diy pvc overflow

[T]

i have a 180.
i made 2 1 inch pvc overflows for the tank.
i have a 1200 gph pump running on it right now. its doing about 1000 gph at 5' head. my problem is im runnignt he 2 overflows and its draining slow like crazy.
i think i alreadi solved my problem. i have 4 elbows in one of the overflows going to the wet dry and 3 in the other one...
im assuming its the elbows. but i didnt think itll slow it down that much...
and would a 1 inch tube work better?

 

[rallysman]

are you certain that all of the air is out of them? Even a little bit of air will reduce the flow rate.

 

[Euge]

well CHOMPERS did a flow test on 1" PVC overflows and he said he got a flow rate of approx 350gph. Don't remember the exact figure. Maybe your pump is too strong?

 

[T]

i know my pump is too strong. im thinkn its the piping.... the elbows wouldnt be a problem though?

 

[jjb]

A pic would be nice ...Iam running around 3000GPH on mine with two wet dry's so you should not be limited...just need to see your set up

 

[CHOMPERS]

Rallysman did a flow test on his and got around 600gph (when it was new). I got 337 gph. I have no clue where the discrepency is. I built my test rig with a 1.5" collection pipe hoping to exceede 600 gph by a long shot.

And yes, using hose rather than pipe with 90 degree elbows will help the flow rate a bunch.

 

[spoofsjsc]

i had the same problem using a 1200lph (approx 315gph)
let me try to help...

are your 1" overflow pipes attached to drilled holes? or is it the no drill type/ the one that travels from the tank, over the tank wall, and down to your sump?i'm guessing its the no drill type.

i suggest you use 2 x 2" overflow pipes. and yes, reduce the elbows. (your existing set-up might not work even if you did reduce elbows but make sure to use only enough elbows on your next one.) i made the same elbow mistake with a 3/4 " pipe so imagine what a mess that made! my tank was filling up too fast while my drain was flowing at a rate even less than that of pissing. i replaced it with a 2" pipe and it worked. no harm in using a big diameter pipe as this will only overflow approximately whatever the pump sends back in.
as for your pump, i think you should keep it. he's not the source of the mess. the problem lies on the drain's incapability to do it's main job...drain. I don't know how long your return hose is and how high (with respect to the ground) does the water need to go but i'm guessing your pump flowrate is in fact ideal for your tank size.

good luck and keep us updated, man.

 

[T]

im draining the tank right now.
ill have a picture of my filtration setup tomorow.
i appreciate the help. i hate building things.