Anyone using a DIY pipe overflow?
 

I just build one for my nano and I want to know if anywone have been using this with success or with horror stories?

So far I have tested it in a bucket and it is working great. I will probably build a second one to be safer in case the first one would get blocket by something.

Here is the design I built with CPVC and glued it with CPVC glue. How long do I need to cure this in water so that it will be safe? It is safe for human drinking water but I am a bit afraid for the aquarium?

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/uploads...e6717f1711.jpg

Reef Pilot made a similar one like this. Check out my threat about Lifereef overflow box.

Lots of designs out there ...see youtube. What is your pipe dia/ flow rate here...i would like one myself in the near future.

Msjboy

i would like to build one too. Tagging along...

This is one a few people I know have tried with lots of success it seems a little more complex, but the idea is the same.

http://dramaticaquascapes.com/PVC_Overflow_11.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATzHj...ayer_embedded#!
I like this cause it shows the whole build process and testing with water

I posted this on a recent thread. You can add a 90 degree elbow at the end of the overflow, instead of the cap and the open end up (cut it to choose the height you want) will serve as an emergency overflow if your slots get plugged. The airline tubing attached to the intake of your return pump is essential to prevent loss of siphon and to auto start it.

Foolproof overflow. Will not lose siphon due to micro bubbles, and will auto start even after power outage. Airline tubing is connected to return pump input. And totally quiet.

I was using an undrilled tank as a refugium for a while, and made this out of 1 1/4 inch PVC. Worked great.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/../...medium/002.JPG
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Yes that's a very nice one and I will probably do a double one for my 75 gallons tank like this one here:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...-166240-5.html

or this one which doess not have to be glued in the tank:

http://theprodigalcube.blogspot.com/...flow-pipe.html

Those are really nice double overflow and with a double one, if one part glog, then it won't be that dramatic so it is safer to use on large tank.

I built that simple one for my little nano 15 gallons so I did it in 3/4" and I have a pump that is rated 1800 gallons per hour but it is just a little bit too strong once with the head of 3", so I am going to put a ball valve and adjust the flow so it is in a safe margin.

I built mine with 3/4" CPVC and 3/4" should be around 220 gallons per hour.

What I like about those pipe overflow is that they take very little space and are not so ugly as the boxed ones that are sold. I have a black tunzee one that I don't even use as I find it too ugly and if you want the water level to be high in the tank this thing need to be so high that it is really ugly. The pipe overflow is very nice and can be hidden in a beautiful home made box and the water level adjusted very presicely.


I may try this one you posted instead and make two for my 75 gallons. I see so many nice design now. :)

But I was wondering if any one had a disaster hapened with these and if so then why? I know they can get glogged if a fish fall inside or plant debris etc...But I guess it is not worse then any other overflow?

thanks a lot, that's nice.

Also can you show me how you connected the airline tubing to your intake? You just plug it on the assigned spot on the return pump? I don't have any pump that has such feature, what pump are you using? Also I have a aqualifter pump that I could plug to this airline tubing to syphon the air out and output the coming water back into the sump. Would that be better?

As I don't have any airline intake on my return pump, I was planning to connect my airline tubing to my intake pipe by percing a little hole and gluing the other end to it like in this design but instead it would be connected to the intake tubing: Do you thik it will do the same? The coming water from the return pump should create enough pressure to suck back any air that could get trapped in the overflow pipe, and with the check valve, it prevent the intake water from flowing back into the overflow. Do you think that will work? I got this idea from the MAME overflow which is working that way.


http://www.bmace.com/images/fish/plumbing-03.jpg

I tested mine extensively, and could not find a scenario where it would flood or fail to restart. The emergency overflow elbow (not shown in my pic) would come into play if the slots got plugged. So it was not necessary to have 2 overflows in mine.

And again, let me emphasize the importance of that airline tubing connection to the intake of the return pump. Without that, I would never trust it, and of course it makes restarting the siphon automatic. I also had an airline valve in the tubing that I could adjust or close if I wanted.

I do not have the inside tubes glued, so I can adjust for different heights or take apart for cleaning if I like. Of course anything outside of the tank water has to be glued

On mine, the outside T is a little high because I had to clear the top of my sump. If it is set lower, you can handle an even higher flow. But at 1.25 inch PVC, I had lots of flow regardless.

I was using this to connect my refugium to my sump, and just disconnect it (not run the return) if I want to use it as a QT. Worked great.

Just make up one of these, and stick it anywhere on the intake side (low pressure) of your pump. It does not need to be glued if under water right at the pump intake. But higher up, on an an intake line, needs to be glued properly. You could even just stick the airline tube into the intake (being careful that it doesn't get sucked into the impeller, and it will work. Many ways to do it...

But don't use an aqualifter or any air pump, becasue if it fails, you are hooped....
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...edium/0021.JPG

To my knowledge it there is a power outage it will drain to a point and stop, like any overflow, and in terms of getting clogged, I think it could happen, but could be easily cleaned with a brush. if I wasnt going drilled this is the one I would use personally

That elbow at the end with the open end up (not shown in my pic) will kick in if the overflow slots get plugged. And yes, with a power outage it can only drain down to the level of your lowest slots. And it can't drain below that T at the back either.

Like I said, I tested it extensively, and could not think of a scenario where it could fail. Just make sure everything outside of the water is properly glued and airtight.

Of course the absolute best is a drilled tank, but if for some reason you can't drill it, or don't want to, this definitely works.

I don't understand this design. Do you have an exemple in pics?

So I guess the only disaster scenario is if air gets inside and it lose syphon? then it wont work and the water coming from the sump is going to overflow the tank. I guess putting the pump high enough so not as much water can be sucked if it overflow is a good practice :)

Looks great anyway. on a 15 gallons nano I don't want to drill or put anything in the tank beside the pump and that overflow pipe. It really look good with only these.

Oh cool! thanks a lot. That will make it nearly impossible to build up air inside. So far I have tested it and there is still a good syphon after being not in use for 24 hours so I guess the air is not getting inside but I want to be safe!

I already have such pipe at the intake of my return pump so all I need to do is drill a small hole and glue a air tube like in your pic.

OK, I took another pic, this time with the elbow in place of the cap at the end of the slotted overflow tube. You can cut the top of the elbow to get the 2nd level emergency height to whatever you want.

It doesn't matter where you place your return pump. It is the overflow design itself that regulates the water level in your tank. In my case I actually was using a canister filter, and just stuck the input hose into my sump, with the airline plumbed into the intake side. This way I could switch the input to either my tank and use it as a QT, or to the sump and use the tank as a refugium. Many ways to do it. As long as the siphon airline is connected to the intake side of the return pump, you can't go wrong.
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...edium/0031.JPG

[quote=daniella3d;668817]What I like about those pipe overflow is that they take very little space and are not so ugly as the boxed ones that are sold. I have a black tunzee one that I don't even use as I find it too ugly and if you want the water level to be high in the tank this thing need to be so high that it is really ugly. The pipe overflow is very nice and can be hidden in a beautiful home made box and the water level adjusted very presicely.
QUOTE]

Have you looked at notching the top of the glass and adding an external overflow to your tank? No ugly boxes or pipe in the tank what so ever and no space used up in the tank. I don't know if the tank is empty or not so this may or may not be an option for you.

I like this design with the slotted tube & elbow as emergency. Was thinking it could even be modified by having two emergency drains. The elbow at the end of the slotted tube looks good, but what if you were to replace the 90 that the slotted tube is plumbed to with a Tee? That way the open end of the Tee would be your emergency. Might be better in case the slotted tube gets plugged internally. In that scenario, your elbow at the end of the slotted tube wouldn't help. Anyhow, you could do both & have double protection.

Yes, Mike, a T at the beginning of the slotted tube is even better and I would just put the cap back on the end. You really need only one emergency, as it is big enough to handle any flow that could go through the slots. I would just have a little screen cap or something over it to prevent fish from jumping in.

The beauty, too, of this design, is that the tank side plumbing does not need to be glued, and you can keep making adjustments to fit the tank until you are satisfied with the design.

When I was actually using this overflow as a refugium, I only had the slots (no emergency elbow) and macro algae, chaeto, caulerpa, etc, would collect there, but it never came close to plugging. The slots allow a lot of flow, and as the water rises, more slot area becomes available on the pipe. But I did keep an eye on it, and was planning to add that elbow on the end if necessary.

While we're on the subject of modifying designs, for adjusting overflow tube height you could add a 'slip union' to the tubing. Here's a picture of my skimmer with one of these unions incorporated into the return line. It's just above the ball valve used to regulate water column height in the skimmer. Using one of these unions will enable adjustment in the neighbourhood of 3 inches on the overflow. Sufficient for most applications.

https://tsl4pa.blu.livefilestore.com...15d.jpg?psid=1

Yeah, if you wanted to get real fancy, a slip union would help. But like I said, the inside tank plumbing isn't glued, so some room for adjustment up and down anyway. I still have a good portion of a 20' PVC pipe left over, so no big deal cutting new pieces.

I see you like DIY stuff, too. Good job...

I am setting up another 140g tank downstairs, and trying to figure out all plumbing in my sump room. My current 100g DT is upstairs. I will share the same sump initially, but then will set up another sump into this already tight room. Never ends...

My worries were more in case the main pipe would get clogged, lets say if a fish manage to get inside. I guess this is very unlikely anyway. In that case that the main pipe would be clogged inside, no emergency elbow would help. This is why the design with 2 overflow is a bit safer I tought.

That's why I went with the slotted pipe. No fish could get through that. And even your emergency opening can be covered with a slotted cap or something so that a fish can't jump in.

But your design there would work, too, with the 2 pipes. I just think it is a little overkill.

If the main pipe clogged, even a drilled tank overflow wouldn't prevent a flood. They're subject to the same rules in a scenario like that. Just hope it never happens when you're away for any length of time. Kind of why I'm a bit ok with my current sumpless set up. Although this thread has got me thinking I might get a sump going. I've been waiting to do that with a new set up, but these ideas have me itching to give it a try.

I rigged my overflow to work with a fluval 205 while I had my sump on order. It was pretty glamorous


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Depends on how you set it up. I have an emergency overflow the same size as my main that will never get a chance to clog with anything until my mainline completely fails. Then my emergency overflow would also have to completely get blocked before any water would get to the floor. I also put a cone shaped strainer on the emergency overflow so a large snail or the like can't completely block the opening either. And just to be on the paranoid side I used an external overflow with the back pane slightly lower and my sump directly underneath it so if there was an overflow problem the water would overflow my external overflow box and drop down into my sump which should catch most of the water. I think something similar could definetely be done with DIY pipe overflow without taking up too much realestate.

How did you set up your emergency overflow? Is it a completely independant overflow? or is it connected with the main overflow?

Another thing that worry me is if the return pump fail and the skimmer and heater are in the sump, then the temperature in the tank will drop and it won't be skimmer either. This is why I am worried about putting the heater in the sump. Skimmer is ok since it is ok to run without skimmer for some time.

[quote=intarsiabox;669100]Depends on how you set it up. I have an emergency overflow the same size as my main that will never get a chance to clog with anything until my mainline completely fails. Then my emergency overflow would also have to completely get blocked before any water would get to the floor.quote]

Here are pictures of the ones I made for some of my seahorse tanks.
DIY Overflow Tubes

The second pipe is in the overflow box but it is completely separate from the main drain. I don't know if it makes a difference but I also made the emergency drain a straight down pipe directly to the return section of my sump with no bends to slow/quieten the water down. As far as heat goes, my display tank is mostly covered as I use LEDs so it would keep the heat for some time without the water passing through the tank. I also have a new controller on order that will apparently email or text me if there is a problem. I've never used one before so I can't comment on how well it works. So far I've never had a heater or return pump quit on me so I really hope there is never a problem. I'm also lucky that my family is close by so if I'm gone for more than a day I get someone to check the tank. My biggest fear is the tank overflowing, not so much for the fish but for myself. My wife would probably drown me in what's left of the water if I destroyed her basement!

In my previous tank I had 2 fish that seemed to just love going for a ride down the overflow pipe and into the sump. At least twice a week I had to net them out of the sump. I used and still use 1 1/2" drain lines with no valves on them so almost any fish I keep will pass through without getting stuck. The pipe is a little larger than needed and you can hear the water going down the pipe a little but the only noisy part is the sound of the air bubbles breaking at the surface of my sump. I found a neat little design that gets rid of most of the air in the pipe before the water discharges into the sump and now it is pretty darn quiet.

The only problem I had with is a lot of noise but it was also in my bed room and not in a cabinet so I'm guessing there not as noisy as I thought :p

My sump is out of the cabinet as well for ease of maintenance. I just have my freshwater top off tank in the cabinet. The tank is in the basement and I can only hear it when I'm in the same room.

All good suggestions! thanks a lot!

I am now waiting for a little fishy ball valve to lower the flow from my 1800 gallons per hour pump a bit as it is a little too much for my overflow.

I would love to do this with my Osaka and get rid fo the ugly skimmer on the side of the tank but I have only a very small space in the Osaka cabinet.