Another Durso Standpipe Question

[Mighunter]

I just finished setting up a new 265 gallon tank that has 2 corner overflows with durso standpipes. I believe each standpipe is 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 then goes to 1".

When the system is running, the water level in the overflow is quite low. The water line is at the same level as where the large hole is on the side of the 90 degree fitting at the top of the standpipe. The water flowing into the overflows is quite loud because it drops 4-5 inches.

In fooling around, I closed the ball valve I installed on each return line which raised the water level in the overflow and stopped the gurgling and the waterfall noise.

This problem to me means that the drain capacity is larger than my supply to the tank.

So here is my question....

Is there another way to solve this problem other than using ball valves or gate valves or buying a larger return pump? I'd rather not by another return pump, this one is brand new.

If valves are the only way, would gate valves eliminate the water turbulence in the pipe as it flows past it?

And in the overflow using a durso standpipe, where should the waterline be?

Thanks for all who help!

[Mike31154]

Having a drain capacity larger than the supply is not necessarily a problem. If you're satisfied with the flow through your sump, then all is well. Control the level in the overflow with your valves as your are now, and be happy. Problems with less drain capacity than supply will cause a somewhat more serious situation, namely a flood.

[wingedfish]

the first bit of gunk that gets caught in the valve will lead to a flood, playing with valves is safest with an unobstructed overflow for when things go bad.

What return pump do you have?

[pmrossetti]

You WANT a drain capacity greater than your return. Hopefully twice as much for safety. Maybe Durso is too short. Water should only drop a couple inches in overflow.

dialing back flow is fine.

[Mighunter]

the first bit of gunk that gets caught in the valve will lead to a flood, playing with valves is safest with an unobstructed overflow for when things go bad.

What return pump do you have?
I have a reflow barracuda gold.

[Mighunter]

You WANT a drain capacity greater than your return. Hopefully twice as much for safety. Maybe Durso is too short. Water should only drop a couple inches in overflow.

dialing back flow is fine.
It is funny, some say to dial back the drain some say don't. I'm not sure I have a choice since I'm not buying another return pump.

As for the durso, I don't think it's to short. It came with the tank and is brand new.

[Retired Reefer]

I just got done setting up a 140 with 2 dursos. I used a scci 5 for the return and if you set it to high I have the same problem. You just have to turn down your return pump. The 1 1/4 standpipe with a 1" drain will only handle so much. A bigger return pump will not solve your problem.

[pmrossetti]

It is funny, some say to dial back the drain some say don't. I'm not sure I have a choice since I'm not buying another return pump.

As for the durso, I don't think it's to short. It came with the tank and is brand new.

maybe, but 4-5" drop is not normal.
water should be 1/2-3/4 covering the t/elbow section and drop a couple inches in box.
can you lengthen the pipe?
nothing wrong with reducing flow.

[lilmonster]

I had that problem, my first duraso was short which gave the water a drop of about 4 to 5 inches.
I made the main tube taller to raise the tee, and then the water only dropped about 2 inches,
I don't even hear it anymore, unless a snail gets in the way.
if you can still hear the falling water inside the tube, go with less holes in the cap.
I have 3 tiny holes in the cap for my 80gln and it's silent.

and as mentioned before, having a valve on the drain side is a flood waiting to happen.
Been there, done that, dang snail.

[pmrossetti]

I meant, dial back the return flow,NEVER the drain, sorry.
Put a ball valve on your pump and reduce flow.

[Mighunter]

I meant, dial back the return flow,NEVER the drain, sorry.
Put a ball valve on your pump and reduce flow.

Reducing the flow on the return pump will not solve the problem. The problem is that the drains have a higher capacity than the return pump. backing down on the return pump is only going make the problem worse and won't raise the water level in the overflow. I'll post some pictures later today.

[wingedfish]

The only way to raise the water level in the overflow box with durso's is raise the durso's.

The water level with respect to the tee will be determined by the flow. If it is low, then you have lots of drain capacity, high and your asking for trouble.

[Chris27]

The only way to raise the water level in the overflow box with durso's is raise the durso's.

The water level with respect to the tee will be determined by the flow. If it is low, then you have lots of drain capacity, high and your asking for trouble.

Bingo.....raise them up, such that the water level in the overflow is roughly 0.5"-1" below the teeth. It will quiet down and you'll be fine.

[pmrossetti]

you guys, like I said above, lengthening the pipe will reduce the waterfall noise, It should only be a couple inches waterfall, not 4 or 5.

reducing flow will reduce the gurgeling noise.

yes, it will:)

[sjorford]

Reducing the flow on the return pump will not solve the problem. The problem is that the drains have a higher capacity than the return pump. backing down on the return pump is only going make the problem worse and won't raise the water level in the overflow. I'll post some pictures later today.

The overflow capacity is not your problem - more overflow is better. The drop causes the noise. If you raise the durso standpipe with a connector and a short piece of tubing then you should fix the issue. Just because the tank came with it doesn't mean its quiet or right for you. Maybe the lfs added those in, who knows.

Reducing overflow will cause a huge issue at some point - have you had a tank with an internal overflow before?

[reefknight]

I just had a similar problem with my overflow box on a Deep Sea Neo 185. I made the Durso's though as I didn't want to pay for their kit. You can make them a lot cheaper than you can buy them, regardless of the tank maunfacturer.

The first standpipes I made came even with the top of the overflow box, so that you couldn't see them whn viewing the tank. The noise was god awful! It had about a 4" drop from the teeth of the over flow to where the 90 elbow was for the drain. Unacceptable, so back to Lowes for more pvc. On the second attempt I cut them longer; where there was only about a 1" drop from the 90 elbow and the teeth in the overflow. Bingo, dead silent! The only thing is that now my standpipes stick about 2.5-3" above the rim of the overflow box. Not the most attractive thing, but its silent.

This isn't my first rodeo with DIY Durso's, I've had three different systems all with Durso's and they have all been silent. I have never had a snail get into one of them, have never had algae growth clog them and have always had ball valves on them. I do not use the ball valves to restrict the flow, just maintenance issues. If you feel you have too much flow, do in fact dial back on your return flow. But this doesn't seem to be your issue, just the waterfall inside the overflow chamber.

Good luck

[Mighunter]

Thank you to all. I think I'll try raising the standpipe.

I have pics to post but I guess they have to be online.

I'll report back my findings.

[kawicivic]

most pre-manufactured dursos I have seen can be adjusted by pulling on them - I had the same size durso on my 75 as my 180 has. try pulling the tube out further.

[Gold Stripe]

most pre-manufactured dursos I have seen can be adjusted by pulling on them - I had the same size durso on my 75 as my 180 has. try pulling the tube out further.

Took 18 posts to get there. :spin2:

[Gold Stripe]

most pre-manufactured dursos I have seen can be adjusted by pulling on them - I had the same size durso on my 75 as my 180 has. try pulling the tube out further.

18 posts to get there. :spin2:

[Mighunter]

I'll be messing with this when I get home tonight. Hopefully I can get things quieted down. I'll post tonight or tomorrow as to how I made out. Thanks for the help.

BTW, how can I post pictures that I have on my computer of my tank. The only way to add pics seems if they are on the internet somewhere.

Joe

[kawicivic]

you have to either upload them to an internet host (photobucket) or you used to be able to add them to your gallery on RC as a host up to so many photos. Someone who posts photos more frequently will hopefully comment.

[Mighunter]

Well I raised the standpipe a bit and I don't have waterfall noise anymore, but I get alot of sucking noise from the two holes in the 90 degree elbow as water is sucked in. Any way to make this quiet down or is that something that will go away once a film had developed?

[Mighunter]

Here are some pictures of my overflows. The return pump is off and I have since raised them a bit, but I get a sucking and gurgling noice from water being pulled into the holes on either side of the 90 elbow. http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd502/Mighunter/IMG_1054.jpg

[Mighunter]

I also covered the hole in the bottom of the 90 elbow on the return line as water was spraying like crazy out of them. Should I redrill this hole?

[lilmonster]

Here are some pictures of my overflows. The return pump is off and I have since raised them a bit, but I get a sucking and gurgling noice from water being pulled into the holes on either side of the 90 elbow. http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd502/Mighunter/IMG_1054.jpg

whats the hole for? i've not seen that there before,

[Mighunter]

I have no idea, they came that way with the tank. If I put my fingers over both holes, the water level drops to where the 90 is upside down in the water and I get much more noise. Someone posted on another thread that I should remove the first 90 and replace it with a Tee and make a Durso. I'll be trying that but I don't know if I still would need the 90 with the two holes. I guess I'll try it both ways.

[PokerReefer]

I have not seen that before. Go the tee route. With a 90 elbow down in the water and a cap with a hole drilled in the top , at the top.

[Mighunter]

Awesome!!! I just took off the two 90's from the top of the drain pipe and replaced with the a Tee, 90 and a cap. I drilled one small hole in the cap. The water level was just at the entrance of the 90. I drilled another and the water level rose in the overflow. I drilled a few more and problem solved.

The only thing I'm kicking myself is that I drilled about six 1/6' holes. Should I have just kept enlarging the one hole? I wonder if this would be even quieter than several small holes.

It's going to be worth the extra five bucks for a few more tee's to find out.

Thanks for all who replied.

[mexiconyeric]

Will this work on the HOB box also?

[Mighunter]

Its been a while now since I replaced the overflow pipe that came with the tank with a tee, 90 and a cap which I drilled holes in. Drilling more holes raises the water level in the overflows but I CANNOT get rid of the loud toilet flushing noise! HELP

[Dugless]

If you drain line is submerged in your sump it will cause air to get trapped in the line and cause the flushing.

[Curtis.H]

Having a drain capacity larger than the supply is not necessarily a problem. If you're satisfied with the flow through your sump, then all is well. Control the level in the overflow with your valves as your are now, and be happy. Problems with less drain capacity than supply will cause a somewhat more serious situation, namely a flood.

This is just asking for a flood. It's just a matter of time before one of the valves gets clogged up with something (gunk, snail, etc).

Are your durso's adjustable? Some can be made taller or shorter. If they are not adjustable then make a new vertical piece for them so that the water level is only an inch below overflow teeth.

If you're getting a flushing noise then you need to increase the amount of air entering the durso. Do it slowly by either increasing the size of the original hole or drilling additional holes.

[Curtis.H]

I also covered the hole in the bottom of the 90 elbow on the return line as water was spraying like crazy out of them. Should I redrill this hole?

This is the anti-siphon hole and should not be closed. If it's not there and your return pump stops (power loss, dies, etc) then a siphon will be created in the return lines and will drain your display tank until they suck air.

To stop the noise from the anti-siphon cut a small piece of filter foam and place it in the overflow so the stream of water hits it instead of open water.

[Curtis.H]

If you drain line is submerged in your sump it will cause air to get trapped in the line and cause the flushing.

The amount of air that is entering the top of the durso will also affect the flushing. Sounds like you need bigger holes in the top. Also make sure the output in the sump is only an inch under the water line.

[bobpiker]

You might try making the holes larger in the caps on your dursos, or drill another hole in each cap. Use two or three small holes versus one large hold. You can always cover up a hole, too, once drilled witha toothpick or piece of tape. The holes will allow air to escape out the top and help to eliminate the sucking noise into the elbows.

[Tlrlc]

dont wanna hijack this thread but i have a fairly new 180 that has 2 overflows-i made my own dursos but cut the top portion of the T a little shorter and used a plug (slip in) cap not a (slip over) to make the durso fit under my glass covers. it is not nearly as quiet as my last tank that had a durso. should i try making the holes in cap larger/smaller or is there a minimum height that must be above the the street 90 middle? thanks

[Mighunter]

I think I got it licked. I had a bunch of small holes in the caps which raised the water level in the overflows but did not get rid of the flushing sound. I covered them all up and drilled two 1/4 inch holes in each cap. Then I inserted a small lenght (about 6 inches) of rubber tubing in each hole and now all I hear is the water trickling. There is still a bit of a waterfall effect which I would like to tone down. I guess I can try using some type of sponge.

Thanks for all the advice.

[reefknight]

dont wanna hijack this thread but i have a fairly new 180 that has 2 overflows-i made my own dursos but cut the top portion of the T a little shorter and used a plug (slip in) cap not a (slip over) to make the durso fit under my glass covers. it is not nearly as quiet as my last tank that had a durso. should i try making the holes in cap larger/smaller or is there a minimum height that must be above the the street 90 middle? thanks

I'm not sure if you need a minimum height in in the street 90 or not. I've always made my own durso's and have always had good luck with them. I'd play with the size of the hole in the plug (slip in cap). I've always started small and kept drilling one size up until the flushing subsides and the durso is silent.

BTW, you're a genius! My durso's stand about 3"-4" out of the top of my overflow box, because that's where the waterfall noise stops for me with my overflow. Its made an absolute mess of my screen to keep my wrasse and anthias from jumping. I had to cut out the rear where the box is and go all MacGuyver on it. I hadn't thought to use a plug instead of the cap. I'll be going to the local big box on the way home for plugs and a couple of T's so I can cut down the height on them as well.

Thanks for the idea!

[Tlrlc]

I wouldn't call me that yet- mine isn't working just yet.
I am going to get a few more plugs and experiment because I would like to keep my custom glass covers if possible.
I did cut the T fitting top and in order to make the plug fit that has to be cut as well because they have a taper...
Here's to hoping we both get our tanks quiet :)

[reefknight]

Swapped out the tops of my durso's the night before last. Took a couple photos along the way as well. So far they're dead silent, low enough that I'll be able to rebuild a screen top that can sit over them as well. My only problem is that one of them is draining more than the other and it's not really draining any water to my refugium. I'll have to tinker a bit more with them though.

One word of advice; I had to cut them down so far that the plug won't quite stay in the top of the T on its own. I was forced to cement the plugs in. If you're planning on doing this have a few T's and plugs on hand.
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