New tank design graphic ... Tell me what you think...

[Megalodon]

Originally Posted by Myka

Did you check out the Herbie silent overflows? Your overflows are going to be VERY noisy.

I thought I was doing it Herbie-style.

Maybe I have a misconception of what that actually is.

[Megalodon]

OK, I just did more reading on Herbie. He calls for the drain bulkheads to be further down with the standpipe going up close to the surface. But again, he has an overflow box around that. What should I do any different here?

[Myka]

The Herbies have an overflow box with TWO drainlines on each overflow. Once drain line is just a bulkhead out the bottom of the box, call it drain A. Drain B is in the same box next to Drain A, and is also a bulkhead on the bottom of the box, but Drain B has a pipe on it so that it is several inches taller than Drain A. Drain A has a gate valve on it to constrict the flow so that the water in the box remains a couple inches above drain A's bulkhead, so there is NO air in Drain A drain line. Drain B doesn't have any valves on it. Now, eventually Drain A will clog or partially clog which will back the water up so it raises in the box. When it gets high enough the water will start going down Drain B along with a bunch of air as it "sucks". It will happily run this way until there is a point in which Drain B also gets clogged, but this won't happen because Drain B will be really noisy. This is your alert that Drain A has clogged, and needs maintenance.

Now, how's that for confusing?

Here's a pic of my tentative plumbing including the Herbie overflow. Drain A would be the green line on the right, and Drain B would be the green line on the left. On my line A there is a gate valve (the higher black thingy), and a union (the lower black thingy).


Here's a link to the original Herbie thread on Reef Central:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=344892

[Megalodon]

So does this mean I have to silicone a glass overflow box in my tank?

[Myka]

Yes, but outside of the tank...external overflow box.

[Megalodon]

Originally Posted by Myka

Yes, but outside of the tank...external overflow box.

Are you sure the way I have it doesn't have the same effect? I don't know, just asking. I mean, do you really know, because I sure as heck don't. I've never had a drilled tank before.

The gate valve is adjusted so that the tank's water level goes up a bit and covers the intakes so that they don't suck up air. It'd be using the whole tank as its own great big overflow box. If the tank water ever gets too high, the third overflow, the backup, will start draining the water.

I know it would work but what I'm not sure about if it's going to be quiet enough for my liking.

If it does make a bit of noise from air getting sucked in I suppose I could always put a reverse durso on the drain in the sump.

[Myka]

Your way won't work. If you put gate valve on all three of your lines, then even if only one of them gets clogged you will have a big puddle to clean up!! The point of the Herbie is to be able to use the gate valves to throttle down the drains so there is NO AIR in the drains making them silent (the other end needs to be under water in the sump too). The second drain is for when the first one clogs up, and it will.