overflows

[larryandlaura]

Anyone know of a a quite overflow? How are the great lakes overflows?

[mcleodm]

What kind of overflow are you talking about? A HOB, Drilled in the side, or Drilled in the bottom?

[CalmSeasQuest]

If you have the space for it - IMO, Bean Animals is the very best. it can be tuned to be virtually silent and has an almost foolproof safety feature.

If you don't have room for 3 drains, than use a Herbie. It's just as quiet, but you just lose the emergency drain.

[larryandlaura]

Im looking for a drilled on the bottom tank. Laura wants a quite overflow. Im buying another new. aquarium and was wondering what brand was the best.

[mcleodm]

I am not quite sure which "brand" would be the quietest, but, it depends on the plumbing used and water travel. My 120g has 1" PVC with two 90's at the top, and it runs very quiet. There are two holes in the first right angle, one on each side (I didn't setup the plumbing for that, so not sure if these are needed). The noise also depends on how far the water has to travel from the top of the overflow to the water level inside the overflow. The less distance it travels, the quieter it will run. So when planning the PVC for your bulkheads, leave about 2-3" from the top of the overflow. This keeps water from splashing around.

Other people have also made their overflows quiet by placing a zip lock bag in them. But im not familiar with how this works.

Edit: Because my tank is plumbed into the basement, the only noise i can hear is the water going down the supply line of the sump. This however is quickly masked by any noise in the room, due to the fact it is so quiet. So that means my overflows are completely silent, if you would like, I can send a picture.

[tankdude]

I have a Great Lakes tank with an overflow, and it's super quiet. I don't know witch "brand" it is though.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Originally Posted by mcleodm

Other people have also made their overflows quiet by placing a zip lock bag in them. But im not familiar with how this works.

IME, There are 2 parts to making an overflow quiet, waterfall and drain(s).

Waterfall - Having the shortest waterfall possible tends to be quieter. Also, having water flow slow enough over the weir that it "adheres" to the backside of the overflow and limits the splashing noise That's where my Ziplock Silence mod comes in handy.

Drain(s) - A drain running full siphon is virtually silent and provides the greatest flow-through. The problem is safety. A drain running at full capacity provides no margin for error. Even a partial blockage or slow down can result in an overflow. It also tends to surge and gurgle as it goes in and out of full siphon based on the amount of water available in the overflow. This is where the Herbie or Bean Animal designs come in by providing a second (or in the case of the Bean, a third) overflow. You "tune" the primary overflow by slightly reducing the capacity of the primary, full siphon drain using a gate valve and allow a small amount of excess to go down the second drain - both of which are silent.

[larryandlaura]

What is the zip lock bag trick?

[CalmSeasQuest]

Originally Posted by larryandlaura

What is the zip lock bag trick?

Ziplock Silence mod

This only helps if your noise is emanating from the waterfall. It won't help quiet a noisy drain.

As an aside, I grew up in Houghton Lake - It's changed a lot in 35 years, but I still miss it sometimes.

[larryandlaura]

Wow small world. I've lived up here for 14 years and alot has changed. Thanks for the all your help.