HOT Overflow box fear

Z

Zojro

Well I have been registered on this site for over a year and lurking here even longer. I have been a freshwater guy for about 3 years and dreaming of a reef. So this weekend I took the plunge and sold all of my freshwater livestock from my 125gal, drained it, moved it out to the garage and built a sump (thanks for your site Marc!) The sump is based on melevs model F.

So now it is in the garage running with freshwater to test my plumbing/silicone skills and cleaning the oils out of my new skimmer ( I am still in shock over the skimmer price) and all is well and I am thrilled. HOWEVER I am scared to death of my HOT overflow box. It does not lose siphon when I kill the return but that doesnt make me feel much better.

So my questions are - does the fear go away? How many folks are actually using an external overflow box without disaster? Also, does anyone know if homeowners insurance covers those types of accidents. I would call State Farm but I am worried they will raise my rates if I tell em what I am up to :twisted: . The vibe I get from reading all over the web is that not many people use these things. I feel like an idiot - because I am actually losing sleep over this!

Any input appreciated.

Thanks - Jose
 
I have one on my 75g... I have to regularly turn off the return pump and there hasn't been any problem so far. I know they make a pump for the overflow U tube in case it loses siphon, don't feel like investing since I don't forsee any reason why it would fail. I plan on using egg crate to close it off to snails..
 
Jose,

What brand overflow box do you use?
I have used an Eshopps for a few months and never had it lose siphon. However, I highly recommend the Lifereef overflow box. www.lifereef.com

They guarantee that their U tube design will NEVER lose siphon when power goes out and back on. They do not use aqualifters... as that is just one more thing to go bad. U tubes do not go bad, they are not mechanical or electrical.

I am purchasing the nano version for my planned 36g corner tank. Do not feel bad for using one... several people have to use one when they do not have RR tanks. Go check out Lifereef... if you are really worried about it, their overflow boxes will calm your nerves!
 
It's just one more thing that can go wrong...

IF it's properly setup, and IF it's properly and regularly maintained it shouldn't cause any problems...

But, personally... I won't have a tank with an external overflow again. Not when drilling your own tanks is so easy... :wink:
 
I do not know the brand but the concepts looks similar to the lifereef and there is no pump. I have left it off for overnight and it came right back when I plugged in the return pump. After looking at their skimmers though I think I may have grossly overpaid for mine though.
 
Lifereef is a great site to look for skimmers, sumps, fuges, overflow boxes. They aren't too overpriced either.

Not knowing your overflow box, I would say you are ok for the most part. I would leave it running and just check it daily to be sure it's working properly. The main thing you want to look for is air pockets developing in the U tube. I've heard about them overflowing, but I've never had one overflow. I think you'll be fine!

Like I said, pay $120 and get a Lifereef and I promise you won't have to worry!
 
You can either make the internal overflow box yourself, or we have a member (Who's even not THAT far from you) that makes custom internal overflows to your specs... I've got two of his in my tanks right now...

PM Marc if you wanna see about having a custom internal overflow made...

(BTW, make SURE the glass isn't tempered before you let anyone drill it, of course! Most likely the bottom will be and the back won't be, but I can't say for sure)
 
Just remember that guy Murphy :lol: You can watch the overflow forever and nothing will happen, it'll wait until 2am or on that weekend you're not home. Seriously...if you are gonna get one, get a good one, I would never use one again personally. :wink: :)

Cheers,
 
Well after much thought, I decided to drill.
Heres what I ended up with. I drilled high and assembled an overflow from glass. So I ended up with 24 total inches of surface skim and a very thin sheet of water cascading over. I feel much safer with this setup. The pvc in the box has since been removed so it looks much cleaner and is very quiet.

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I would 2nd the opinions in this topic. If you can afford to just replace the glass (not too expensive compared to the cost of the rock/livestock you will be keeping), that is the best option. Next, would be if you can drill your bottom and put a box in. After that, if you can drill and do a calfo, that is 3rd choice. Next would be a LifeReef style overflow box. The U-Tubes usually flow so fast, no bubbles can get trapped there, and if it is constructed right with chambers on each side so the tube never has exposure to air, failure is a very remote possibility. I would trust a LifeReef style box, but internal is always better.

I have a 90G Oceanic that I use a CPR CS100 on. While this was much better flow wise than the little u-tube box I got with the tank, it is a pain to deal with. Here's why (and this is just my experience/opinion):

1) Requires Aqua-lifter or powerhead to keep siphon. I use an aqua-lifter and that is the single greatest point of failure for my whole system. I have had a pump fail, a pump get clogged, the CPR air hose barb get debris stuck in it. I even had a sponge/tube worm work together to grow over the air hose barb hole. Because of the way the CPR works, bubbles collect and slows down your flow, then eventually break your siphon if the aqua-lifter is not removing them. That whole process takes less than 8 hours, before I have water down the back of my tank, and on the floor. One time that even cost me a VHO ballast when it trickled into it. It had to trickle across a power cable for a powerhead, a fan, down the tank trim, and down 2 more criss-crossed cables before getting to my box mounted on the wall of the stand. I swear it was like Final Destination and death was stalking my ballast! Needless to say, I have the tank on tile in the house or my wife would have already removed the CPR and used it for skeet practice.

2) Shape of box is very hard to clean. I have a pretty healthy tank so my overflow is covered in sponges and fan worms. Due to the shape, it is very hard to get a brush into to scrub and clean. It’s not like I can let it soak for a day or two, the return can’t stay off long enough to let me get a good cleaning accomplished.

I won’t ever own another tank with an external box, and I can’t wait till I get enough cash scraped together to do an upgrade.
 
I'll second the lifereef overflow. I had one for a short time and liked its design. The thing that it has over others is a longer U tube design that makes it unlikely to break siphon when things are shut down or off. Just make sure you purchase some extra U tubes... they are a bit fragile, especially if you happen to step on them like I did.

Also the acrylic is very sturdy on the box itself and is made very well. Some of the others I have seen are a bit flimsy compared to them.
 
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