Herbie Overflow setup

[porpoiseaquatics]

......has anybody here ever built one and use it? I'm interested in seeing how you did yours. There's a lot of conflicting information out there about how to build one (some people are calling theirs a Herbie when I don't think it really is).

 

[dan3949]

I have been running a simple Herbie overflow for almost 2 years. It is very simple. I have a pre-drilled 65-gallon tank. The overflow had 2 openings. I think one is 1/2" and the other is 3/4" (I can't remember). You want to use the smaller opening for your full siphon leg. This is the drain that has an adjustable ball-valve in the line returning to your sump. Use the larger drilled hole for the emergency drain. Make sure the emergency drain pipe alone can handle the full flow of your return pump. This will prevent any flood issue. The full siphon line should be extend about 1/2 up the overflow. The other drain pipe should extend about 3" higher than full siphon drain. The trick is to adjust the ball valve on the full siphon drain such that the water level inside the overflow box stays very close to the top of the emergency drain. This should prevent any air from getting sucked down the full siphon tube. THis is why the drain rums silent. You need 2-3" of water above the full siphon tube inlet to prevent air from getting sucked in. Again, simply adjust the ball valve keep in eye on the water level INSIDE the overflow box. If the water is draining too fast, the water level inside the overflow will get too low and air will enter the inlet. Simply clse the valve a little and the water level will increase inside the overflow box. I normally adjust the valve so that just a tiny trickle flows down the emergency pipe. Also (very important) test the overflow by closing the full siphon drain valve and verify the overflow can handle 100% of your return pump flow. After testing set the ball valve to get proper flow and water level inside your overflow. It is really simple. You can always play with the relative heights of the inlet pipes to accomodate your specific return pump (if needed).

I did not glue my ball valve into the drain line. It is just friction fit in place. I found after 18 months, the valve gets hard to adjust. If you dont glue it in it is very easy to simply pull it off and replace. You can even soak in vinegar to clean and re-use the old valve.

 

[ripped tide]

Instead of not glueing the valve, probably a little risky(BTW), just get a true union ball valve and avoid the potential leaks.

 

[ddaddy2420]

Ripped Tide;845990 wrote: Instead of not glueing the valve, probably a little risky(BTW), just get a true union ball valve and avoid the potential leaks.

Second on the true union valves, we have those at my work and I will never use any other valves. The are so much easier to turn and come with a built in union which allows for isolation on either side of it. Those are 2 huge points in my book.

 

[curtismaximus]

I think my next tank I will try the Herbie instead of the BA overflow. The only possable negative I see is if some how your emergency and valved lines get clogged you would have a real bad day. I know the chances of that are small just makes me nervous.

Edit: True union valves or bust BTW!

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

I'm not to concerned with that since my tank is a dual RR overflow. As mentioned above, that is double the redundancy. That gives me two downflows with two emergency backups.

 

[curtismaximus]

I'm not sure how that would work with to Herbies? I don't know much about Hydro dynamics but you might have an issue with dueling siphons. Someone else might be able to help with that.

Edit: With two downpipes and two emergency drains that might really be a BA with an extra emergency drain.

 

[dan3949]

A true union ball valve is the best way to go. A least for my setup, the cheap/easy/lazy way is OK since the sump is a straight run from the overflow, thus if the valve came off (has never happened), it would only make the overflow very noisy since all water would be still be going into the sump.

I also have other measures in place to protect/prevent a flood. I have a float switch in my overflow box that will turn off my return pump if the water level gets too high. I also have have a float switch in the sump that will kill power to my ATO (and dosing pumps) if sump level gets too high. A final fail-safe is use of a mechanical float vavle (usually used in RO systems) for the inlet of top off water to the sump. If my control system fails, the float valve closes and prevents top-off water from entering the sump. THe float valve is a very effective, cheap, and passive fail-safe devices to prevent flooding from top-off system failure.

The only "flood-related" problem I have not implemented a solution to is when the skimmer goes crazy and overflows my collection cup. A float switch does not seem practical in my skimmer collection cup, maybe some type of conductive contact swich might be possible that could turn the skimmer pump off.

 

[ddaddy2420]

dan3949;846270 wrote: A true union ball valve is the best way to go. A least for my setup, the cheap/easy/lazy way is OK since the sump is a straight run from the overflow, thus if the valve came off (has never happened), it would only make the overflow very noisy since all water would be still be going into the sump.

I also have other measures in place to protect/prevent a flood. I have a float switch in my overflow box that will turn off my return pump if the water level gets too high. I also have have a float switch in the sump that will kill power to my ATO (and dosing pumps) if sump level gets too high. A final fail-safe is use of a mechanical float vavle (usually used in RO systems) for the inlet of top off water to the sump. If my control system fails, the float valve closes and prevents top-off water from entering the sump. THe float valve is a very effective, cheap, and passive fail-safe devices to prevent flooding from top-off system failure.

The only "flood-related" problem I have not implemented a solution to is when the skimmer goes crazy and overflows my collection cup. A float switch does not seem practical in my skimmer collection cup, maybe some type of conductive contact swich might be possible that could turn the skimmer pump off.

I think MRC - mr skimmers have some type of device that shuts the air off when the collection cup gets full.

 

[destination1983]

Any one got any pictures of these overflows