Overflow modifications: making a bean animal style using only 2 drain pipes

Tom Barr

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You can set up the stand pipe so that one is a about 2-3 cm higher than the other, this will force the water to make a full siphon in one of the drain pipes, and then other drain pipe; you can adjust the return pump so that only a trickle goes down the other second drain pipe. This = silence! And very little loss of CO2 gas.

The second drain pipe acts as the unrestricted emergency overflow and also the slight trickle over flow.
The return pump's ball valve acts to regulate and dial in the exact flow to have just a trickle into the thr 2nd drain pipe. make sure there's about 3-maybe even 4-5 cm head pressure distance to get that single pipe flowing 100%.
So always buy a larger pipe diameter and larger overflow for your plant tank.
This will allow for more options and less degassing later.

Adjusting the stand pipe a little bit will make a lot of difference.
 

antbug

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This is what I did on my cpr overflow. I had a single drain on mine and plugged it. Then I drilled two new 1" holes and made it into a herbie style drain. Dead silent and I love it.

28as2rk.jpg
 
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Gerryd

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Hi all,

For those without the skills to drill their cpr overflow, there is the option to purchase one of their twin 1" intake models :) I did this for both my 57 and 75 gallon tanks and worked really well.

I also placed an elbow on the emergency standpipe and this makes things even a bit quieter.

I have this diy herbie on all 3 of my tanks and it works really well and was easy to install. I think I have a video up on this in the articles section. That said, I plan to do one with more detail just for the herbie portion.

Thanks
 

ltb420

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Overflow modifications: making a bean animal style using only 2 drain pipes

I also did the herbie mod on a dual outlet CPR overflow, it's a night and day difference in sound and CO2 degassing rates.
 

Ach1Ll3sH33L

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This was the best solution i found for minimal splashing as well, works quite well. I dont even seal my wet dry anymore as i found it didn't make to much of a difference is gassing off.
 

antbug

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That durso stand pipe is not needed on the herbie setup. I would remove that and add a strait PVC pipe that is several inches taller or about the same height as the last baffle. Check my picture for reference. This will raise the water line in your overflow and prevent even more co2 loss.
 

Gerryd

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antbug;127109 said:
That durso stand pipe is not needed on the herbie setup. I would remove that and add a strait PVC pipe that is several inches taller or about the same height as the last baffle. Check my picture for reference. This will raise the water line in your overflow and prevent even more co2 loss.

I was just about to post this very suggestion :) Thanks for saving me the typing time...That said I do add a 45 degree elbow to the top of my standpipe.

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antbug;127109 said:
That durso stand pipe is not needed on the herbie setup. I would remove that and add a strait PVC pipe that is several inches taller or about the same height as the last baffle. Check my picture for reference. This will raise the water line in your overflow and prevent even more co2 loss.

I was just about to post this very suggestion :) Thanks for saving me the typing time...That said I do add a 45 degree elbow to the top of my standpipe.
 

Gerryd

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Hey all,

Well here is a video of my DIY herbie. I show it up and running, then deconstruct/rebuild in real time so you can see what needs to be done.

Please note towards the end of the video, I refer to the flow of the full siphon drain being compromised somewhat due to closing of the ball valve. Yet in the video, I refer to the emergency drain being compromised. Sorry about that.

[video=youtube;rEr0SYnAZMk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEr0SYnAZMk&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 
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Gerryd

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antbug;127117 said:
45? I see a 90. Either way, what does the angle do over the strait pipe?

Yeah, well the editor didn't show up today :) I feel that with the elbow, the water trickles into just one side of the standpipe (the lower part of the elbow) instead of on all sides. I feel it is a bit quieter when I compared with and with out.

Thanks for pointing out my error...

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antbug;127117 said:
45? I see a 90. Either way, what does the angle do over the strait pipe?

Yeah, well the editor didn't show up today :) I feel that with the elbow, the water trickles into just one side of the standpipe (the lower part of the elbow) instead of on all sides. I feel it is a bit quieter when I compared with and with out.

Thanks for pointing out my error...
 

Tom Barr

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Gerryd;127115 said:
Hey all,

Well here is a video of my DIY herbie. I show it up and running, then deconstruct/rebuild in real time so you can see what needs to be done.

Please note towards the end of the video, I refer to the flow of the full siphon drain being compromised somewhat due to closing of the ball valve. Yet in the video, I refer to the emergency drain being compromised. Sorry about that.

[video=youtube;rEr0SYnAZMk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEr0SYnAZMk&feature=youtu.be[/video]


There are a few different variations you can do, like Gerry's or use the return pump's flow ball valve to accomplish this if you use an over sized overflow prefilter.
On prefilters that are NOT oversized, simple drilling a new drain over flow on the SIDE of the prefilter box, with a Right angled pipe on the outside the going to the sump....would make those an easy fix, adaptation.

Then one of the 2 drain pipes(or the single one) can use a a ball flow control valve to just barely have it over flow into the new outside over flow pipe you just added.

Seriously, these simple modifications REALLY improve things for those using wet/dry filters.
 

ltb420

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I threw the 90 degree elbow on the trickle line just to test out Gerry's version. The elbow raised my water level by about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. The water level now sits about 1/4 of an inch under the overflow baffle.
With the raised water level it is even quieter. My degassing rate is less, I could tell just by how fast my CO2 ramped up today. I'm not sure if the elbow is needed or just getting the water level right under the spill over portion is enough but it dose work. Thanks Gerry for the tip.
 

Gerryd

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ltb420;127151 said:
I threw the 90 degree elbow on the trickle line just to test out Gerry's version. The elbow raised my water level by about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. The water level now sits about 1/4 of an inch under the overflow baffle.
With the raised water level it is even quieter. My degassing rate is less, I could tell just by how fast my CO2 ramped up today. I'm not sure if the elbow is needed or just getting the water level right under the spill over portion is enough but it dose work. Thanks Gerry for the tip.

Hi, the added height is the key here mostly...that said, if you switch between a straight standpipe and one with an elbow that are the same height, I feel that the elbow version is a bit quieter. I did this and it seems there is a difference to me. Up to the user of course :)

- - - Updated - - -

ltb420;127151 said:
I threw the 90 degree elbow on the trickle line just to test out Gerry's version. The elbow raised my water level by about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. The water level now sits about 1/4 of an inch under the overflow baffle.
With the raised water level it is even quieter. My degassing rate is less, I could tell just by how fast my CO2 ramped up today. I'm not sure if the elbow is needed or just getting the water level right under the spill over portion is enough but it dose work. Thanks Gerry for the tip.

Hi, the added height is the key here mostly...that said, if you switch between a straight standpipe and one with an elbow that are the same height, I feel that the elbow version is a bit quieter. I did this and it seems there is a difference to me. Up to the user of course :)
 

Ach1Ll3sH33L

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antbug;127109 said:
That durso stand pipe is not needed on the herbie setup. I would remove that and add a strait PVC pipe that is several inches taller or about the same height as the last baffle. Check my picture for reference. This will raise the water line in your overflow and prevent even more co2 loss.

my reasoning was that it prevents any air from being pulled down with the water into the sump, i suppose it probably doesn't really matter, maybe ill do a taller stand pipe and see if the co2 level is effected.
 

Gerryd

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antbug;126917 said:
This is what I did on my cpr overflow. I had a single drain on mine and plugged it. Then I drilled two new 1" holes and made it into a herbie style drain. Dead silent and I love it.

28as2rk.jpg

Antbug,

That is a nice professional job....can you share more details on tools used and how difficult it was?

Also, what r u using to increase the width of the tank to allow the cpr height adjustments to work?

My 57 and 75 gal tanks the glass is too thin to use the adjustment screws and the water level is lower than I like.

Thanks
 

Tom Barr

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Note, you have to add another hole to the sump lid and bulk head if you do not have an extra when modifying the prefilter also going from 1 drain pipe to 2.
 

Gerryd

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fablau;127234 said:
Gerry, very nice video! What are those 1 small devices on the top of you overflow connected with the small air tube? Just curious....

Hi Fab.

If you use the start of the video for reference, there are two objects on top of the CPR overflow. The object to the LEFT is the Tom's aqualifter pump to pull air from the siphon. The object to the RIGHT is the small inline filter to trap debris from going into the aqualifter pump:)

I thought I went through this on the video, but let me know if unclear.

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fablau;127234 said:
Gerry, very nice video! What are those 1 small devices on the top of you overflow connected with the small air tube? Just curious....

Hi Fab.

If you use the start of the video for reference, there are two objects on top of the CPR overflow. The object to the LEFT is the Tom's aqualifter pump to pull air from the siphon. The object to the RIGHT is the small inline filter to trap debris from going into the aqualifter pump:)

I thought I went through this on the video, but let me know if unclear.
 

fablau

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Got it, thank you Gerry,

One question about your overflow: why do you let trickle water into the emergency pipe? What's the benefit of that? I have a similar setup in my overflow, but I leave the water line at about 1 inch below the emergency line intake, so that it is completely silent. Zero noise.