|
I've got a toothed overflow and have not had a problem. The water is less than a 1/4" deep going over and the teeth extend a good 3/4" above the water line. I also did something similar to what yousmellfishy described except I put a straight piece of acrylic on top of the teeth. I attached some screen to this and used it to cover the overflow box. My teeth are spaced 5/16" apart which will make it really tough for anything to get out and with the straight acrylic and screen on top nothing will go over, either.
As far as optimizing surface skimming goes, I think you would just need a longer perimeter on your overflow to get the same effect (water depth) as a toothless design. Mine has been working for a year and it's never failed me.
|