DIY overflow help

Fishman5 · Mar 30, 2013

Hi there I am currently helping a friend build a 65 gallon reef tank. We have ran into a problem however with the overflow. Her tank has no overflow box on it and we are wanted to DIY it due to our budget. So far we have a sump in which the water first travels through socks then a chamber with a skimmer and finally a return chamber. On the return line we "t" of the line and sent a line to a 45 gallon refugium which then spills back into the return due to gravity. So if anyone had any ideas on making a DIY overflow please feel free to help!!

Thanks so much!

Tommy

fragmatic · Mar 30, 2013

If you check u-tube for DIY overflows you will see plenty.. sort through them.. not all are well done. However some are very well done, using PVC piping.

Fishman5 · Mar 30, 2013

fragmatic said:
If you check u-tube for DIY overflows you will see plenty.. sort through them.. not all are well done. However some are very well done, using PVC piping.

Ok thanks man! One more thing, what kind of skimmer (semi-cheap/reliable) would you suggest for this build?

Tommy

Reefing Madness · Mar 30, 2013

DIY Overflow Using Only PVC Pipe (DIY OVERFLOW PROJECTS)

fragmatic · Mar 30, 2013

Fishman5 said:
Ok thanks man! One more thing, what kind of skimmer (semi-cheap/reliable) would you suggest for this build?

Tommy 

LOL.. if you are into it.. same answer just insert DIY skimmer..for DIY overflow.... just shoot for the most micro bubbles and lots of bubble hang time.

Reefing Madness · Mar 30, 2013

SC Aquariums

Fishman5 · Mar 30, 2013

Thank you so much reefing madness!! That overflow looks perfect for the build!!

Tommy

fragmatic · Mar 30, 2013

Fishman5 said:
Thank you so much reefing madness!! That overflow looks perfect for the build!!

Tommy 

AND.. if you plumb that air line to the suction side of the return pump from the sump your should never have to worry about it losing prime because it will remove any air that may accumulate. I'd have a ball valve in the return line from the sump so you can make sure you do not pump water up to the display tank faster than the over flow can handle. If you are trying to decide how big to make the overflow, always error towards the larger size.

Fishman5 · Mar 30, 2013

How would I plump it to the return? I have a ball valve already set up on both the return line and the line going to my refugium

Tommy

Dana · Mar 30, 2013

Here's a DIY overflow my brother made up for me. The rear drain chamber will have a riser PVC coming up so both front and rear chamber always have water in them. A Venturi valve on top will run off a power head and keep air out.
The drain is based on a durso design which keeps the overflow quiet. Not draining sound in the box itself. We will be testing this weekend and video to come

Dana · Mar 30, 2013

I realize this is probably a bit more than most will take on, and PVC is much easier to assemble, but just thought IDE share what shaun and I are trying, and for those who are very handy, if this works nicely, I can share dimensions and such.

fragmatic · Mar 30, 2013

Fishman5 said:
How would I plump it to the return? I have a ball valve already set up on both the return line and the line going to my refugium
Tommy 

It depends on the return pump.. If it has a nipple or short tubular opening at the input you can make a small hole and insert the end of the tube until it is just barely sticking inside the opening. If not you can attach it some how so it is pointing inside the inlet to the pump so the pump draws water from the other end if you put it in water. You just want to figure out a way that the return pump draws water through the air line so it is always pulling some water from the top of the overflow.

What you want to do is make sure that the overflow never looses siphon, and pulling water off the highest point is a sure way to accomplish that. Also, if there is a power failure be sure that you have the tee at a height that all the water form the tank above it will fit in the sump. It will drain to that level during a power failure. Then after power comes on the pump will push water back up to the display tank and that air line we just discussed will make sure the overflow regains siphon (if it lost it) and you don't over flow the display tank. Make sure your over flow can handle more water than the pump returns (thus the ball valve).

Fishman5 · Mar 30, 2013

I would defiantly do tht if it was my own tank. I'd like to know the detentions just for curiosity sake. Also how big is the tank you are putting it on

Tommy

Dana · Mar 30, 2013

The overflow is going on is 30 gallon. The sump will be 10g
I'll grab the dimensions when I get a chance. We're expecting a 300 gph flow rate possible

Reefing Madness · Mar 30, 2013

Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

Dana · Mar 30, 2013

Reefing Madness said:
Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

Yup that about explains it. The thing we did different is, instead of a baffle in the rear to hold water (which creates a waterfall into drain compartment and noise) was to use durso method and have a PVC riser come up out of the drain. This way the water level rises in the entire rear compartment and drains when the water reaches the top of the riser. No waterfall in the box and no noise. Again, it does neec testing, but we're pretty sure it will work