Quieting Overflow

[Falco]

I am finally getting around to setting up my 30g cube and I finished plumbing it yesterday and am currently leak testing it with fresh water. So far no major issues except for the noise of the overflow (gurgling/flushing noise).

Here are some pics of how I plumbed it:

Overflow drain:

Overflow from the inside:

Finished sump area:

Standpipe on drain

Full tank shot:

Does anyone have any tips/tricks that I can use to quiet this thing down? I don't mind a little noise but right now its pretty bad

-Chris

 

[stingnyc]

I would try putting a valve on the end of the airline tubing and slowly adjust the amount of air intake.

 

[House of Laughter]

Durso on the inside - I have them in every tank for the fish system - work great, but can take up some room inside .

House

 

[kimoyo]

IMO, you'll never get it quiet because its external unless you go with a very low flow. If you could drill the back for a second drain you could get it totally silent.

OT- Hey Steve

 

[simike]

is air rushing in on the durso hole, or is it sucking through the strainer. is there any difference if you cover the hole or take off the cap? Ive seen a durso on barraquatic.com that uses a air tube,inserted into the pipe and out the top to silence the water. try that??? one ggoing rightdown the overflow, and also try one from the strainer..
Tank is looking nice though, euro reef say the skimmer should be placed in 5-7 inches of water, so you might have to lift ita little.
mine is in 7" never tried deeper so i dont know, my durso is useless, my overflow is too larger, but quiet only hear water falling through the tube.
i ve heard that the valves arent a great idea they get clogged with salt sreap sooner than just a hole, buy a couple of caps to change hole sizes.

 

[simike]

btw what is your return pump like, gph b4 and after.

 

[Falco]

Thanks everyone for the feedback thus far

is air rushing in on the durso hole, or is it sucking through the strainer. is there any difference if you cover the hole or take off the cap? Ive seen a durso on barraquatic.com that uses a air tube,inserted into the pipe and out the top to silence the water. try that??? one ggoing rightdown the overflow, and also try one from the strainer..
Tank is looking nice though, euro reef say the skimmer should be placed in 5-7 inches of water, so you might have to lift ita little.
mine is in 7" never tried deeper so i dont know, my durso is useless, my overflow is too larger, but quiet only hear water falling through the tube.
i ve heard that the valves arent a great idea they get clogged with salt sreap sooner than just a hole, buy a couple of caps to change hole sizes.

The gurgling is coming from the strainer inside the tank. Like a moron I glued the cap to the external durso so if I can't figure this out I will cut it off and try your idea about leaving it open with the just tube stuck in it.

The skimmer is in about 7" of water (second baffle is the water level) but once I get saltwater in the tank I can raise it if need be.

I also heard the valves can be more trouble than they are worth :/

btw what is your return pump like, gph b4 and after.

I am using a Mag 3 for my return which is rated at 350gph with 0' head. My guess is I am at 5' head because my stand is a little taller than normal.

-Chris

 

[scarf_ace1981]

I would try putting a valve on the end of the airline tubing and slowly adjust the amount of air intake.

DITTO. i would put a valve where you have that red tubing. like so:

 

[simike]

maybe the durso isnt working becaus of the bend below the strainer and elbow. is air being sucked throuh the air line, you should feel pretty strong suction???

if its not, its not working. i guess you could try, just a gguess, to make a small hole in the top of the strainer and feed someairline tubing in to near the elbow.
I dont know if this would work. i am just assuming on the function of the airline in the barraquatic durso. i guess it mat be worth a try as you have few options and it wont really effect strainer if it doesnt work. i guess the idea is to create an alternative entrance for air, as opposed to the water creating a vortex to let air in.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Falco,
I have an identical set up on the outside of my tank with the drain. I think the problem is on the inside of the tank, cause mine is really close to silent.

Also mine got quieter with time(after 2 weeks) I don't know why but it did. Another thing that might help is putting the drain PVC on an angle so the water doesnt fall straight down, instead it could run along the side of it. Mine has a slight tilt to it too.

-Kris

 

[Falco]

Thanks guys

Scarf - I am going to try and get one of those valves and see if it makes a difference.

simike - air is being sucked through the red tube at the moments (feel it with my finger). I have an extra strainer so I might give your suggestion a try as well.

Kris - how far do you have your tubing in the external part of the drain? Also, how far under the water (in the sump) do you have your dain pipe? Mine was just under the water surface but I added a longer pipe (maybe 6") and it seems to have stopped the flushing noise every ten minutes or so. The drain inside the tank is on an angle (second pic) and if I put it on more of an angle the water level will lower even more in the display.

That again for the help everyone!
Chris

 

[nanoreefer22]

Chris,
I'll get you some pics in a few mins .

 

[scarf_ace1981]

kris, his drain is tilted. see second pic.

chris
do you have a filter sock? i noticed my overflow became very quite when i put a filter sock in the sump. also if the drain is closer to the bottom glass of the sump the noise will lessen.

 

[DevIouS]

From the Durso site:



The hole on the top of the standpipe (in the End-Cap) is very important. Without the hole, a full siphon will be created and water will be sucked out of the overflow chamber to fast. The water level will drop below the intake and you will get a terrible air sucking noise. If you drill a hole and the water level still drops to far (making a sucking noise) then the hole is to small. Just make it slightly larger (see above) and the water level will raise. If you make the hole to large then the water level will be to high. (It should not overflow the tank as it will not get that high, but keep an eye on it).

Flushing Effect: A commonly reported problem when first installing standpipes is what I call a flushing effect. The water level in the chamber bounces up and down at a slow steady cyclic pattern. This is different than the issue above where the water level stays to low. This issues typically is not caused by the size of the air-hole in the end cap. The flushing effect is almost always caused by back pressure in the drain line. Typically the back pressure has two main causes:

1. Drain pipes in the sump being submerged below the water surface to far. Ideally you just want the drain pipes submerged about an inch or two. Just enough to reduce the splashing noise in the sump.
2. Any loops or dips in the drain lines if using flexible tubing. If using hard PVC pipe for the drain lines make sure they always have a slope to them, don't make them perfectly horizontal or perfectly vertical.

The flushing effect works like this: Back pressure in the standpipe prevents air in the pipe from exiting the drain line. Instead of exiting the drain line, the air bubbles try to rise in the pipe slowing the rate at which the pipes drain. The water level in the chamber then rises. The increase in the chamber water level adds pressure to help clear the air from the pipe. Once enough water pressure exists in the chamber to overcome the back pressure, the air is literally is "burped" out of the drain line which crates a sudden rush of water. This is displayed as a rapid drop in the overflow chamber water level. This cycle then repeats itself over and over as the back pressure builds and gets purged.

 

[Falco]

Thanks Phil

I will have to wait a few days to tinker with the pipes again because I had a minor set back, my damn sump cracked :irked:

I am heading over to PetCo today to see if they have another one in stock.

-Chris