PVC Overflow

[gaines]

I just finished my PVC overflow and thought I'd share my experience. Everything went quite well overall, but I had a difficult time getting all the air out of the first bend (B) so I ended up adding a one way valve to suck the air out through (A).

The idea is that the first bend creates a siphon which keeps the water level after the second bend at the same level as the tank.

When the tank water gets up to the"T" it spills down the pipe into the sump.

This design is called self-priming because even when the water level drops significantly, the siphon is preserved.

 

[wackydan]

Thanks for sharing!

Uhm... Are those pipe clamps acting as a center brace for the main tank?

 

[gaines]

Are those pipe clamps acting as a center brace for the main tank?

Very observant. I had to replace the center brace on the tank and used the clamps to keep everything snug while the adhesive cured. I must admit, I went ahead and filled the tank early because I was impatient to test the overflow system. The adhesive was already set, but I left the braces on just in case it needed a bit of extra time for maximum strength.

They're off now and everything looks good.

 

[evans1ea]

My first atempt at a sump with an overflow box led to the hard wood floors upstairs. I am now in the process of getting another sump up and going. I like your idea for an overflow. Do you know what the GPH of your overflow is yet?

 

[gaines]

My first atempt at a sump with an overflow box led to the hard wood floors upstairs. I am now in the process of getting another sump up and going. I like your idea for an overflow. Do you know what the GPH of your overflow is yet?

My Filstar XP3 is rated at 350gph and it's humming away so I'm guessing actual flow is somewhere near there. I'd love to get a flow meter, but the standard one that pet places sell only measures up to 250gph. If you come accross one that will read higher please let me know.

 

[Sploke]

Looks almost like the ones I built except the tube goes straight into the T part instead of the U tube you have there. Mine are noisy as heck, my only complaint, you hear the draining of the water down the tube constantly. How much noise does yours make?

 

[gaines]

Looks almost like the ones I built except the tube goes straight into the T part instead of the U tube you have there. Mine are noisy as heck, my only complaint, you hear the draining of the water down the tube constantly. How much noise does yours make?

Mine sounds almost exactly like when someone drains bathwater in our house. You can hear ambient water noise, but it's not enough to draw your attention unless you are listening for it.

You've gotta put stuffing in the vent tube though or else you get a LOT of noise coming out of it. Once you muffle the vent tube it's all ambient.