Have an Overflow with U-Tubes? Have an Extra Dosing Head?

[tbrown]

So I had a great idea! My overflow U-Tubes don't lose prime but they get air in the top which drastically lowers the flow through them. I hav a 4 head auto doser currently only using two heads. My DIY idea to keep the U-Tubes primed without having to suck the air out every two weeks or so - run a suction line into the U-Tubes and run 50-100 ml a couple of times a day from the tube to the outlet back into the tank.

 

[theatrus]

The canonical way to make sure U tubes self primed was an aqualifter pump, which is basically an old school dosing dump. Should work just fine.

 

[Slocke]

Tell me how it goes! You know of my struggles.

 

[tbrown]

Tell me how it goes! You know of my struggles.

Gonna set it up tomorrow hopefully! We went car shopping today.

 

[All_talk]

I find that my U tubes will gather air if the flow velocity in them is to low and the bubbles drawn in from the overflow don't get pulled through. I have an oversized return pump and adjust the flow rate so the U tubes are moving pretty fast.

 

[tbrown]

I find that my U tubes will gather air if the flow velocity in them is to low and the bubbles drawn in from the overflow don't get pulled through. I have an oversized return pump and adjust the flow rate so the U tubes are moving pretty fast.

Unfortunately my return pump is not over sized.

 

[All_talk]

How many U tubes do you have? One at hi velocity would be better that two slow ones that fill with air. Back when I used a smaller return pump, I used a single U tube.

 

[tbrown]

How many U tubes do you have? One at hi velocity would be better that two slow ones that fill with air. Back when I used a smaller return pump, I used a single U tube.

I have two. A 1.5" and a 1.25". The overflow box was kind of a cool design but it's not very adjustable.

 

[exnisstech]

I have 2 boxes with a single tube in each one but don't know if I have air in them or not because they're covered in black nasty algae so I can't see inside and I'm too lazy to clean them :face-with-hand-over-mouth:
I probably don't have any air tho as the pump I run used to feed a 150g thats gone and the current 180g together and I still had to throttle it back using gate valves.

 

[exnisstech]

Gonna set it up tomorrow hopefully! We went car shopping today.

Shopping or buying?

 

[tbrown]

I have 2 boxes with a single tube in each one but don't know if I have air in them or not because they're covered in black nasty algae so I can't see inside and I'm too lazy to clean them :face-with-hand-over-mouth:
I probably don't have any air tho as the pump I run used to feed a 150g thats gone and the current 180g together and I still had to throttle it back using gate valves.

I notice the water level rises about a half an inch (in my 125 that's about 4" in my sump). If my ATO keeps up my salinity drops.

 

[tbrown]

Shopping or buying?

We ended up buying. A good condition '05 Envoy 4*4 with 100,000 miles, so low for the year. It'll be my daughter's in a year or two.

 

[exnisstech]

We ended up buying. A good condition '05 Envoy 4*4 with 100,000 miles, so low for the year. It'll be my daughter's in a year or two.

Good ride for a young one. It's hard to find nice older rides here. All the older stuff around here is rotted out from the salt they use in the winter.
If you ever run accross a older 70s - 80s era Datsun / Nissan pickup hit me up ;)

 

[tbrown]

Tell me how it goes! You know of my struggles.

So the one I ran the doser to has 0 since Monday evening. The second one has about a half an inch of air in the top. I'm out of airline so I'm going to have to purchase some more and then I'll run a second doser to that tube. I do have an Aqualifter somewhere that I can swap in if I need another doser head but for now, for my purposes we're up and running!

 

[caddnima_reef]

My 2 cents. Been using the U tube overflow since 2006.... In my experience, my tube can handle 400gph. If the return pump is lower than 400gph, it develops air bubble. If it is about right, it does not have sir bubbles. My MAG 4 pump is perfect for one U tube. Just saying that you might need to increase your return pump just to see if it develops bubbles.