Loud Tank! Driving Me Nuts!

J

jordancemery65

Member
My tank is really really loud, sometimes it wakes me up at night, and I am not even in the same room! It is driving the parents nuts, and i have to say me too! I have tried a lot to quiet it down, but i cant figure out what is wrong. I dont think it is the overflow box, it sounds more like it is the water inside the pvc piping going down into the sump. You can hear it trickling through the pvc pipe, so i am guessing that is it. Is there a way to quiet it down? I have a 220g tank with two overflows each can handle 1200 gph. I do have a bubble diffuser in the sump below the tank, the sump is probably around a thirty gallon tote. The PVC pipe going into the bubble diffuser looks like it is below the water level, could this possibly create pressure into the pvc pipe and create it to make that noise? I am fairly new to the hobby so any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
slakker

slakker

Member
I find air mixing in the return pipes adds to the gurgle.. are those hang on back type overflows? Can you put a durso type standpipe in?
 
Limpits Reef

Limpits Reef

Member
could you post some pictures of your setup and plumbing? It would be easier to suggest possible solutions if we could see what you are talking about.
 
Z

ZAPCOnj

Active Member
what maker is the HOB overflow? and what size return pump do you have (what's the rating at the return nozzle)

when i had a huge water rushing problem with my HOB overflow i switched from PVC to flexible tubing and added a "loop" and i also found out that my return pump (900gph at the nozzle) was over rated for my HOB Overflow (300gph). so i upgraded to the next size overflow and with the "loop" my noise was reduced a lot.
 
J

jordancemery65

Member
Pro Clear is the maker of the overflows... and the pump is 2600 GPH. However i have ball valves on the three return pipes so I have complete control, and even when i cut them back it is still loud...
 
Z

ZAPCOnj

Active Member
jordancemery65 said:
Pro Clear is the maker of the overflows... and the pump is 2600 GPH. However i have ball valves on the three return pipes so I have complete control, and even when i cut them back it is still loud...
Click to expand...


is the PVC piping you have bonded to the over flow? can you remove it and try to see if the flexible tubing and a loop will work?
 
J

jordancemery65

Member
well i came off of the overflow with a union, i can just unscrew the union, so yeah it is possible to try that, but i would have to get four, i guess that would be worth a try. How much are they?
 
Z

ZAPCOnj

Active Member
the tubing is fairly cheap. they have it at home depot or lowes. you'll be looking for the 1" flexible tubing. the same kind you would see for the drain on a washer or on a pool return hose. this stuff:

9811e48f.jpg


They sell it in 10' packages (sometimes) or you can buy it by the foot.
 
R

reefmasta

Member
i use 1' flex tubing and slides right over the slip to rib fitting you should have on the bulkhead, and i have no sound in my overflows. i have mega-flow overflows in a 155G. and also i use dyno matt for my one pump that runs my UV, p.skimmer, and my whole tank. so only thing you hear is the pump sucking water a little bit.
 
Octoman

Octoman

Well-Known Member
I've seen dursos in an overflow box before. You may be able to mess around with the design a bit to make it fit. You could also look into the hofer gurgle buster, it would be much easier to fit in an overflow box.

Hofer Gurgle Buster
 
Frankie

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
I agree with the Hofer! Great model. Just to let you know, my tank is so quiet you don't know it's there unless your looking at. The more money I put into it the less sleep I get. Want to wake me up at night, flush a toilet!
 
barbianj

barbianj

Member
I agree that the PVC will make more noise than the flex tube. I tried the Durso type standpipe in my overflow box, but it didn't work so well mainly because of space. You can also make a tight fitting cover for your overflow box, if it doesn't have one.
 
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