Need DIY acrylic overflow (siphon) blueprint
- Thread starter khirmun
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burnetb1
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I experimented with this when building my first tanks. I found the largest problem to be the siphon pipe itself. It needs to have a smooth interior and a smooth, gently radius over the rim of the tank. Also should be clear. All of these reasons are the why I gave up the DIY build and purchased a new unit.
If you use PVC, the siphon will have turbulence in the flow due to the geometry of the pipe. This will catch air bubbles that will eventually accumulate and kill the siphon. You can use a small pump attached to the top to suck out the air bubbles, but if the pump ever fails, so does your siphon. Even with a perfect setup, it is still very prone to failure.
I ran a siphon overflow setup on my 55 gal for years. I checked the siphon EVERY DAY. About every week or two I needed to suck out the air bubbles accumulating in the top of the siphon tube. During my tanks life with a siphon overflow, I probably had 3-4 tank overflows. Not a fun experience but I was lucky I didn't crash the tank.
Here is my biggest complaint about siphon overflows: The flow needs to be just right. Lets say your trying to be super careful, so you put 2 overflows on your tank to have a redundant backup. This slows the flow in each way down, and allows for any air bubbles to accumulate in the top of the siphon tubes that will eventually break the siphon. Only having one will increase the flow through the siphon tube and air bubbles will be moving too quickly to be trapped in the top of the tube, but will also leave you with a single point of failure.
I ran a single overflow similar to the Eshopps. It had a clear siphon tube that was nice for seeing air accumulation, but also grows algae. This would slow down the flow and start to catch air bubbles over time. I do not have my tank anymore, but when I set up my new one, I will never run a siphon overflow again. I assume you have no other choice (tempered tank), but I strongly recommend doing something other than a siphon overflow. This most likely means getting a different tank, but if you plan on keeping the tank long term (dont we all?) then I would find a less stressful solution.
Wow, came here to write a short comment and ended up writing a book...
If you use PVC, the siphon will have turbulence in the flow due to the geometry of the pipe. This will catch air bubbles that will eventually accumulate and kill the siphon. You can use a small pump attached to the top to suck out the air bubbles, but if the pump ever fails, so does your siphon. Even with a perfect setup, it is still very prone to failure.
I ran a siphon overflow setup on my 55 gal for years. I checked the siphon EVERY DAY. About every week or two I needed to suck out the air bubbles accumulating in the top of the siphon tube. During my tanks life with a siphon overflow, I probably had 3-4 tank overflows. Not a fun experience but I was lucky I didn't crash the tank.
Here is my biggest complaint about siphon overflows: The flow needs to be just right. Lets say your trying to be super careful, so you put 2 overflows on your tank to have a redundant backup. This slows the flow in each way down, and allows for any air bubbles to accumulate in the top of the siphon tubes that will eventually break the siphon. Only having one will increase the flow through the siphon tube and air bubbles will be moving too quickly to be trapped in the top of the tube, but will also leave you with a single point of failure.
I ran a single overflow similar to the Eshopps. It had a clear siphon tube that was nice for seeing air accumulation, but also grows algae. This would slow down the flow and start to catch air bubbles over time. I do not have my tank anymore, but when I set up my new one, I will never run a siphon overflow again. I assume you have no other choice (tempered tank), but I strongly recommend doing something other than a siphon overflow. This most likely means getting a different tank, but if you plan on keeping the tank long term (dont we all?) then I would find a less stressful solution.
Wow, came here to write a short comment and ended up writing a book...
