Durso, Herbie or Bean animal

[JoshH]

I think your return pump is a little undersized for two separate returns, 580 GPH with 3 feet of HH works out to around 300 GPH at best, then split that in half for each return, probably less with the extra resistance from the T. So your actual water output coming from your returns will be rather slow...

 

[PaulPerger]

I'm new to SW, but not to the Bean Animal... In my opinion the BEST way to plumb a return.

Going with what you said, the far left being your emergency... put a straight pipe out of that hole to just above your desired display tank water height. Again, this is your emergency, water should never get there unless you are testing, which I highly recommend.

The Center should have a pipe that is about 1 inch lower than the far left. This is your "Non-Ball Jointed Intentional Overflow". This needs to be higher than your primary drain line (which should have the ball joint), but lower than your emergency. This pipe will drain water all the time, but it will only drain a small percentage of your drain water.

The far right, with a ball join between the box and the sump should have a pipe about 1 inch below your middle pipe. It it important to note: THIS is the level to which your overflow WILL drain if pumps turn off and overflowing stops. So, make sure your sump can handle that much water.

TO MAKE IT FUNCTION:

1. OPEN the ball joint as far as it will go, so ALL WATER FLOW goes through this main drain. Let your system run for a good ten minutes so all water levels settle in. This drain should be able to handle all of your water flow in and of itself. If it doesn't you are flowing too much water for your pipes. If it doesn't you need larger pipes or less flow. Period. This WILL be noisy. That's OK, it will be silent when it is dialed in and working properly. Until then, you will hear noise.
2. After 10 minutes or so, close the ball valve JUST A LITTLE BIT, and wait a few minutes. Do this a few times until you see water start to rise in your overflow box.
   
3. Keep adjusting that ball valve (again waiting a few minutes between adjustments) until your water level is just below the second pipe. At this point, you should have FULL syphon on the first pipe and you should hear no noise from it.
   
4. Once water starts flowing into the second pipe, you will once again hear some noise. This is when you start the "balancing act". You want to find that sweet spot where the primary drain is in full syphon, and the secondary drain is taking on just a little bit of water, but not so much that it starts making noise.
5. Congratulations you have a silent overflow system with backups!

TO TEST IT:

1. FIRST. While testing, keep your eye on the water level in the return chamber of your sump!!! You DO NOT want to expose your pump to air. Your pump chamber should be deep enough that you can plug both the primary drain line AND the secondary drain line and run on FULL FLOW in the emergency overflow. This will mean more water than normal is in your display tank and overflow and NOT in your sump with the pump.
   
2. Plug the first pipe. Your primary pipe. (I use golf balls). Your water level in the overflow box should rise to above the middle drain, and the middle drain will start taking on all of the water. It WILL BE NOISY. This is good because should this ever happen for real, you WANT to hear it so you can fix it!
3. Plug the middle pipe while your primary pipe is plugged and force water all the way up to the emergency drain. Ensure that your tank does not over flow! If it gets too high remove the plug from the middle drain and adjust the height of your emergency drain and start over.

Hope this helps...

 

[JoshH]

^^^^^ What He said ^^^^^

 

[PaulPerger]

I should have also stated that ALL three pipes should be plumbed to below the water line in your sump's initial water chamber to avoid splashing and the noise that accompanies it!

 

[JoshH]

I left my emergency drain out of the water in the sump so the noise of the water coming down would alert me to a potential clog in the system. The main and secondary lines definitely need to be plumbed below the water line though

 

[PaulPerger]

I left my emergency drain out of the water in the sump so the noise of the water coming down would alert me to a potential clog in the system. The main and secondary lines definitely need to be plumbed below the water line though

That's a really good idea!

 

[Pongo]

I would plumb a hard line on the main drain.
I would not use a ball valve. I would use a full union gate valve, it will be much easier to make the fine adjustments to get the system silent. It will also give a much longer trouble free lifespan and be easy to tear down and clean when needed.

When the system is running if the level in the return pump chamber of the sump gets too low and the pump starts sucking air then add water until it stabilizes at a level that won't suck air.
This will not cause the water level in the tank to rise, that water level is set by the height of the main / secondary drain pipes.

Preferably you don't want the main drain valve wide open, you need some adjustment room both ways.

 

[PaulPerger]

Agree. Union gate valve would be better, but he already has a ball valve. Which will work just fine.

 

[Oceanavekid]

I'm new to SW, but not to the Bean Animal... In my opinion the BEST way to plumb a return.

Going with what you said, the far left being your emergency... put a straight pipe out of that hole to just above your desired display tank water height. Again, this is your emergency, water should never get there unless you are testing, which I highly recommend.

The Center should have a pipe that is about 1 inch lower than the far left. This is your "Non-Ball Jointed Intentional Overflow". This needs to be higher than your primary drain line (which should have the ball joint), but lower than your emergency. This pipe will drain water all the time, but it will only drain a small percentage of your drain water.

The far right, with a ball join between the box and the sump should have a pipe about 1 inch below your middle pipe. It it important to note: THIS is the level to which your overflow WILL drain if pumps turn off and overflowing stops. So, make sure your sump can handle that much water.

TO MAKE IT FUNCTION:

1. OPEN the ball joint as far as it will go, so ALL WATER FLOW goes through this main drain. Let your system run for a good ten minutes so all water levels settle in. This drain should be able to handle all of your water flow in and of itself. If it doesn't you are flowing too much water for your pipes. If it doesn't you need larger pipes or less flow. Period. This WILL be noisy. That's OK, it will be silent when it is dialed in and working properly. Until then, you will hear noise.
2. After 10 minutes or so, close the ball valve JUST A LITTLE BIT, and wait a few minutes. Do this a few times until you see water start to rise in your overflow box.
   
3. Keep adjusting that ball valve (again waiting a few minutes between adjustments) until your water level is just below the second pipe. At this point, you should have FULL syphon on the first pipe and you should hear no noise from it.
   
4. Once water starts flowing into the second pipe, you will once again hear some noise. This is when you start the "balancing act". You want to find that sweet spot where the primary drain is in full syphon, and the secondary drain is taking on just a little bit of water, but not so much that it starts making noise.
5. Congratulations you have a silent overflow system with backups!

TO TEST IT:

1. FIRST. While testing, keep your eye on the water level in the return chamber of your sump!!! You DO NOT want to expose your pump to air. Your pump chamber should be deep enough that you can plug both the primary drain line AND the secondary drain line and run on FULL FLOW in the emergency overflow. This will mean more water than normal is in your display tank and overflow and NOT in your sump with the pump.
   
2. Plug the first pipe. Your primary pipe. (I use golf balls). Your water level in the overflow box should rise to above the middle drain, and the middle drain will start taking on all of the water. It WILL BE NOISY. This is good because should this ever happen for real, you WANT to hear it so you can fix it!
3. Plug the middle pipe while your primary pipe is plugged and force water all the way up to the emergency drain. Ensure that your tank does not over flow! If it gets too high remove the plug from the middle drain and adjust the height of your emergency drain and start over.

Hope this helps...

From what you said I might have my pipes too low. I’ll try cutting a bigger size.

 

[Oceanavekid]

I left my emergency drain out of the water in the sump so the noise of the water coming down would alert me to a potential clog in the system. The main and secondary lines definitely need to be plumbed below the water line though

Another issue that seems easily fixed. I didn’t have my 2nd all the way to water level

Just need to make the pipe a little longer. I still have the hose in my main, that plugs directly into my sump

 

[Oceanavekid]

This is pretty much what I came up with. Has some spots it’s leaking from but didn’t glue anything yet. It’s pretty loud maybe I need the valve on the 2nd pipe, a lot of water is coming down the 2nd pipe. Overall it seems to be working. Any advice for improvements?

 

[PaulPerger]

You have a lot of water coming down the second pipe because you have your first pipe restricted too much. That valve is almost closed.

Open the valve all the way and leave it open for at least 10 minutes. Then close it, like 1/4 of an inch, and leave it sit again for at least 10 minutes. Keep doing this until water is just barely flowing into the second pipe. If you are still getting noise out of the first pipe when water reaches the second pipe, the second pipe is too close in height to the first pipe, so either raise the second, or lower the first.

 

[KStatefan]

Where your flex pipe goes uphill will make it harder to get the siphon started in the main drain. You could had a 90 to flatten it out. How far below the water line do you have the main drain below the water line in the sump? The deeper it is the harder it can be to get the siphon started.

 

[Oceanavekid]

You have a lot of water coming down the second pipe because you have your first pipe restricted too much. That valve is almost closed.

Open the valve all the way and leave it open for at least 10 minutes. Then close it, like 1/4 of an inch, and leave it sit again for at least 10 minutes. Keep doing this until water is just barely flowing into the second pipe. If you are still getting noise out of the first pipe when water reaches the second pipe, the second pipe is too close in height to the first pipe, so either raise the second, or lower the first.

That’s what I thought. I must have kept it close to closed from the last time I tested it. I’ll try leaving it open for the 10 minuets

 

[Oceanavekid]

Where your flex pipe goes uphill will make it harder to get the siphon started in the main drain. You could had a 90 to flatten it out. How far below the water line do you have the main drain below the water line in the sump? The deeper it is the harder it can be to get the siphon started.

The hose goes from the top to the bulkhead in the sump. That’s what I have as my main. The 2nd pipe is pretty much at the water line in the sump. Didn’t realize I left the valve almost 100% closed from the last time I tested it. I need to open it up and go from there

 

[West1]

In my Biocube29, I went with a herbie setup. Loved it! To bad the tank cracked.

 

[Oceanavekid]

Too many unions or should I add more? [emoji848] decided to ditch the hose and hard plumb the main return

 

[KStatefan]

Does it work?

It still looks like your open channel drain is to far down in your sump.

I would not use that many unions but that is a personal preference.

If you drilled a couple holes in the back of the stand you could eliminate a number of the fittings. On the main drain put a 45 below the ball valve them pipe thru a drilled hole in the stand then another 45 to go into the union at the sump. Could do something similar to the emergency.

 

[Oceanavekid]

Does it work?

It still looks like your open channel drain is to far down in your sump.

I would not use that many unions but that is a personal preference.

If you drilled a couple holes in the back of the stand you could eliminate a number of the fittings. On the main drain put a 45 below the ball valve them pipe thru a drilled hole in the stand then another 45 to go into the union at the sump. Could do something similar to the emergency.

I like that idea. Drillinga. Few holes seem to be the best idea. On my way to work so haven’t had time to shorten the 2nd pipe yet. I’ll cut a bit off and have it just about water line

Any suggestions as to which unions to get rid of?

 

[KStatefan]

I like that idea. Drillinga. Few holes seem to be the best idea. On my way to work so haven’t had time to shorten the 2nd pipe yet. I’ll cut a bit off and have it just about water line

Any suggestions as to which unions to get rid of?

I would get rid of all of them on the return pipe and add a piece of silicone tubing to connect the pump. I would also try to minimize the number of fittings this just adds head pressure and reduces the amount of water to the tank.

The lower one on the open channel drain can be eliminated.

You also need to add supports to the plumbing so it is not all supported by your tank.