Loud drain fixed

[Mikei70]

I'm posting this in case it helps anyone out-- the issue was driving me crazy for a while. It's quite possible everyone already knows this but me, so bear with me...

My tank is in my living room, so it needs to be quiet. It has a 3/4" return, and a 1" drain. Both are drilled in the back about 4" from the top of the tank. No overflow box, just a strainer on an elbow. I was running the return pump with a ball valve at about half pressure to keep it quiet. Anything more and the drain would sound like a toilet. I had it this way for about 6 months. I know that I didn't need to turn over the tank 100X/hr, but I could have used some more flow without filling up the tank with ph's.

I have read about dursos, but I don't like the idea of hard plumbing behind the tank, and I didn't want anything obtrusive inside if I didn't have to. It seemed that the problem was air couldn't escape fast enough without creating a syphon which sounded like a freakin toilet. I just had to figure out a way to introduce air. What I came up with is simple (and may be common knowledge to everyone else). I drilled a 1/4" hole in the end of the strainer, and stuck an air tube in there. You feed the tube in (about an inch) until you hear it sucking air, and you're all done. I was able to open up the pump all the way, and it's quieter than ever. I actually had to put one of those air hose silencers on the end of the air hose because that became the loudest thing on my tank.

My strainer looks like this:

 

[NL146]

I think you would have achieved the same thing by drilling the hole at the top of the elbow and sticking the airtube in there instead.

 

[Mikei70]

Which elbow? The one inside the tank or around back?

 

[NL146]

at the back - I see you said you didn't want to do any work behind there though

 

[Mikei70]

at the back - I see you said you didn't want to do any work behind there though

Not that I didn't want to do any work there, I just don't like PVC, preferring the soft tubing. There is an elbow connection there, though, but if I drilled that the hole would be below the water line-- would water leak out if the air line fell out?

 

[NL146]

I use a glass holes overflow kit that has a hole at the top of each elbow. It's the white tube sticking out of the elbows in the picture below. The tube fits snuggly into the hole so there's no chance of it falling out. I can't say if it would leak if removed though. I'll test that theory when I get home although I doubt that it would. I guess others will give their take on this.

 

[greenstreet.1]

what if you have a hole on top but still have the problem. my overflow came with hole an tube in but get that problem sometimes

 

[rkaragozler]

greenstreet how big is the tank, size of pump, and size of elbow?

 

[bigdog1428]

I'm tagging along bc my overflow sounds like a toilet too ,, and it's in my livingroom


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[Mikei70]

I'm tagging along bc my overflow sounds like a toilet too ,, and it's in my livingroom

Try my way-- there's nothing to lose. You don't even ruin the strainer. The hole is only 1/4" and is on the end that is out of the water.

 

[greenstreet.1]

75g came with overflow kit mag7 elbow 2in

 

[bigdog1428]

Try my way-- there's nothing to lose. You don't even ruin the strainer. The hole is only 1/4" and is on the end that is out of the water.

Well mine is a oil different ,, i have a overflow ,, dual 1 inch drains


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[Mikei70]

Well mine is a oil different ,, i have a overflow ,, dual 1 inch drains

Oh right-- mine is just a simple hole in the glass with an elbow and strainer.

PS-- Still want that sea lettuce?

 

[rkaragozler]

greenstreet are you sure your drain line is 2"