pics DIY PVC OVERFLOW!

hal000

Member
just wanted to share,
i have been using pvc overflows for about 5 years never had a tank overflow yet.
here are some pics of a diy pvc overflow,sump-refuge,and i threw in a pic of a diy rubbermaid sump(overkill) on my fw red bellies tank. hope they help.
oh ya google ( diy pvc overflow)
 

hal000

Member
oh heres the pics
( 1ST pic is not mine, I just got it of net.
hope owner does not mind. and i thank him)




 

hal000

Member
you can buy or build an overflow. the type above cost about 6$ to build.
they are very easy to build, you do not need to drill glass as they hang on back. And they create a continuos siphon, that does not loose suction even when water drops below overflow(ie. water changes, power outtages). when the water goes back above the over flow it starts working again,on its own.
also by putting 2, 1 on each side of the you will diffenatly lower chances of somting going wrong.I doubt 2 would ever fail at the same time. like I said, I
have been using these for about 5 years,an never had 1 stop working,unless I stopped it, by blowing air tru it.
also I think youtube has vids of these, search pvc overflow.
IMO, I think tanks with built in overflows are a huge waste of tank volume!
also rubbermaid or sterlite wet drys, or sumps can be done under 20-25$. I use these on all my FW, FO,and FOWLR. the serilite 3 drawers storage containers hold large amounts of fiter media, about 5 gallons each drawer.
IMO. for freshwater,or fish only they blow any store bought out of the water.
And to be able to slide out a drawer to change out media, is easy and awsome! this setup can also be changed around to make a refugium.
you should only spend your money on a good return pump!
The rest DIY all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

hal000

Member
no, it creates a continous siphon, that remains in the pipe, and only moves water, when water overflows the pipe. you really have to see it to believe it!
there is a little more detail on how to build it, you can not see from the pics.
if people are more intrested, i will post more with details later. just let me know.
also there are many post on this in a certin fw cichlid forum.(hope i can say that here, if not i'll remove it)
 

isistius

Active Member
i posted one very similar to this a few months ago on the ones i built for my 135, after i broke my overflow boxes. nice job. i can't believe how silent they are.
 

hal000

Member
ok i fixed the 1st pic. this is what it should look like.
2nd pic: shows where an airline should be built inside the pvs pipe,black is flexible airline,blue is rigid, the rigid is bent and glued to the very top inside of pvc. this is needed to suck the air out, and prime it. this only needs to be done 1 time at first time use. then this vacume will stay their.
thi can also be done like pic 3
3rd pic: instead of airline. a small hole can be drilled at red dot. and an airline checkvalve can be siliconed in place. easier but i'm always afraid of leaks.
so i do it like the second pic.
pic 4 & 5: from top, orange spot is where check vave can be placed .
these are details missing from above pics.




 

hal000

Member
i will get up to date plans for this up tomorrow. i am seeing older versions of this popping up on here. it's not that they are bad, it's just that the systems run better now with the mods that have been made. those plans are from systems over 5 years old!! they tend to be problamatic! a change in water height quickly (i.e. when putting arms in tank. new rocks.) and they like to loose siphon.
look at these 2 pics . 1st from old plans. 2nd from new see diff
(only pic i had of these off tank , had to photo shop. lol)

 

jeff s.

Member
Originally Posted by hal000
i will get up to date plans for this up tomorrow. i am seeing older versions of this popping up on here. it's not that they are bad, it's just that the systems run better now with the mods that have been made. those plans are from systems over 5 years old!! they tend to be problamatic! a change in water height quickly (i.e. when putting arms in tank. new rocks.) and they like to loose siphon.
look at these 2 pics . 1st from old plans. 2nd from new see diff
(only pic i had of these off tank , had to photo shop. lol)
So would using 2 inch pipe be overkill on a 225 gallon tank ?
Jeff
 

hal000

Member
yes, unless you had some serious return pumps. 3000 + gph.
i would only only use 2x 1 1/4 this will handle 2000 gph, no prop. enough for any normal running system.
anything over 1 1/2 is monster size, for monster tanks or monster fish! ( tanks over 400 gallons, and very high turn over. or overstocked tanks, with very large 1 foot + fish. and then flows thru giant size wet drys, with 10 + gallons of bio balls.
i love monster fish, i have 3 peacock bass 14- 18 inches, and 11 bichers 1 foot +. i go tru about 5 pounds of talapia a week in feedings. crazy I know!
i have also setup 8 indoor ponds (swimming pools in garages). for myself and fellow monster fishkeepers. and will be setting up another very soon as i just get settled in my new house. i will keep everybody posted on this, if interested.
also in a reef tank it is important to keep balance, not OVERKILL !!!!!
overkill is for FW or FO only tanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

98lude

Member
is the over flow quiet? my tank is in my room and if i do decide to add a real sump/refugium then i would want it QUIET
 

hal000

Member
there are other threads on this i would read tru all of them.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/288154/diy-overflow-check-it-out
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/297379/diy-sump
as they all contain useful info on this!!!!!!!!!!!
IMO all overflows are noisey,it is water flowing straight down!!!
in one of these post, it has been posted how to quiet them down and make them hardly noticable, if you want to quiet them done 99.9 percent you could also get pipe insulation to wrap the pipes outside tank , IMO making this the quietest overflow around.
this system can be modified somany ways!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
REMEMBER DIY means how we want it! and it's usally better than store bought!!!!!
 

jnaarnold

New Member
Ok guys, first post here. I have a couple of questions pertaining to my 75g setup.
1. I have a hang on back overflow currently with twin u-tubes. I still have the return pump dial way down(via ball valve). It is a Pan World 100px-x. It has a lot of flow that I would like to use. Will this setup give me more flow?
2. What about turbulence in the sump/micro bubbles? I have a bubble trap, but a lot of the bubbles can come from the sugre of water coming down the fianl wall in the sump, especially if it is fast and furious.
3. Noise. I know many have responded to the noise factor. The aquarium is in our tv room. The HOB(hang on back overflow) is pretty quiet with the standpipe in it. Would this be comparable?
4. What size diameter pipe and do I need to have two of these overflow or can I just use one?
Thanks guys...
John
 

bigbills

Member
I'm completely re-doing my 55-gallon, starting from scratch, and I want to use this type of overflow. I think I should use two overflows that are each 1" diameter. According to that calculator on that other website, one would give me 600GPH. Unless I'm misunderstanding, adding another doesn't double the flow, right?
Also, if I use a 600GPH return pump, will that balance it out correctly? It seems to me that 600 in and 600 out is pretty good. I want to have a strong return pump, because I'm hoping that I can use it instead of adding a bunch of powerheads to the aquarium.
One more question... Does the vent pipe (the uncapped one behind the tank) have a height requirement?
Thanks.
 

mayb keeper

Member
I am loving this idea!!!
Just to clarify, I will use Hal's updated design to construct 2 1 inch inner diameter pvc overflows. This should give me a total of around 600 gph; for which I will need a pump rated at 600 gph or slightly above. Is all that correct?
Newb question time
I have a maxi jet 1200 with upgrade kit (to 1600 I think) powerhead that I don't need. Can I use this as the return pump?
If I can't use the maxi jet, will you, Hal, recommend a pump for the 2 1" overflows I will build for my 75 gal.
Thx very much!!
 
I have these pvc overflows on my tank and they were loud at first but with some playing around you cant even hear them at all. i have had a few problems with them not starting back up when the power has gone out. they will start but they wont flow fast enough and they eventually overflow the tank. i have 2 3/4 inch overflows on my tank with 1 quiet one 1200 return pump which is rated at 600 gph on my 29 gallion reef and it works awesome. i love these overflows there cheap and easy and work better than the store bought overflows
 
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