Novi March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 Ok let me see the best way to describe this so I can get some help.... Ok I have a Dual Overflow Reef Ready 200G tank. It is now filled. However, water is not pouring into the Overflow area like it should be therefore the Overflow Pipe is not siphoning the water to sump like it should be. Why is this happening? Something I noticed is right below the teeth on the left side overflow, a little bit of water is trickling into the overflow area. I am thinking this is happening because the Black Plastic Overflow Box might have a gap just enough for water to get thru. But its not pouring thru and its only on one side so why wouldn't the tank fill up enough for it to pour thru the teeth? Does this make sence and how do you think I can fix this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 A picture would help but it kind of sounds like to me that you just don't have enough water in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 What size return pump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 5, 2012 Author Share March 5, 2012 I know I dont have a camera sorry... See you would think so right but I have a line hooked directly from my RO/DI into the tank and its just trickling water into the overflow and sloooooooowly going into the sump. But only on one side!! Seems like no matter how much water I put in it doesn't start gushing over the overflow like it should be. My plan is to maybe silicone where I think the leak is coming on the plastic black overflow but its such a small trickle it doesnt make sence why this would prevent the water from rising high enough to flow thru the teeth.... ON BOTH SIDES! Very very frustrated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 Have you put a level on the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 5, 2012 Author Share March 5, 2012 What size return pump? Well thats a whole nother issue but as of right now my "new" return pump apparently appears to have been dropped off the top of a building and does not work. But thats kinda beside the point because I cant even get the water to start pouring into the overflow like I should. Had it worked I would be expelling more water out of the sump then would be coming into the sump in a matter of seconds.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 5, 2012 Author Share March 5, 2012 Have you put a level on the tank? Tank is level Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 Well, depending on how powerful your return pump is well depend on how fast the water pours into your overflow. Without a return pump running right now, the only way to get water going back into the overflow is to keep adding more water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 5, 2012 Author Share March 5, 2012 Well, depending on how powerful your return pump is well depend on how fast the water pours into your overflow. Without a return pump running right now, the only way to get water going back into the overflow is to keep adding more water. I see your point but by adding more water to the tank you would think eventually it would just start pouring over the overflow boxes and filling up that chamber quickly and its not and I think its because its leaking into it about an inch below the teeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 So water is still going into the overflow box, but just through the gap in the side of it? I guess I'm just a little confused here about how you expect the overflow to be functioning properly without a return pump to fill it up? If the tank were to have water added at a faster rate, say from a return pump, then wouldn't the rate at which it's being added be greater than what it is seeping through and gap and thus cause water to overflow through the little teeth at the top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 do you have a ball valve on your overflow pipe? the one going into the sump.. if so turn off the water going into the sump...does the overflow box fill up even though the water isnt going over the teeth? if so obvious leak.....this can be a big risk in power outages..if the hole is low enough you will flood the sump eventually. but with no return pump there should be nothing going into the overflow box..not sure why you thinking it should....if you add a 5g bucket quickly i bet it will overflow just fine... i still think you will want to fix the leaky overflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 5, 2012 Author Share March 5, 2012 There are no ball valves on the overflow pipes as I have read to never restrict that flow. I have Epleeds (Eric) stopping by tonight to have a look. Maybe I am explaining this wrong or maybe I am just wrong and dont know it yet...lol So your saying without the return pump on, even with me adding water from the RO/DI to the main tank I shouldn't expect it to gush over the overflow but just trickle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 It all depends on how fast you add water to the tank. The faster you dump water in, the faster it will fill the overflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 call me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 5, 2012 Author Share March 5, 2012 It all depends on how fast you add water to the tank. The faster you dump water in, the faster it will fill the overflow. Its not going in fast at all as its coming directly from my RO/DI which is 200 GPD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 So would you say that the combined rate of flow into the overflow box from both the gap in the side and the teeth at the top is equal to how fast you add it to the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 if yuor adding it jsut from the RODI yuo will barely see anything over the top...i mean that stuff dripps out im sure epleeds will get it solved tonight. hopefully its something simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 5, 2012 Author Share March 5, 2012 So would you say that the combined rate of flow into the overflow box from both the gap in the side and the teeth at the top is equal to how fast you add it to the tank? Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 March 5, 2012 Share March 5, 2012 So then sealing up the gap should solve your problem. I'm not sure how your overflow is designed but I would think it doesn't matter how the water gets into the overflow box as long as it finds its way back down to your sump. Granted that lessens the effect of your surface skimmer by not having the full amount of water flowing through the teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech March 6, 2012 Share March 6, 2012 It sound like the tank is slightly out of level and just draining on the low side. When you hook up a real return pump, it will raise the tank water level a little bit and both will start draining. Now, if you have a leak and the overflow area is filling without water going over the top you need to fix that. Otherwise you will probably have a back siphon/draining problem when the power goes out and your sump will overflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind March 6, 2012 Share March 6, 2012 This was a confusing thread but it sounds like the return pump is undersized and that you need to seal the overflow box with silicone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi March 6, 2012 Author Share March 6, 2012 This was a confusing thread but it sounds like the return pump is undersized and that you need to seal the overflow box with silicone. Why would you say that its undersized?? Anyways I siliconed the overflow last night as well as picked up my new Return Pump today so tonight I am hoping to finally be back in business Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds March 6, 2012 Share March 6, 2012 Did u turn it on yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind March 6, 2012 Share March 6, 2012 Why would you say that its undersized?? I said that because unless you had a really big leak on the overflow the return pump you were using still should have been able to push water over the teeth of the overflow. Just my opinion on the info that was given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Ivers March 6, 2012 Share March 6, 2012 I'm pretty sure that the water coming in about an inch below the teeth is due to the little U shaped plastic sections on the sides that you can punch out to put loc line through. If you look really close they have 3 little spots where they are still attached to the main overflow but there's a gap all around that U. Check out the top left part of the overflow really carefully in this pic http://imageshack.us/f/542/img0941.jpg/ (the pic wouldn't embed, it isn't mine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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