Overflow and drilling question

dianapickles · 03/27/2016, 01:41 AM

I'm currently working on a little DIY. I've never built a "reef ready" tank myself so I'm a little confused.

I have a 25mm diamond drill bit and with it, 15mm bulkheads. Is this too small for the drain and return? I do have a drill bit that would be suitable for 1" bulkheads but I feel like that would look super intrusive in my tank.

The tank is 40G.

I also really want the overflow to be external. Could anyone please help me design this? I'm completely at loss with hole sizing and how I'd go about an external overflow. I just want a simple external overflow with a drain and return.

Where should I start?

dianapickles · 03/27/2016, 01:49 AM

This is just a rough draft I did off the top of my head. It seems like it would work to me but obviously I have no idea what I'm doing and if 25mm holes/15mm bulkheads are even able to provide sufficient drainage/flow for the tank.

dianapickles · 03/27/2016, 03:35 AM

Anyone?

RocketEngineer · 03/27/2016, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dianapickles

Anyone?

Most of the folks on this forum are in the US. A post at 3am our time isn't going to be seen by most of us until the morning

. Give us a day at least.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dianapickles

I'm currently working on a little DIY. I've never built a "reef ready" tank myself so I'm a little confused.

I have a 25mm diamond drill bit and with it, 15mm bulkheads. Is this too small for the drain and return? I do have a drill bit that would be suitable for 1" bulkheads but I feel like that would look super intrusive in my tank.

The tank is 40G.

I also really want the overflow to be external. Could anyone please help me design this? I'm completely at loss with hole sizing and how I'd go about an external overflow. I just want a simple external overflow with a drain and return.

Where should I start?

Pipes less then 1"/25mm are highly restrictive, especially when used as drains. With a 40g tank you are more likely to have relatively low flow rates through the sump (200gph vs the 1000gph I run through my 125g system). Trying to run 200gph through a 15mm pipe is easy when the pump is pushing it but that much water trying to get down such a small diameter pipe is going to create a fair amount of noise as the air and water within the pipe get mixed due to the small diameter. If the drain pipe were 25mm, that gives you much more room for the water to flow down the inside of the pipe which should be quieter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dianapickles

This is just a rough draft I did off the top of my head. It seems like it would work to me but obviously I have no idea what I'm doing and if 25mm holes/15mm bulkheads are even able to provide sufficient drainage/flow for the tank.

My 125g setup uses an external box for the drains. I recommend running the return over the top of the tank instead of through the box as doing so just adds more holes that aren't required. You really do want to have an internal box but if the internal and external boxes are connected with holes in the back glass like you drew then the internal one doesn't need to stick into the tank very far. A coast-to-coast internal box is the most effective and the easiest to DIY.

Good Luck,

dianapickles · 03/27/2016, 05:34 AM

Thanks so much for all this info. I guess I did get a little impatient

I decided to test it out anyway and the 1/2 inch bulkhead drains barely a trickle. Definitely going to have to go with the 1" and the internal overflow box.

I'm super super super thankful for that much help because I realised I'm going to have to go about this totally different!

Learning from my mistakes

Ryan99639 · 03/28/2016, 10:29 AM

Look up the bean animal overflow style and do that. I'm building one currently. The setup in your sketched out pic will probably be loud sounding like a drain constantly. What pump are you running and how much gph flow rate are you going to have through the sump?

TONY_C · 03/28/2016, 10:41 AM

I wouldn't put the return hole lower than the drain hole. If you lose power, your tank will drain into the sump and instead of stopping when the drain line is uncovered , water will keep draining into the sump through the return pump.

terryscf · 03/29/2016, 08:21 PM

Hi,

I am very new to saltwater tanks but I am working on my first tank and doing the plumbing on a 75 gallon tank used for freshwater. If you look at my build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2568690 I used 2 inch bulkheads and have had a very hard time finding the right plumbing parts. I was being told my bulkheads were too gib for plumbing.

thrasher1472 · 03/30/2016, 05:07 AM

I just set a 40b with a 20l sump. I made a internal/external overflow that was mounted with a 1.5 inch bulkhead. I installed two 1 inch bulkheads in the external box for the drain lines, the full siphon drain has a strainer and a gate valve and the emergency drain is unrestricted. I used 3/4 inch bulkhead for the return line.

sleepydoc · 03/30/2016, 11:10 AM

There are several types of overflows you could use:

Beananimal is the safest/best option. You can read about it on Bean's site or on the RC thread.
The 'next best' option is a Herbie. Here is a good overview. Herbie's original post on RC is here.
A third option is a Durso overflow. These are easier to implement and can be run quietly but work best with lower flows and don't have the fail-safe backups built in that a Herbie and Bean system do.
The final option is a 'plain' overflow - an open pipe at the bottom of the overflow chamber that drains the water down to your sump. This works but is quite noisy d/t the water falling a long distance and tends to lead to more salt creep from all the splashing.

How much flow are you planning on having? They all work and have their advantages and drawbacks and your plumbing and overflow design depend on which one you choose. Many people, myself included, use and love the Beananimal and consider it the gold standard. That said, if you have a smaller tank with lower flow through the sump, it may be overkill and a Durso may be a good choice for you.

Before you go further in designing an overflow, read a bit on the options. Once you have decided on a type of overflow system it will be easier for people to help you.

03/27/2016, 01:41 AM	#1
dianapickles Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 171	Overflow and drilling question I'm currently working on a little DIY. I've never built a "reef ready" tank myself so I'm a little confused. I have a 25mm diamond drill bit and with it, 15mm bulkheads. Is this too small for the drain and return? I do have a drill bit that would be suitable for 1" bulkheads but I feel like that would look super intrusive in my tank. The tank is 40G. I also really want the overflow to be external. Could anyone please help me design this? I'm completely at loss with hole sizing and how I'd go about an external overflow. I just want a simple external overflow with a drain and return. Where should I start? Last edited by dianapickles; 03/27/2016 at 01:50 AM.

03/30/2016, 11:10 AM	#10
sleepydoc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,907	There are several types of overflows you could use: Beananimal is the safest/best option. You can read about it on Bean's site or on the RC thread. The 'next best' option is a Herbie. Here is a good overview. Herbie's original post on RC is here. A third option is a Durso overflow. These are easier to implement and can be run quietly but work best with lower flows and don't have the fail-safe backups built in that a Herbie and Bean system do. The final option is a 'plain' overflow - an open pipe at the bottom of the overflow chamber that drains the water down to your sump. This works but is quite noisy d/t the water falling a long distance and tends to lead to more salt creep from all the splashing. How much flow are you planning on having? They all work and have their advantages and drawbacks and your plumbing and overflow design depend on which one you choose. Many people, myself included, use and love the Beananimal and consider it the gold standard. That said, if you have a smaller tank with lower flow through the sump, it may be overkill and a Durso may be a good choice for you. Before you go further in designing an overflow, read a bit on the options. Once you have decided on a type of overflow system it will be easier for people to help you. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 120 gallon, coast to coast overflow w/beananimal overflow. Waveline DC 10000 II return pump, 40 gal sump, Octopus XS200 skimmer, T5 lighting

03/27/2016, 03:35 AM	#3
dianapickles Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 171	Anyone?

03/27/2016, 05:34 AM	#5
dianapickles Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 171	Thanks so much for all this info. I guess I did get a little impatient I decided to test it out anyway and the 1/2 inch bulkhead drains barely a trickle. Definitely going to have to go with the 1" and the internal overflow box. I'm super super super thankful for that much help because I realised I'm going to have to go about this totally different! Learning from my mistakes

03/28/2016, 10:29 AM	#6
Ryan99639 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 8	Look up the bean animal overflow style and do that. I'm building one currently. The setup in your sketched out pic will probably be loud sounding like a drain constantly. What pump are you running and how much gph flow rate are you going to have through the sump?

03/28/2016, 10:41 AM	#7
TONY_C Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: N. Bellmore, Long Island, NY Posts: 92	I wouldn't put the return hole lower than the drain hole. If you lose power, your tank will drain into the sump and instead of stopping when the drain line is uncovered , water will keep draining into the sump through the return pump.

03/29/2016, 08:21 PM	#8
terryscf Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Maryland Posts: 29	Hi, I am very new to saltwater tanks but I am working on my first tank and doing the plumbing on a 75 gallon tank used for freshwater. If you look at my build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2568690 I used 2 inch bulkheads and have had a very hard time finding the right plumbing parts. I was being told my bulkheads were too gib for plumbing.

03/30/2016, 05:07 AM	#9
thrasher1472 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: west palm beach florida Posts: 4	I just set a 40b with a 20l sump. I made a internal/external overflow that was mounted with a 1.5 inch bulkhead. I installed two 1 inch bulkheads in the external box for the drain lines, the full siphon drain has a strainer and a gate valve and the emergency drain is unrestricted. I used 3/4 inch bulkhead for the return line.