Stand pipe not working flowing to emergency drain

[TxReefer21]

Help the previous tank i owned had one drain and a return and I never made a durso for that. This new tank I picked up has that but I cannot for the life of me get it drain down the one drain tube. It likes to alternate between drain 1 and emergency drain for like a couple seconds

 

[TxReefer21]

Bump.

 

[Fishyfish22]

Bump.

Drain 1 might need to be lower. The goal is to have it at full siphon. You have it higher so what probably happens is it'll start and then lose siphon.

 

[TxReefer21]

Drain 1 might need to be lower. The goal is to have it at full siphon. You have it higher so what probably happens is it'll start and then lose siphon.

Okay thanks fishy. I’ll mess with shortening that stand pipe

 

[TxReefer21]

Drain 1 might need to be lower. The goal is to have it at full siphon. You have it higher so what probably happens is it'll start and then lose siphon.

Well bad news previous owner glued that pipe down from what I can might have any other suggestions ? Looks like everything is stuck together.

 

[mfinn]

Do a google search for Herbie drains.
If everything has been glued you may need to completely start over, even with new bulkheads if the stand pipes are glue to it. Doesn't look like there is enough room to get a tool in the overflow box to cut the pipe

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Put a coupling on

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Drain 1 might need to be lower. The goal is to have it at full siphon. You have it higher so what probably happens is it'll start and then lose siphon.

This is set up as a Durso, with an emergency drain. The drain should not be a full siphon in it's current configuration.

 

[Fishyfish22]

This is set up as a Durso, with an emergency drain. The drain should not be a full siphon in it's current configuration.

durso with an emergency drain becomes a herbie, at which point the lower drain becomes full syphon

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

durso with an emergency drain becomes a herbie, at which point the lower drain becomes full syphon

Incorrect. A Durso still has a fresh intake at the top of the candy cane, which only turns it into a full siphon when the water gets up over the false air hole.

A Durso is not a normal full siphon system.

A Herbie is.

Adding an e drain to a Durso stand pipe makes it a Durso, with an e drain.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Well bad news previous owner glued that pipe down from what I can might have any other suggestions ? Looks like everything is stuck together.

I'd take a pair of channel locks or vice grips and attempt to turn the pipe in place. I have never seen someone, no matter how fresh, glue in the overflow side of the plumbing. That would be lunacy and pointless.

 

[Fishyfish22]

Incorrect. A Durso still has a fresh intake at the top of the candy cane, which only turns it into a full siphon when the water gets up over the false air hole.

A Durso is not a normal full siphon system.

A Herbie is.

Adding an e drain to a Durso stand pipe makes it a Durso, with an e drain.

My understanding of it was that as long as one was running significantly lower than the e-drain, and at full siphon, it was considered a herbie. At which point candy cane did not matter because it was, in the end, full siphon

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

My understanding of it was that as long as one was running significantly lower than the e-drain, and at full siphon, it was considered a herbie. At which point candy cane did not matter because it was, in the end, full siphon

Look at the plumbing. It has a Durso air line coming out of the top. Unless that air line is under water, it will not be a full siphon . That part is made to leak air into the candy cane and keep it from a full siphon until the water level gets too high. This is a built-in emergency drain of its own. Instead of giving water a secondary path, It increases the flow dramatically from static to a drawn siphon.

If you have a full siphon non-stop and are tuning it up to the emergency drain, then you have a herbie.

 

[nereefpat]

That's kind of a strange way to set up an overflow. What I would do is to change that system to more of a Herbie.

To me, the easiest way to do that would be to remove that tubing and change out the plug on top to a new one without a hole. Then add a gate valve to the main drain line.

Can you unthread the plug on top of the main drain?

 

[homer1475]

Remove all the junkl ontop of the main drain, and turn it into a herbie. Safer, quieter, and much more efficient.

Durso drains are from like the early 90's. Didn't even know they still made tanks with durso setups? They are a flood waiting to happen.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

That's kind of a strange way to set up an overflow. What I would do is to change that system to more of a Herbie.

To me, the easiest way to do that would be to remove that tubing and change out the plug on top to a new one without a hole. Then add a gate valve to the main drain line.

Can you unthread the plug on top of the main drain?

It is weird as the benefits of the herbie and a durso standpipe are both gone with this configuration

 

[TxReefer21]

Do a google search for Herbie drains.
If everything has been glued you may need to completely start over, even with new bulkheads if the stand pipes are glue to it. Doesn't look like there is enough room to get a tool in the overflow box to cut the pipe

Not a huge deal to re do it I’m going to do something this weekend

 

[TxReefer21]

That's kind of a strange way to set up an overflow. What I would do is to change that system to more of a Herbie.

To me, the easiest way to do that would be to remove that tubing and change out the plug on top to a new one without a hole. Then add a gate valve to the main drain line.

Can you unthread the plug on top of the main drain?

Haven’t tried but I will give it a go

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Not a huge deal to re do it I’m going to do something this weekend

If it is glued in, you'll need to remove it and the bulkhead and replace. Making a Herbie is easy. There are a bunch of how to's.

Don't skimp on the valve.

Get a gate valve. Even if you need to get a cheaper brand. Sometimes a 64th of a turn is needed for a silent, perfect, flow. Gates do that.

 

[homer1475]

Herbie Overflow Plumbing Guide for Quiet Reef Aquariums - gmacreef

The Herbie method can quiet down your aquarium drain and eliminate microbubbles. The guide includes helpful diagrams and explains each component.

gmacreef.com

everything you need to know about how to properly setup a herbie overflow.