PVC overflow ?'s

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
O

oregonian

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 12, 2007
290
0
0
portland, oregon
I'm planning on building two mid water level overflows for my new 150g. My questions have to do with the two types i have seen. I would prefer the one on the left as it means less pipe in the tank but it seems that the siphon would not restart if power was lost. Also just to make sure the one on the right would keep its siphon right?:confused:

I also would like some help with sizing of the pipes. I am planning on at least 750gph and maybe as much as 1000gph before headloss. i would like to build these to support even more but don't really want huge pipes in my tank.

Thanks in advance

View attachment overflow.bmp
 
:)Whoops! sorry about the size of that pic
 
I use the setup on the left, and have had great success with it. I've simulated power losses, and experienced power loss and I've had no problems. Sorry it's alittle too early for me to be doing math so I really can't help with the pipe sizing.
 
Am I missing something? Wouldn't both of those work as siphons if you lost power, pulling water down to the lowest point of the intake?

overflow.jpg
 

Attachments

Bawb2u;2037813; said:
Am I missing something? Wouldn't both of those work as siphons if you lost power, pulling water down to the lowest point of the intake?
Click to expand...

yep... those are both just seriously overpiped syphons...

if you want something mid range/bottom of the tank.. i dont know of any way to do it other than a sypon.. these however will not autorestart but you can stop them from draining your tank in the event of powerloss by making a hole below the waterline.. then when power is returned thats where overflows come into play

overflows set the waterline.. thats why they are called overflows.. go with the design on the right but get rid of the last elbow and downpipe.. and lower the "T" it will flow better..
for size id go with 2".. might be overkill but overkill is better than wetfloor..



i use both a syphon and overflow so that i can draw water from the bottom.. i used 3/4 for the syphon and 1 1/2 for the overflow.. the syphon does 95% of the work.. i have a ball valve on it that i keep just slightly closed just so that the water in the overflow stays flowing.. so that in the even of a power failure theres healthy tank water in it insted of nasty funk water that will wipe out my whole tank..
 
ok i think i didn't explain the piping quite right. on both the pipe going up from the t would be open to air so that on the left once the water level reached the t the pressure (might be wrong about wording) would equal out and air would fill the pipes.

i guess the one on the right i thought once the level got below the last bend would stop but i can see how that wouldn't work. the thing is i feed some floating foods and i don't want it all to be pulled over a surface skimmer- waste of food and going to mess with my mech and prob my ammonia levels. i saw someone on here who had made a u that went ~2" below the water level w/ a screen glued on and i thought i could extend the idea. i'll try and find the threads and refer to them.
 
sorry i can't figure out how to quote or link to other threads but in the DIY articles section on overflow page two has a pic of kinda like i was thinking for the right side.

page 13 by chompers is the upside down u thingy;)

on page 18 the link to aquariacentral is what i was thinking of but maybe better.

thanks for any more info
 
DSC03796.jpg


i also feed floating food.. no problems at all..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom