Overflow box (Reduce/Stop Noise and Air intake)

[cmay]

Hi,

I thought this may help anyone who is having noise/Air intake problems with their overflow box.

The image below is not exact but should help.

If anyone read my tank journal (so far...) I had problems with my overflow:

My overflow would slurp and my pump would make a grinding sound when the water was to low in the sump.

I tried adjusting the ball valve which did reduce the noise, however this was tricky as I needed to make slight adjustments in order to keep the pump and overflow rate balanced.

I was aware my overflow was sucking air straight down the pipe, which caused the flow to slow down, air bubbles and massive noise.

My first attempt was a rabbit bottle with small holes and a coarse sponge, which helped, however I still needed to close the overflow ball valve halfway to reduce air intake and stop small slurping noises.

The pump and overflow rate would balance themselves once the water had reached a certain level in my tank.

I watched the rabbit bottle and noticed some of the holes were just under the water level still sucking air in.

So I decided to use a drink bottle making sure the holes were as far away as possible from the water line with fewer holes, including the sponge.

The end result was great, no noise, ball valve on max and no bubbles in the sump.

[CarmieJo]

Good idea!

[cmay]

Originally Posted by CarmieJo

Good idea!

Thanks I guess most hobbyist are aware of this but as a beginner I thought it maybe helpful I can imagine there are better ways of reducing noise and increasing flow, maybe someone could post some more ideas/mods.

Your tank Journal is looking great

[CarmieJo]

Thanks. I keep working on it.