EBR February 25, 2016 Share February 25, 2016 All of this talk about drains and making them quiet has got me thinking about my own situation. So that I didn't hijack or divert that conversation about Herbie drains, here's mine. And by the way, I learned a lot in that thread, so thank you to Everyone, especially for pointing us to the other sites. I've got a 125g that's approaching 10 years old, and in hindsight I see now that I really didn't know what I was doing. The noise is something that's always bothered me -- then again, it doesn't make so much noise that we don't live with it, but it could be a lot better. Somehow I'm now inspired to do something about it. Here's the deal: * standard 125g glass tank, no overflow, with plastic trim * two 1.5 inch holes, each drilled into the upper corners of the back * one remains plugged, but is available for use * the other is used as the sole drain. No second drain a la Durso or Herbie. Just a big gaping hole that (so far) does pretty well staying clear and flowing water. Air, too ;-( * Eheim 1262 return pump, whose return is T'd to each end of the tank, plumbed up-and-over the edge and then down into the water. With the head height, I estimate that it's putting out 700 gph, but probably less since the return is split. right side return and drain: it's cut-off in this photo, but the drain has a T on the back which leads to an air tube a muffler, which works pretty well: Left side return and unused drain: So what I'm thinking is: * Simplify the return to just a single line from pump to tank (remove the T) * keep the existing ginormous drain as-is but repurpose it as the new emergency drain. * use the currently unused hole as the new drain, with 1" pipe. This would have the gate valve to control the flow rate. I'm envisioning nothing on this other than a simple grate, completely under water. The top edge of that hole would be a bit more than 1" below the new water level. Like this (forgive my crude drawing -- with more time, I'd have broken out the CAD ;-) What do you think? Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS February 25, 2016 Share February 25, 2016 My first thought is that you will need a bigger sump. When the power goes out, you will have a lot more water draining out of the DT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBR February 25, 2016 Author Share February 25, 2016 (edited) ummmm... yeah. :-/ Edited February 25, 2016 by EBR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBR February 25, 2016 Author Share February 25, 2016 New tactic: For anyone else that may have a tank that is drilled in a similar way (two holes in the upper corners of the back), what have you done to have a quiet drain? Rethinking what I described above: There is a about an inch of space between the current water level and the plastic trim of the tank. What if I... * leave the existing 1.5" up-turned elbow drain as-is, but re-plumb the drain line to a 1" line with the gate valve to match the flow rate of the drain to that of the return * configure the left side hole as the new emergency drain with 1.5" plumbing throughout. This would also be an up-turned elbow but with the lip being higher than the current water level, but below the plastic trim of the tank. Whaddya think? Thanks! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS February 25, 2016 Share February 25, 2016 I think that idea is a reasonable one as it's mostly a modified Herbie (to account for plumbing through the back glass). You may find that the existing elbow is still too high to get enough head pressure to fill the drain pipe. If that is the case, you can take a chop saw and cut down the upturned elbow. On a 1.5" elbow, there is probably more than an inch of PVC beyond the bend that you can cut down. Here is some horrible ASCII art to help describe... ____________ | | __________| | | / | / | / |_________________/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 26, 2016 Share February 26, 2016 Have you tried encapsulating the water where it enters the sump? This area seems to be where most noise comes from. My Invert system uses a solitary 1.5" standpipe overflow which sucks in lots of air, but becomes quiet because it drains into an encapsulated box that allows water flow from the bottom. To prevent water from siphoning back into the sump, use a check valve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle February 26, 2016 Share February 26, 2016 New tactic: For anyone else that may have a tank that is drilled in a similar way (two holes in the upper corners of the back), what have you done to have a quiet drain? Rethinking what I described above: There is a about an inch of space between the current water level and the plastic trim of the tank. What if I... * leave the existing 1.5" up-turned elbow drain as-is, but re-plumb the drain line to a 1" line with the gate valve to match the flow rate of the drain to that of the return * configure the left side hole as the new emergency drain with 1.5" plumbing throughout. This would also be an up-turned elbow but with the lip being higher than the current water level, but below the plastic trim of the tank. Whaddya think? Thanks! Matt You can also cover the 2 returned line with 2 small overflow boxes. that way you can decide what is the water height for your tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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