Reef Octopus Overflow Box

Joined
23 Jul 2008
Posts
405
Reaction score
0
Location
Lichtenburg
Is there anybody out there that is also using the reef octopus overflow box?

As we do not have a hole drilled in our tank, we have been using (up to yesterday), a siliconed glass corner in the DT with a pump, (like an overflow, so if one fails the tank will not empty onto the floors) pumping water to the sump and a return pump, pumping back to DT.
but after some thoughts and worries that something might happen, i bought a overflow box. so we installed it yesterday, it was working fine for 10 hours and then this morning when we woke, the floor was flooded (luckily only until the 3rd chamber in my sump was empty, as the design prevents it from running dry) and my return pump is also a dry pump.

Anycase we did some fine tuning today, it was working like a dream from 7 till 7.
Whilst sipping my wine next to the braaivleis vuur, i suddenly noticed a stream of water passing me. Yes so it happened again.
The syphon just stopped (AGAIN), and we can't determine the reason. the water levels are fine, auto-topup is working. we fixed it and needless to say 20 minutes ago it happenend again.

So just for the sake of getting some sleep tonight, we'll connect the overflow pump in the glass corner again.
But at the moment my feeling is that the overflow box is very unreliable. Any advice is appreciated, and also maybe some comments from someone using an external overflow box
 
It must be frustrating and those overflow boxes don't come cheap. Another reefer here in CT has this box and had no problems with it. His name is Irshaad. Maybe send him a pm. I have his number if you want.
 
It must be frustrating and those overflow boxes don't come cheap. Another reefer here in CT has this box and had no problems with it. His name is Irshaad. Maybe send him a pm. I have his number if you want.
yes please keyaam. you can pm his number and then i will phone him tomorrow
Maybe if you know him you can let him know that i'm going to phone

thanks
 
ok just happended again. 3 times in 1 hour.... we're back to the glass corner and overflow pump for now, until we can figure out why our overflow box is not working as it should
 
I spoke to him about this overflow box before and he mentioned that all the air in the second compartment must be out for the siphon to be continuous. Im gonna pm you his number. Good luck, i feel your pain
 
I almost bought an overflow box today. It is still on my basket on one of the sponsers websites...
Then I googled "DIY overflow box" and it came back with a lot of interesting concepts. Try it.
Currently I have a DIY unit, ugly as can be, but running now for 4 weeks without a problem on my PlayStation. I got a 110mm pipe portion inside the tank and another 110mm pipe with Durso standpipe outside. Between I'm using 6 clear plastic pipes to pass the water over. If one stops working, the water level inside the DT raises slightly. I kick start it again with a small power head. Actually I can run with 2 pipes loosing their siphon. This only happens when I stuff around inside the tank.
One Comment I did see today on one of the designs is that any small bubbles will automatically be sorted and go out with a thinner suction pipe, but not with the square design that the Reef Octopus have. You will see some designs with 2 round pipes. Makes sense to me, one stops, another is still going. And the pipes have a nice U bent. No internal friction.
Then there are some interesting concepts using 50mm pipes... It took me a while to figure them out.

good luck
 
Lemar, RiaanP is right, the only thing that would cause the overflow box to stop working would be because of a "broken" syphon caused my bubble collecting,

A simple way of over coming this would be to extend the pipe that you suck to remove the air break, into your sump using a piece of air line so it will keep priming the air out of the system, hope that made sence. BUT problem being, is if the overflow box has no water (due to return pump stopping) it would eventually suck it dry too.

maybe use a airline valve to limit the flow, depending on how much air gets trapped.

hope that helps!
 
Lemar, RiaanP is right, the only thing that would cause the overflow box to stop working would be because of a "broken" syphon caused my bubble collecting,

A simple way of over coming this would be to extend the pipe that you suck to remove the air break, into your sump using a piece of air line so it will keep priming the air out of the system, hope that made sence. BUT problem being, is if the overflow box has no water (due to return pump stopping) it would eventually suck it dry too.

maybe use a airline valve to limit the flow, depending on how much air gets trapped.

hope that helps!

we have already extended the pipe, when you say "into the sump" does this mean the end of the pipe must be in the water?
 
I almost bought an overflow box today. It is still on my basket on one of the sponsers websites...
Then I googled "DIY overflow box" and it came back with a lot of interesting concepts. Try it.
Currently I have a DIY unit, ugly as can be, but running now for 4 weeks without a problem on my PlayStation. I got a 110mm pipe portion inside the tank and another 110mm pipe with Durso standpipe outside. Between I'm using 6 clear plastic pipes to pass the water over. If one stops working, the water level inside the DT raises slightly. I kick start it again with a small power head. Actually I can run with 2 pipes loosing their siphon. This only happens when I stuff around inside the tank.
One Comment I did see today on one of the designs is that any small bubbles will automatically be sorted and go out with a thinner suction pipe, but not with the square design that the Reef Octopus have. You will see some designs with 2 round pipes. Makes sense to me, one stops, another is still going. And the pipes have a nice U bent. No internal friction.
Then there are some interesting concepts using 50mm pipes... It took me a while to figure them out.

good luck

hi riaan, it seems like you have done alot of research. i've read through you're post, some of it i understand, some not :whistling:
I will show it to my husband tomorrow, maybe he will understand what needs to be done. thanks for the advice
 
we have already extended the pipe, when you say "into the sump" does this mean the end of the pipe must be in the water?

Not necessary below water level, but low enough so that the water (and bubble) are sucked down, and into the sump where it will just be pumped back to the tank. like syphoning water out of the tank, but just from the overflow box "syphon prime pipe"
 
Morning, Lemar - hope you had an uneventful night :whistling:

Can you please post a photo of the overflow box, connected to your tank?

I'm sure that something is just not right...

In your other post you mentioned that the siphon pulls more water than the return pump, and that you had to regulate it with a valve. These "overflow box" units should work under gravity flow, and NOT EVER have a "siphon" in the pipe leading to the sump. The only "siphon" should be in the "U" tubes between the tank and the external overflow box, and even that should be regulated by the height of the water being pumped back into the tank by the return pump. THUS: a "overflow box" or "siphon" should automatically only run as fast as the return pump feeding water into the tank...

Hennie
 
Morning hennie, yes uneventful, just not peacful... was up again checking every 2 hours.

I will post photo asap, let me just find my camera
 
somehow, i can't upload photo's today
I'm using the quick uploader like I always do, and then it says done, but not picture?
pictures are all smaller than 100kb?
 
Here's your pics. If you click on the Image Uploader link in the navbar at the top of the page and then click on My Images, you will find all your uploaded pics there.

10554964613d7c6d6.jpg


10554964610714ef6.jpg
 
Lemar - email me the pics at jbotha01@gmail.com - I will try and upload the pics for you.

thanks jacques, no worries. I emailed them directly to hennie, he is busy helping us to fix our problem. Seems like we installed it incorrectly... instructions would have been nice with the purchase of the equipment.... ha-ha, seems like the manufactures think us newbies must know how to install stuff without instructions. ;)
Anycase thanks for all the comments and help
 
OK, if anyone else would confirm this... I think that the problem is a missing piece of pipe which should go into the outlet fitting, thus raising the water level inside the outlet box to a level which is the same as the inlet box - both just a bit below the actual tank water level when the return pump is switched off. this way, the "U" connector should be able to maintain a siphon without any water flow, and the increase in water level once the return pump is switchd on will then cause water to flow through the siphon and down the raised outlet pipe.

Please keep us updated if this works...

Hennie
 
They could not get it sorted out by this afternoon, so Kevin is going to try again tomorrow. I have asked them to post some more photos and measurements, which should help in finding the problem (I hope...)

Hennie
 
Back
Top Bottom