple hundred on one DIY or another and have nothing left to show for it. I have learned a ton and Always apply that to the new DIY or help someone else, plus even when a DIY fails I keep it as you never know when you can reuse parts. i must have 30lb of random PVC and PVC fittings I never throw it away and have found uses for a lot of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OksujCwyr9U&feature=related

This video shows an excellent example of the check valve, for other readers who might try it.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

Nice vid lol wish i had watched it before LOL..... and i agree 1 billion percent about learning from all you do its the only way to get it right later


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

http://www.marineandreef.com/Aquarium_Plumbing_Overflow_Boxes_s/441.htm

Starting at $75 by CPR. Why waste all this time and energy? Honestly... there are 2 things you should buy. Buy an overflow box and buy a skimmer. Then go do it yourself crazy if you want to!


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

you know its a good thing i like you smart guy LOL where were you weeks ago when i started this adventure? oh wait nope that was my fault LOL ok ok ok i have lived and i have learned A LOT over the last few weeks... so any how the new one works lke a dream and with three tubes for the flow my chance of failure is greatly reduced.... the other design was a learning experiance on looking at as many options and plans as possible BEFORE you start to build destroy build LOL


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

how about www.glass-holes.com and check out "complete overflow kits" and google durso standpipe.


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

CPR = POS ^2 / FLOOD * Aqualift failure.

Do all CPR fail no, however they are so pron to failure that manufacture sells them with aqua lifters which them selves are know to fail. Say I am wrong.

BTW dual 1" PVC overflow correctly built cost like 10 bucks can flow 600GPH no problem, and with certian modifications can be a single pipe in the aquarium for bottom siphon, which gets more gunk out.


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> how about www.glass-holes.com and check out "complete overflow kits" and google durso standpipe.


If you can use that, then you don't need an over flow as that means you can drill your tank. If you can drill it you can just use a 90 degree pvc pipe.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

nfored said:


> If you can use that, then you don't need an over flow as that means you can drill your tank. If you can drill it you can just use a 90 degree pvc pipe.


i dont know about you, but i like my display tanks looking like a display. $100 buys you a box, bulkheads, the drill bit and your good to go. all it takes is a hole ( or two ) and your tank is going to drain without failing like you mention above with the aqua lifter. i have used both methods and let me tell you, any tank that i want drilled, will be done with the glass hole method. the overflow boxes they have are 1/4 ( if not more ) the size of a reef ready tank and can move some serious water. the $100 kit i got awhile back was for i believe a 1600 gph rated overflow. imo, clean and simple.


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> i dont know about you, but i like my display tanks looking like a display. $100 buys you a box, bulkheads, the drill bit and your good to go. all it takes is a hole ( or two ) and your tank is going to drain without failing like you mention above with the aqua lifter. i have used both methods and let me tell you, any tank that i want drilled, will be done with the glass hole method. the overflow boxes they have are 1/4 ( if not more ) the size of a reef ready tank and can move some serious water. the $100 kit i got awhile back was for i believe a 1600 gph rated overflow. imo, clean and simple.


No doubt about it they are nice, and the do work well. But how is the noise level in them? I have no problem with a true overflow such as GH.com one but the CPR is just bs. The only reason I chose not to go glass hole was because I wanted to drain from both ends of my tank.and In all honesty I have a few time thought about adding an over flow box rather then the drains I have now. So I have no argument with your statment and didn't mean to suggest that I did, but this was a DIY thread so I was making DIY suggest, and took a second to tell everyone how bad an idel CPR is.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

oh i know from experience the enclosed hang on overflows are trouble, i flooded my floor once or twice due to them failing and my sump pump continuing to go.. i have even had aqua lifters, which will work.. until the airline tubing on them clogs.
it wasnt CPR brand but i can imagine. the only plus i can say about hang on overflows with a U tube style drain is that they are easy to clean ( compare to an enclosed one ) as you can just shove a flexible drain scrubber into the u-tube to clean.

and just for the record if your drilling the tank and using bulkheads with a 90 pvc you will be finding fish and snails all in your sump without having some sort of "pre drain"
i suggested the glass hole site because IMO its the most effective : value compared to lets say, those CPR overflows that go for more then what they should for being a plastic box. if you really wanted to you could buy a sheet of plexi and create a small overflow box yourself, basically doing what the glass holes overflow does however it has a baffle on the inside that the water firsts falls onto greatly reducing noise ( thats the best i can explain it ) 
i was running a MR2 skimmer for awhile and thats all i heard, the skimmer.


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