diy overflow!!!!!!!!! check it out!!!!
- Thread starter isistius
- Start date
francisco5
Member
bump so I dont have to keep searching for this
colotl
Member
Isistius,
I prime it by closing the ball valve near the drain. Then I fill the vent pipe with water just before it overflows. I then cap the vent pipe. Last thing I do is open the ball valve and the siphon begins. For the last 2 weeks I have turned the power off and on to make sure the system will re-siphon and it has!!! Today I decided to take the cap of the vent tube and I lost complete siphon. You pictures show the overflow working without this cap. I can't. Can you help me get it to work with out the cap on the vent.
Thanks
I prime it by closing the ball valve near the drain. Then I fill the vent pipe with water just before it overflows. I then cap the vent pipe. Last thing I do is open the ball valve and the siphon begins. For the last 2 weeks I have turned the power off and on to make sure the system will re-siphon and it has!!! Today I decided to take the cap of the vent tube and I lost complete siphon. You pictures show the overflow working without this cap. I can't. Can you help me get it to work with out the cap on the vent.
Thanks
isistius
Active Member
does your cap over the vent pipe have a hole in it for the air to escape? there MUST be a hole. the cap is only to help silence the pipes. i never even put caps on mine and they were completely silent. nevertheless, the air must have a way to escape. if you look very carefully at the 2nd pic i posted, there is a 1/8" tube that is attached (crazyglued) to the top of the pipework. at the end of that, i use a check valve to prevent back syphoning of air to break the syphon. but that is where i remove the air from the pipes to begin the syphon.
lemme know if this helps
lemme know if this helps
colotl
Member
My caps are completely sealed so the vents are not allowing air out. The tube I have on top is just like yours. That is also closed. I only used that once to suck air out when I first primed the system. It has self started before many times but know it doesn't. I will pull the cap of the vents and see what happens again. Strange???
hal000
Member
i also posted pics https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/297623/pics-diy-pvc-overflow of my setups. with these overflows about a week ago.
a couple of things to help you out. the plans you have are a little old!
a few things have been modified. to make these run better. if you click link you'll see what i mean.
1. the siphon runs better when the bottom elbows in the tank are 2 - 6 inches higher, then the bottom elbows outside the tank.
2. the use of an elbow on your overflow pipe. ( instead of that straight pipe)
will help siphon run better, will quiet it down 99 percent more, help control water level, and help siphon start up faster.
3.on your vent pipe, when using an end cap. a hole must be drilled in center of endcap(as stated above). trust me it will still quiet it down. to help even more put some filter floss in end of pipe befor putting endcap on. use enough, so you dont loose it down pipe, but not to much to clog airflow.
4.ok somtimes with these systems,overkill on pipe size, really makes them run unstable. as they can suck air an slow down, or stop all together.
I.e. a 400 gallon tank would run fine with 2x 1 1/4 inch pipe. in any tanks 125 and under. i would only use 2x 1 inch notthing more.
in this type of system i would always use 2x just incase 1 did stop for some reason, the other will handle the flow!
if overkill is being used then 1 overflow would run more stable than 2. you'll just have to worry about it stopping.
you guys need to trust me! i have been building these for over 5 years,and have done of over 80 tanks with these overflows around the area, over the years. And i have learned for my mistakes.
there has been more mods made to this system, a double and a quad.
i will try to find these plans, and post them and a more up to date plan of the
single pipe, even if i have to fix it myself.
HOPE this helps
a couple of things to help you out. the plans you have are a little old!
a few things have been modified. to make these run better. if you click link you'll see what i mean.
1. the siphon runs better when the bottom elbows in the tank are 2 - 6 inches higher, then the bottom elbows outside the tank.
2. the use of an elbow on your overflow pipe. ( instead of that straight pipe)
will help siphon run better, will quiet it down 99 percent more, help control water level, and help siphon start up faster.
3.on your vent pipe, when using an end cap. a hole must be drilled in center of endcap(as stated above). trust me it will still quiet it down. to help even more put some filter floss in end of pipe befor putting endcap on. use enough, so you dont loose it down pipe, but not to much to clog airflow.
4.ok somtimes with these systems,overkill on pipe size, really makes them run unstable. as they can suck air an slow down, or stop all together.
I.e. a 400 gallon tank would run fine with 2x 1 1/4 inch pipe. in any tanks 125 and under. i would only use 2x 1 inch notthing more.
in this type of system i would always use 2x just incase 1 did stop for some reason, the other will handle the flow!
if overkill is being used then 1 overflow would run more stable than 2. you'll just have to worry about it stopping.
you guys need to trust me! i have been building these for over 5 years,and have done of over 80 tanks with these overflows around the area, over the years. And i have learned for my mistakes.
there has been more mods made to this system, a double and a quad.
i will try to find these plans, and post them and a more up to date plan of the
single pipe, even if i have to fix it myself.
HOPE this helps
reefkprz
Active Member
Originally Posted by hal000
4.ok somtimes with these systems,overkill on pipe size, really makes them run unstable. as they can suck air an slow down, or stop all together.
I.e. a 400 gallon tank would run fine with 2x 1 1/4 inch pipe. in any tanks 125 and under. i would only use 2x 1 inch notthing more.
in this type of system i would always use 2x just incase 1 did stop for some reason, the other will handle the flow!
if overkill is being used then 1 overflow would run more stable than 2. you'll just have to worry about it stopping.
a question for you on this (as a point of clarification for others) I notice your mentioning tank size here but not return pump size. do you not think return pump speed should be the defining point of overflow design?
now as an observation from my point of view. it doesnt matter what size tank it is. flow out of the tank must closely match flow into the tank (better that the outflow capabilities are a little higher) but not so much higher as to cause the stalling hal000 mentioned. with underpowered return pumps the flow isnt enough to force air through the overflow system (this is one reason drilled tanks are referable) if you get a return pump that closly matches what your overflow design size is capable of handleing this will cure any stalling. dont use a 2 inch overflow size and a maxijet 1200 as a return pump..... its going to stall.
4.ok somtimes with these systems,overkill on pipe size, really makes them run unstable. as they can suck air an slow down, or stop all together.
I.e. a 400 gallon tank would run fine with 2x 1 1/4 inch pipe. in any tanks 125 and under. i would only use 2x 1 inch notthing more.
in this type of system i would always use 2x just incase 1 did stop for some reason, the other will handle the flow!
if overkill is being used then 1 overflow would run more stable than 2. you'll just have to worry about it stopping.
a question for you on this (as a point of clarification for others) I notice your mentioning tank size here but not return pump size. do you not think return pump speed should be the defining point of overflow design?
now as an observation from my point of view. it doesnt matter what size tank it is. flow out of the tank must closely match flow into the tank (better that the outflow capabilities are a little higher) but not so much higher as to cause the stalling hal000 mentioned. with underpowered return pumps the flow isnt enough to force air through the overflow system (this is one reason drilled tanks are referable) if you get a return pump that closly matches what your overflow design size is capable of handleing this will cure any stalling. dont use a 2 inch overflow size and a maxijet 1200 as a return pump..... its going to stall.
isistius
Active Member
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
a question for you on this (as a point of clarification for others) I notice your mentioning tank size here but not return pump size. do you not think return pump speed should be the defining point of overflow design?
now as an observation from my point of view. it doesnt matter what size tank it is. flow out of the tank must closely match flow into the tank (better that the outflow capabilities are a little higher) but not so much higher as to cause the stalling hal000 mentioned. with underpowered return pumps the flow isnt enough to force air through the overflow system (this is one reason drilled tanks are referable) if you get a return pump that closly matches what your overflow design size is capable of handleing this will cure any stalling. dont use a 2 inch overflow size and a maxijet 1200 as a return pump..... its going to stall.
i would certainly hope that is taken into consideration, especially if you like learning from other peoples mistakes - like me.
a question for you on this (as a point of clarification for others) I notice your mentioning tank size here but not return pump size. do you not think return pump speed should be the defining point of overflow design?
now as an observation from my point of view. it doesnt matter what size tank it is. flow out of the tank must closely match flow into the tank (better that the outflow capabilities are a little higher) but not so much higher as to cause the stalling hal000 mentioned. with underpowered return pumps the flow isnt enough to force air through the overflow system (this is one reason drilled tanks are referable) if you get a return pump that closly matches what your overflow design size is capable of handleing this will cure any stalling. dont use a 2 inch overflow size and a maxijet 1200 as a return pump..... its going to stall.
i would certainly hope that is taken into consideration, especially if you like learning from other peoples mistakes - like me.
