Piggy
Reef enthusiast
Can anyone reccomend a good one?
Overflow Box
- Thread starter Piggy
- Start date
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
Eshopps overflow. I used the same style for over 15 yrs.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+18358&pcatid=18358
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+18358&pcatid=18358
HeavyHittah
LivingReefs is like home
i was wondering to, how reliable are the u-tube models and how quiet are they? if the glass shops tells me my back panel is tempered, i think im going to get one but i just want to know how quiet/reliable they are.
yote
In Memoriam
The U-tube style over flows are pretty reliable.As long as both ends stay submerged they wont lose siphon.And their no louder than any other type of over flow.
Piggy
Reef enthusiast
Do you go by gallons to get the right size?
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
I have one with u-tube and it hasnt failed on me yet. I would recommend connecting it to a powerhead to ensure continuous siphoning. If you have a maxijet 1200, its stong enought to keep the utube siphoned.
project5k
Reef enthusiast
i set my first overflow up last night, and everything was looking good when i went to bed, then when i got up this morning, there was a huge air bubble in the u bend, and probably 2-3 gallons of water on the floor..
I personally suspect my skimmer is what dumped the water on the floor, and that then somehow caused it to loose its sucktion but i dunno..
so whats this about putting a power head on it to keep the suction? I'm envisioning drilling and putting a nipple right at the top of the tube so that the powerhead can draw out any air that gets in there...
My question is that if for somereason the overflow pump were to stop but the powerhead weret o keep going, wouldnt it eventually suck air in from the outside box and thus break the suction that way?
I personally suspect my skimmer is what dumped the water on the floor, and that then somehow caused it to loose its sucktion but i dunno..
so whats this about putting a power head on it to keep the suction? I'm envisioning drilling and putting a nipple right at the top of the tube so that the powerhead can draw out any air that gets in there...
My question is that if for somereason the overflow pump were to stop but the powerhead weret o keep going, wouldnt it eventually suck air in from the outside box and thus break the suction that way?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Reefrookie
Not so new anymore!
I have the Aqua Lifter working with a CPR overflow and they work fine together.
Piggy
Reef enthusiast
I'm confused. How do you use the pump on the overflow?
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
Piggy, those aqua lifter pumps are supposed to pump the water thru the u-tube. As I mentioned earlier, I used a u-tube overflow for over 15 yrs and it never once lost siphon...and I didn't use any extra pump with it.
If you are getting air bubbles accumulating in the top of the u-tube, your overflow is rated for a much higher capacity than your pump can push. In other words, the pump isn't strong enough to push the air thru.
If you are getting air bubbles accumulating in the top of the u-tube, your overflow is rated for a much higher capacity than your pump can push. In other words, the pump isn't strong enough to push the air thru.
project5k
Reef enthusiast
ahh ok, well i drilled a little hole in the top of my u tube and glued in a airline nipple last night, and i'm letting it sit till i get home to make sure the silicone has plenty of time to set.. then i'll put the suction line from a powerhed to it and that'll keep the air from accumulating in there..
not having enough pump makes sence.. i'm using one thats rated for just over 500g/h, but then when you subtract head losses i'd bet its doing someting in the 200 neighborhood...
I watched the bubbles go racing through the tube before i drilled it last night, and i didnt see any getting stuck, but the powerhead suction will make sure of it..
not having enough pump makes sence.. i'm using one thats rated for just over 500g/h, but then when you subtract head losses i'd bet its doing someting in the 200 neighborhood...
I watched the bubbles go racing through the tube before i drilled it last night, and i didnt see any getting stuck, but the powerhead suction will make sure of it..
Reefrookie
Not so new anymore!
That should work for you 5K, after it's working don't forget to turn off the pump and see how it reacts when the power is turned back on. It should syphon back up for you.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
I agree with capt. The outgoing pump does need to be strong enough.
connecting a powerhead to the utube will suck any extra air out and keep the siphon.
connecting a powerhead to the utube will suck any extra air out and keep the siphon.
project5k
Reef enthusiast
yea, thats what im hoping for, my biggest worrie right now is if after the power failure, the powerhead sucks all the water up and out of the holding boxes and looses the siphon before the lift pump gets the water up from the fuge.
i guess i could put one of thoes little meetering fittings inline to control how fast it sucks, if i figure out that i need to...
I should probably take some pics and start a build thread... that way everyone can point and laugh at all my redneck experiemental reef keeping.
i guess i could put one of thoes little meetering fittings inline to control how fast it sucks, if i figure out that i need to...
I should probably take some pics and start a build thread... that way everyone can point and laugh at all my redneck experiemental reef keeping.
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
the powerhead is not going to pull the water out of the utube or overflow, it will just suck the air out. When all the air is out, it will be the same as having the powerhead completely submerged or the same as having no airline connected. as soon as some air gets back in there, it will suck it out again and push the air out into the DT.
No risk there.
No risk there.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
The aqualifter pump does not suck the water up through the u-tube. It sucks air out of it in case the power goes off, to automatically restart the siphon.
Teixeira29
Live Rock Fish only
That one that Bifferwine suggested works good!
project5k
Reef enthusiast
well, hopefully if i have a power failure it will just keep its suction, but if not then hopefully the powerhead can help get things flowing again.. i'm still not sold that i have enough suction from the powerhead, cause it wont pull the water all the way up... i got so involved in other things that i forgot to test how it works once there is already a suction and i have a power outage... i'll have to make sure to remember to test that tonight, and just hope that nothing happens today while i'm at work.
SeattleDarko
REEFER
Something I know the answer too :)
it is a little pump it does like 3g per hour? but it just makes sure that there is never air in the syphon so it will never break the syphon. My GF uses the same pumps in terrariums/vivarium to act as a trickle water fall.
