# DIY Overflow variation!



## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

Here is my DIY overflow variation I'm working on. I have built the PVC ones in the past but didn't like the amount of space in the tank they took. This is built from 2 TOM's Specimen containers a Large and a regular.


















I started by cutting the overhang tabs off as they didn't clear the entire rim of my tank.










Next I taped them together to play with the spacing and the design. From there I knew how much to cut off the Regular (Inside) Container to create the skimmer inside.


























Then I measured the bottom of the Large (Outer) container to determine the spacing for the 2 1" HD Bulkheads. I installed the bulkheads so that they are tall side in to have a place to keep water so the unit stays primed.


















I then measure the tabs on each container to find center so I know where I will use the PVC cement to conect the 2. I may also use some other type of bracing not yet decided if I will need it.










I tape it all back together after good cleaning to remove the plastic scraping, shaving, etc. from the overflow to test it out. Used a piece of 1" hose between the 2 sides and primed it.


















This flows like a SOB and almost created a huge mess as I just used a bowl to catch the water. I now have it apart and drying really well waiting to bond the 2 pieces together to get a good connection so I can play with it some more. I will be adding barbs of some kind to the bottom to flow to a DIY sump in the works. I should have everything complete in the next 2 weeks or so, so stay tuned.

Craig


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

Here are some more updated pics:


























The water goes from the small container to the large container via a hose between the 2 boxes, in the end will probably be maid of PVC but this is still in the test stage.

Craig


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

I like it, especially the use of existing products. A clear overflow tube would be a great touch. Nice work :thumb:


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## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

I would flip those bulkheads around. You can cut some thin wall PVC to maintain the level, you would be able to adjust the height to compensate for noise. Plus the way you have them now you will have to glue the pvc drains into the bulkheads to keep them from leaking. If you have them the other way around the minior if any leakage from the "standpipes" won't matter. I don't like to glue if I don't have too, especially when i am in the initial tweeking stage.


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

Stickzula said:



> I like it, especially the use of existing products. A clear overflow tube would be a great touch. Nice work :thumb:


A clear pipe may come or atleast a PVC tube, the black is what I had laying around.

Craig


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

brycerb said:


> I would flip those bulkheads around. You can cut some thin wall PVC to maintain the level, you would be able to adjust the height to compensate for noise. Plus the way you have them now you will have to glue the pvc drains into the bulkheads to keep them from leaking. If you have them the other way around the minior if any leakage from the "standpipes" won't matter. I don't like to glue if I don't have too, especially when i am in the initial tweeking stage.


Good thought! :thumb:


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

I will update later today wiht new pics. Have the overflow working and the sump done. still waiting on the rest of my 400 scrubbies to arrive!

Craig


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## parkayandbutter (Jan 15, 2008)

You totally loose the ability to adjust the water height with the route you did. Your flow is restricted by the volume of water available in the skimmer box. Your overflow box is also limited by the depth you have. The deeper the more water pressure the more flow. Yours seems shallow, but I know whats happening in your attempt. Just play with it and you'll understand as you go what works and how they work best. I talked to www.txholeyrocks.com and I will tell you first hand that they know threw trial and error.


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

parkayandbutter said:


> You totally loose the ability to adjust the water height with the route you did. Your flow is restricted by the volume of water available in the skimmer box. Your overflow box is also limited by the depth you have. The deeper the more water pressure the more flow. Yours seems shallow, but I know whats happening in your attempt. Just play with it and you'll understand as you go what works and how they work best. I talked to www.txholeyrocks.com and I will tell you first hand that they know threw trial and error.


Soo... how many overflows have you built? I've built over 12 in the last year. Most have been PVC then I've been playing with this design as it is the same as the Eshopps, Ebay ones and similar to the CPR brand except instead of having a built in u tube mine is seperate. Once my nylon screws come in I can adjust hte hieght just like the CPR ones do aswell just awaitign parts. If you look at hte Eshopps brands the out side box is larger than the in side box considerably same as with the ones offer on E-bay by vendors such as Salt Solutions. I prefer the looks of this in my tank more so than the PVC ones as the stick out liek a sore thumb. My next tank will be a 220XH that will have the back glass drilled for Bulkheads and no overflow box or internal stand pipes. I've also spent alot of time on Monster fish keepers with this design and on my numerous PVC builds.


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

My sump that will hold 400 scrubbies!


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

parkayandbutter said:


> You totally loose the ability to adjust the water height with the route you did.


There are very easy ways with this design to adjust the water height.



parkayandbutter said:


> Your flow is restricted by the volume of water available in the skimmer box.


Not true. In this design the limitation is the size of the drainage pipe to the sump. Since the U-tube is the same diameter as the drainage pipe and bulkhead there is not restriction there. As long as the area of the path of water into the skimmer box is greater than the area of the U-tube there is no flow restriction. I should be obvious by looking at it that the area of the opening of the skimmer box is much greater than the area of a 1" tube.



parkayandbutter said:


> Your overflow box is also limited by the depth you have. The deeper the more water pressure the more flow. Yours seems shallow, but I know whats happening in your attempt.


I don't think so. The depth of the overflow box is irrelevant as far as flow is concerned. With a siphon design it only cares about three things - one, area available for water to flow, two, the difference of the water levels of the tank and overflow box, third, and most important, gravity. The depth of water in the overflow box is irrelevant to flow.



parkayandbutter said:


> Just play with it and you'll understand as you go what works and how they work best. I talked to www.txholeyrocks.com and I will tell you first hand that they know threw trial and error.


It sounds like he already has the experience.

On a different note, I am also building an overflow box, but instead of using a skimmer box I am using a PVC tube on the inside of the tank. The U-tube will then go insode the PVC tube over the tank and then into the overflow box. But I also thought to use a specimen tank for the overflow box.

I am curious why you thought it was a good idea to put the threaded side of the bulkead on the outside of the overflow box. I read the post that suggested it but I didn't understand the reasoning behind it.

I am also doing a dual overflow, but I realized today that to minimize noise I wanted to have the opening of the drain in the overflow box be inverted like a Durso standpipe (with two elbows making an inverted U). But with two bulkheads in one box there is no room to add this upgrade, so I bought two boxes one for each U-tube - but I haven't sized it yet to see if that would even work. Have you had a problem with the gurgling noise that everyone complains about?


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

Some gurgling noise but not bad at all. I may upgrade my PVC tubes to something larger


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## Craigthor (Jan 9, 2007)

put the threaded side outside so I can put a length of PVC to make the inside what I want easily. Would be interested in the kind of flow you get with the overflow made your way. I'm also considering an 1.5" PVC overflow in the tank as I want to up my flow rates and the dual 1" won't quite keep up with my plans I'm afraid. Still lots of playing to do though.

Craig


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

Thats the advantage of DIY - you can "fix" it as much as you want.

What kind of flow rate are you targeting that a dual 1" isnt enough? I think most people estimate about 400-600GPH per 1" outlet. I am building this for use with a DIY wet/dry as my second filter. I already have an FX5 so I am mainly using it for supplemental biological filtration so I am not going all out on the flow rate.


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## severumfreak (Aug 6, 2008)

i like it i want to build some of these sometime myself sometime


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

> I would flip those bulkheads around. You can cut some thin wall PVC to maintain the level, you would be able to adjust the height to compensate for noise. Plus the way you have them now you will have to glue the pvc drains into the bulkheads to keep them from leaking. If you have them the other way around the minior if any leakage from the "standpipes" won't matter. I don't like to glue if I don't have too, especially when i am in the initial tweeking stage.


I knew there was something weird about that configuration. I did this against my better judgment and as soon as the glue dried I realized it was the dumbest thing I could have done. I would not recommend installing the bulkhead with the threaded side out of the overflow box. Unless you have an extremely short overflow box there should be no need to do it.

The problem is that you can't remove the box once it is glue to your plumbing. If the threaded side is in the overflow box you can unscrew the bulkhead and lift off the overflow. Since I have very tight spacing in behind my tank it would have been nice to be able to remove the overflow box.


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## drawls07 (Jul 24, 2006)

i havw dual 1" inche overflows and im pushing 1800gph or more on them and they keep up so easy and no noise what so ever. pvc overflows are very quiet in my mind just paint them black and there you go. if your overflows get noisey just put in a ball valve and close it off some you still keep the same flow rate. second system of tanks i have dual in one tank and 1 in the other and 3/4 in the other on a 3600gph pump running wide open


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## ArcticCatRider (Jul 13, 2007)

Hey, how exactly do you prime the overflow of the wet/dry?


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## drawls07 (Jul 24, 2006)

check valves and alittle airline tubing . drill a hole in the 90 closest to the water and then stick the tube in there just a hair and silicone it. then close your ball valve and suck the air ou tof the pipe then open your ball valve and there should be alot of water coming threw


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