I’m mainly worried about the intake part, I don’t know if it would work but I assume it should if I can match the intake amount to the output of the water pump. Any suggestions? (Sorry for bad handwriting lol)
Will the diy sump filter work?
- Thread starter Zeon
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Youve got the idea. But as long as youre in the planning stages, youre gonna want to plan to drill the display tank for the overflow rather than rely on a hang-on type overflow like you have pictured. Hang-on overflows that rely on a siphon to keep water draining are always at risk to flood if you temporarily lose power and the siphon breaks.
The overflow needs to be able to take the pump maximum flow back to your tank and find it’s own balance.
This is even more important with a single overflow design.
A hang on , over the side overflow can work lots of people use them, but this style of overflow can break siphon occasionally. When that happens the pump will overflow the tank.
Some add an extra element of security by the addition of a pump to keep the air removed from the siphon with a check valve at the highest point.
There are lots of diy videos and diagrams on how to build them. The diameter of the plumbing and the length of the design will determine the exact flow you will get.
I will add that theses overflow tend to be noisy because they will always have a little air being sucked through the vent.
You can quiet them a little with the use of a cap on the vent with a small hole or two drilled in the cap.
A safer way would be to drill the tank and even better would be to use a Herbie or Beananimal design.
I agree.
Drilling is always the most reliable.
But whether or not the system will work, depends (as said above) on the matching of the pumps GPH, with pipe capacity, and size.
If the bore of the pipe is too small , compared to the power of the pump, tank will overflow, and
if the bulkhead overflows don't carry enough water, fast enough, the sump can go dry, and the pump burns out.
If you use simple siphon overflows, and they get air bound, both of the above disasters can occur
I use a 1500 gal pump in my sump, with 3 one inch drilled bulkhead overflows from the tank to the sump.
I use one of those over the rim, constant overflows, but only as a redundant emergency for when I'm refiling and get distracted, or when rain overflow the sump.
In the shot below, rain water is overflowing the sump
The bulkhead also screens need to be brushed out regularley, or tanks can also overflow.
I keep an old toothbrush on the tank just for that purpose, for me, brushing them out is an almost every other day maintenance job, because my tank is outside, and a lot of debris ends up falling in, a dead fish can all plug them up enough slow flow, too much.
Just a few extra sump FYIs to consider.
Ive just decided stop scrap the idea and do something else because the overflow concept is to much, I can’t drill the tank and can’t risk the take flooding. Thanks though