Do you need an overflow?

[dlux5life]

Plumbing a 90 gallon fuge into my system. Still planning and wanting to make sure I don’t screw things up!

Do I need an overflow or could two bulkheads with low profile drains suffice? Water would gravity feed in to the fuge from a 50 gallon low boy and then gravity feed back to the return section of my sump.

Was full steam ahead on drilling the fuge when I thought I should stop and pose the question here.

I suppose this may be a little risky in the event of a clog or blockage..but is there anything else I’m missing?

The second picture is just to show what the drain looks like. They’d be about an inch and a half below the frame and about 3 inches in from the sides.

 

[shrimpchips]

An overflow isn’t necessary, but depending on the flow rate, water level and that style of strainer, you might not get effective surface skimming of the fuge.

You can always have the secondary drain hole with an elbow above the set water level in case of a clog. That’s assuming the diameter of bulkhead can effectively handle the flow through that part of the system. I’m assuming noise isnt a concern as open drains can be noisy depending on the flow rate.

If you’re using that strainer I’d recommend removing the first and third ribs to make the holes large enough to prevent being blocked but small enough to prevent a snail or anything large getting through.

 

[dlux5life]

Thanks for the detailed write up shrimpchips. I’d like to make sure I can skim the surface. I’ll grab another overflow box. Less holes to drill in the tank that way too!

 

[shrimpchips]

For what it’s worth a simple elbow before the strainer will allow you to adjust the water level and surface skimming without an overflow.

 

[SteveDola]

Many years ago, people used to do the exact thing you're describing; however, an issue arises if you're not diligent about keeping the drain clean or if snails block the drains...you can then have water problems. Also, they can be loud. Some would put a 90 on the bulkhead and then turn it up with a strainer fitting. If an internal or external overflow is not something you're able to install, then I would have an emergency drain at a higher level than the 2 main drains.

 

[dlux5life]

Yea…it seems like a good opportunity to add an external overflow. Just ordered a large eshops one. This is in a storage room that I wouldn’t want to see any flooding happen.

 

[SteveDola]

I might have an old eshops overflow but one tube had a crack…you could have it if you want

 

[dlux5life]

Thanks Steve. I appreciate it. I’ve got the large one ordered and will be here in a few days.

 

[bobbravo2]

Thanks Steve. I appreciate it. I’ve got the large one ordered and will be here in a few days.

great call.

Two low drains definitely help with redundancy — they’re great insurance if something clogs

But they don’t really do the overflow job. A proper overflow is what quietly handles two boring-but-critical things: keeping the water height rock-solid, and constantly skimming the surface where all the oils and film collect.

My biggest worry for a fuge like this might be cheoto clogging one of them. A few years in, and some maintenance lag/misses, and the drain might be a spaghetti mess. Haha

 

[dlux5life]

Yea…seems like a cheap insurance policy. No drain in my basement and I’m not interested in putting in a sump pump if I don’t need to.

Thanks for the advice!