Quiet Overflow

[Snoop]

Which overflow makes very little sound because my tank is next to my bed. Help Please!!

[ProFlatlander15]

i have internal overflows with a durso standpipe. works very well, all i hear is bubbles in the sump, which isnt even noticable until nighttime

[Snoop]

I need external.

[funkmuffin]

I need external.

 

You can still use a Durso or Stockman standpipe with an external overflow. It just goes in the external box, and serves the same purpose.

 

I built a Stockman for the external box on my old 37G, and it worked very well. Takes a little tuning to get the noise to go away entirely, but once you get there, its bliss.

[sterling18]

I need external.

 

I've seen mods of external drain with the stockman drain pipe. I'll dig out the link.

[Undertheradar]

Overflows, for the most part, are impossible to completely quiet. As water goes down the pipes, it will speed up. If there is enough water volume to accompany this acceleration, it will drop in pressure as it gets faster, and draw in air from the top. This can be quieted by various means like a stockman or durso, but that means burping down below. The burping can be modified with a nozzle/valve on the output of the overflow as it enters the sump...so the bubbles get shot out as smaller ones...but it still makes a noise.

If the water is not great in volume (relative to the pipt diameter), then it wont suck in water as it speeds up on its way down the drainpipe. The water will run slowly along the sides of the pipe and leave the center open so air doesnt get sucked in. Were talking something like 100gph in a 1" drainpipe here. There is still noise then from the trickling of water as it runs down the pipe...and this can be solved with wrapping the drainpipe with some foam or insulation, as well as using dursos and a drain trap on the outlet of the drain to make sure both ends are submerged and wont give out noise. This 'low flow' method works well in larger tanks, and even nanos FWIW, as you only need enough water flow through the overflow to feed the skimmer, heater, fuge, or whatever...and that isnt very much. A simple 1-2x turnover per hour is all you really need through a sump. It also means a closed loop or powerheads in the main tank for the primary flow in the tank.

 

Even at that, if its near your bed...you will still hear it at night. I had this problem with freshwater a long time ago without overflows. I started using Eheims on everything...they are dead silent pumps/filters. I would sleep with my head right on the cannister once in a while (cannister was right next to my bed, and my pillows would sometimes land on the side of the Eheim as well). I could honestly hear the swish of water in the pump over its own noise...they are that quiet...forever.

 

The reason I say this is that I think your best option might be going sumpless...er...or...going internal. I did this to my two smaller tanks, and it solves alot of problems. The most recent one I did was a 15Long. I used a 1/4" piece of black acrylic, about 12"x12", to section off an area inside the tank itself 8" from the end (this tank will be viewed from 3 sides). This panel has an overflow and hole in it for a powerhead to return water from the sump. This allows me to have a sump, but without any plumbing or noise. Any noise that the overflow would make if the water dropped to far would be muffled by the glass top.

 

I have done this to other tanks as well, like my 40breeder (look at my sig). What size tank do you have?

[Snoop]

I have a 29gal bow and really want a Euro-Reef skimmer.

[Smitten4Witten]

Eric hows the staff, sorry about the wipe out