drain noise

[jones02]

I have a lot of drain noise I need help to fix it, its a 90g with a 37g sump. Bulkhead is drilled in the side, 1 1/4" drain and 3/4 return. The drain pipe goes into the water in my sump. But the noise is in the pipe and its so loud! What are some ways to get rid of that?

 

[Neopimp]

Just one drain? Noise comes from air in the pipe, eliminate air eliminate the noise

 

[Krazykarl]

Take a 2-3 foot length of air tubing and insert it into the drain. Keep feeding it down the drain and moving it around. Eventually you will find the sweet spot and the gurgling air in the drain is allowed to vent thru the tube. It will e so quiet you won't even think its running. Takes some fernaggling but you will get it. Once u get it just let the remainder of the air tube hang off the back.  It doesn't need to be that long either I'm just saying a length. Worked for me on an old system.

Also not sure of your setup or if you can mod but a durso standpipe is fairly easy to design. Google it and see if it's an option for you

 

[TORX]

Definitely check out a durso standpipe. From your post I think you said that you are drilled in the side of the tank? Not sure if a durso is something you can go with depending on where the tank is drilled, but should work if you can mod it. For bottom drilled tanks, there is an image below. I am sure you can figure out a mod to 90 it into the side.

 

[teebone110]

mine is like the pic above. sometimes you can stick an airvalve in the small hole ontop of the durso and have better control the airflow. this might work for you too

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Put a ball valve on yur line  and close it up so yu get water in the line 

 

[Krazykarl]

Don't ever put a ball valve on the drain, unless you wanna find your tank on the floor. Small snails or debris build up can clog the valve and no more drainage. Not sure if that is what you meant, but the other option is to restrict the flow from the return pump to slowdown the flow. This eliminating so much noise. That turbulence means you are putting your drain line to its max gph. Refer to Seggsy in general forum for restricting the pump, great ideas in there.

 

[TORX]

mine is like the pic above. sometimes you can stick an airvalve in the small hole ontop of the durso and have better control the airflow. this might work for you too

I have seen a lot of dursos like this with a airvalve in the small hole, just NEVER close the airvalve!!!. The picture I posted also has a hyperlink to a DIY site for information on building a durso.

 

[Neopimp]

people with herbie or bean setups have valves on the drains. Bad idea with a single drain though.

 

[jones02]

I'm going to try the airline and see if that works, I'd rather not have to re plump my system.

 

[jones02]

Ok so I been reading up on the diy durso standpipe. I see that there was one for 1 in the HOB overflow box. Nnow sinnce my box is in my tank, bulk head is on the side of the tank, would I be able to use a T with the 1 end in my bulk head, 1 ennd pointing down and the other with the cap with a hole in it? Would that be the same idea and work or would I have to do that to the plumbing outside the tank?

 

[TORX]

You mean like the pic attached here? Yes, yes i did use scribblar for it

I do not see why that would not work technically. Pretty sure that I have seen the same design before. Only then it was an elbow to the T, then elbow with the bottom of the tank drilled still. This is pretty much the same thing, just the bulkhead is in a different spot.

With a dorso, try to always make sure that the vent hole is free of debis. I would even suggest adding a short legth of pipe to the top of the T so there is no creep that may eventually block the hole.

 

[jones02]

Yes something like that, what I was thing was instead of the T facing up I'd put that part in the bulkhead. But that way would work also. I hope..

 

[TORX]

haha, yes, that makes even more sence. Eliminate the elbows from inside the tank.

 

[jones02]

Yes perfect! Ill give that a try and hopefully it works!

 

[monizb]

if it still does it drill some more holes on top it helps works on my system  ;D

 

[jones02]

I got the gurgaling noise gone but now it just sounds like running water down the pipe. I have a 90 elbow coming from the bulkhead straight down about 24" to another 90 heading under my tank to my sump/fuge. How would I be able to eeliminate that noise?

 

[Neopimp]

From what I gather the only way to eliminate that noise is to turn the drain into a full siphon drain and pinch it back with a valve.  The system will be a bitch to balance if not impossible.  Highly suggest a 2nd drain to be used with the siphon.  Not sure if that is an opotion with your set up, or if you want to drill another hole in the tank.

Google Herbie Overflow.  1 Full siphon line full of water, dead silent.  1 open drain that has just a trickle gogin through it, also silent.

 

[MDGraves]

I might change mine to one full and one a trickle, as I have a major noise issue. Mine is about 10x as noisey as Jones, however I can close the door to my fish room and be done with it. Jones is next to the TV

 

[TORX]

I got the gurgaling noise gone but now it just sounds like running water down the pipe. I have a 90 elbow coming from the bulkhead straight down about 24\" to another 90 heading under my tank to my sump/fuge. How would I be able to eeliminate that noise?

If your goal is for a silent overflow, you will need to do a major over haul. Neopimp has it right, google Herbie overflow. It is somewhat what I have in my overflow right now. Running one full syphon and a second as a trickle and emergency overflow. Almost dead silent. There are a few other ideas out there that work on this same principle, but can not think of them for the life of me at the moment.

Here is a Link to the Bean Animal Silent & Fail-Safe Aquarium Overflow System. It is a lot more then what you need, but interesting read non the less.