Flushing Noise

[KyleV]

I have a new 22 gallon drilled with a 3/4"bulkhead. The overflow is 6X6X3 1/2. Out the back I have a 3/4 to 1" 1" T. The top part of the T is extended about 6" above the water surface and capped/tapped with an air valve.

What else can I do to not have to adjust the air 2X per day to prevent the flushing effect?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[brewercm]

Check your air valve to make sure it's not clogged with salt. I use mine the same way with the little plastic air valve in the top of the durso to adjust the air and keep the flushing sound down. I had to clean mine out last night actually. Real easy too, just open it all the way up and stick a toothpick (round one) down into it and pull it back out. You may have to do it a couple of times but it cleans the air valve out pretty good. If you can take the valve out you can also run a little warm water through it to help clean it out.

This is if I'm reading what you have correctly.

[matt]

The flushing effect means there's not enough air getting in the standpipe for the amount of water you have flowing. If you have a 3/4" bulkhead, I would suggest making a 1" diameter standpipe, and use the thin wall PVC (not schedule 40).

I assume your T is on its side, right? So, one outlet is ponting down (connected to the standpipe) one is pointing up out of the water, and one is sideways, which then has an elbow on it? The elbow is the water inlet, so it's submerged. The part of the tee pointing up is unlikely to be 6" above the water unless there's a piece of PVC pipe extending it.

Anyhow, if this is not how your set up looks, you can do a search for "durso standpipe" and you'll find a website that explains practically everything about them.

[caferacermike]

I've seen the setup. It is a calfo side drilled tank. So the durso isn't an exact durso. The bulkhead feeds throught he wall to a Tee pointed up and down. The reason for adding about 6" of extra pipe was that the tee is below the water line. I recommended raising it if for any reason at all the tank might back up and spill out the hole. I know it's practically impossible but I don't know how comfortable I would be with a 1/4" hole below the waterline.

I mentioned once that I thought the 3/4" bulkhead might be a bit small for a good drain.

[KyleV]

Checked the valve and it seems clear. It is extened because it did leak when it was below the waterline like Mike thought would happen. I guess I'm going to have to go for the 1" bulkhead.

[ratboy]

So does the water flow into the overflow and into a bare bulkhead? Then the 3/4 to 1' .... How far below the water line is your bulkhead opening (top of hole)?

[caferacermike]

bare bulkhead about 3" below the waterline but has an overflow surrounding it built by Ace.

[hobogato]

i think you are right about the bulkhead being too small. i dont use an airvalve on mine (on the clam tank), which is set up almost the same way, but with one inch bulkheads/plumbing. i just have a 1/4" hole drilled into the cap.

[matt]

What's inside the overflow area? Is there an elbow pointing down so that water is drawn into the elbow from below the surface? That would be the way to best simulate a durso; it's basically the same thing except the tank wall is in the middle. Then the water level would be more or less in the middle of the bulkhead.

How many GPH are you flowing through this?

[ratboy]

Try something like this...

thread an elbow into your bulkhead into the overflow box. I think Ive seen ones that step up a size but if not try to fit adapters to get a larger pipe size and still fit in your overflow. Add a small piece of pvc pipe extending up and drill it full of holes. If your overflow level is too low then drill up your elbow as well. On top of this swiss cheese pipe put a oversized cap with a single hole drilled in the top (similar to durso). The cap should hang over the elbow by ~ 1/2 inch on all sides (so prob use a 2" cap). I have made similar overflows in 4 of my tanks where space was a concern and they all ran silently (from drain noise anyways....).

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c264/eswansiger/overflow.jpg

[caferacermike]

Kyle if you want to upsize it I still think I can squeeze my homemade version of a bulkhead in the hole that was drilled. Electrical PVC threads are not tapered like NPT are. Also the female coupling and male adapter are perfectly flat where they meet the galss, unlike PVC fittings. There is a reason for all that but I don't want to get into it. The nice thing is I've always been able to upsize a drain doing that.