Is this overflow compromised?

[vcnt]

resetting up this tank and I just googled the marineland overflows and this post of reef2reef, the dude's overflows look new and mine are far from it, the entire bottom portion is withered away almost looking like prev owner cut out those holes

Are these safe to use?

Pic 1- New Overflow

Pic 2 - My overflow



EDIT -

they do also include these removeable front panels

 

[vcnt]

bump

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

resetting up this tank and I just googled the marineland overflows and this post of reef2reef, the dude's overflows look new and mine are far from it, the entire bottom portion is withered away almost looking like prev owner cut out those holes

Are these safe to use?

Pic 1- New Overflow

Pic 2 - My overflow



EDIT -

they do also include these removeable front panels

Those holes shouldn't be there. If your return pump stops and the standpipe behind the overflow is low or leaks then the water level will eventually go down to the height of your standpipe at best or to the height of those holes at worst.

 

[vcnt]

Those holes shouldn't be there. If your return pump stops and the standpipe behind the overflow is low or leaks then the water level will eventually go down to the height of your standpipe at best or to the height of those holes at worst.

How does one go about fixing this?

Cementing abs behind it?

n yeah ... i knnow they shouldnt be there im pretty sure prev owner cut them

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

How does one go about fixing this?

Cementing abs behind it?

n yeah ... i knnow they shouldnt be there im pretty sure prev owner cut them

That would be what I would try. The silicone should stick to the ABS better than acrylic.

 

[vcnt]

Anyone comment on if I should get a sheet of abs n cut to size or just 3d print something, out of ABS of course, that would better fit my application without all that wasted excess

 

[UncommonSense]

Anyone comment on if I should get a sheet of abs n cut to size or just 3d print something, out of ABS of course, that would better fit my application without all that wasted excess

I’d recommend looking into some glass…

See if any local glass cutters can make you a few rectangular sheets of 8-10mm thick float glass, and build out square overflow boxes, then silicone weir teeth on top!

That is to say, glass will hold up a lot better over time!

 

[vcnt]

I’d recommend looking into some glass…

Oof. Yeah... the retrofitting of a patch freightens me a bit

See if any local glass cutters can make you a few rectangular sheets of 8-10mm thick float glass

and build out square overflow boxes, then silicone weir teeth on top!

Amazon product
Something like this?

As always thank you!!

ps - is that thing in your profile supposed to resemble a brittle star?

 

[UncommonSense]

Something like this?

That looks ok, but you’ll want your teeth to be spaced around 3/16”-1/4” at minimum for salt water (higher surface tension than freshwater) to spill through without packing up against it too much!

Ideally, if you can find it, look for something a bit more robust/wider hole-spaced! (You could also modify that particular example by removing teeth as-needed if no other options present themselves!)

 

[vcnt]

See if any local glass cutters can make you a few rectangular sheets of 8-10mm thick float glass, and build out square overflow boxes, then silicone weir teeth on top!

That is to say, glass will hold up a lot better over time!

How would you go about getting the glass to be black?

 

[UncommonSense]

How would you go about getting the glass to be black?

Ah, good question! You can order smoked black glass, or you can attach a thin (1/8”-1/4”) layer of black acrylic to the face of the glass, even cutting your wet teeth into that acrylic!

 

[BeanAnimal]

Backup here. Those just slide in to begin with? If so they are not water tight to start.

 

[UncommonSense]

Backup here. Those just slide in to begin with? If so they are not water tight to start.

Ah! The curved plastic weirs do appear to be siliconed in; the grates that slide onto the front are just another gimmicky “bottom intake”…

The PO cut holes in the actual curved plastic overflows behind these bottom intake grates, for some reason…

That said, these plastic overflow boxes are basically junk now, unless OP wants to get creative with adhesives and patches… hence me recommending steering away from this proprietary plastic design, towards something that will last the lifetime of the tank!

 

[vcnt]

The PO cut holes in the actual curved plastic overflows behind these bottom intake grates, for some reason…

Yeah… idk why one would do that

And do you think I could benefit from doing a single pane almost in a 45°? Rather than two panes making a corner?

No reason , just another idea I came up with

 

[UncommonSense]

Yeah… idk why one would do that

And do you think I could benefit from doing a single pane almost in a 45°? Rather than two panes making a corner?

No reason , just another idea I came up with

I considered this… it would honestly be the cleanest, and easiest solution!

Basically just siliconing in a single sheet of glass as the hypotenuse of a triangular overflow box!

— the primary challenge is the glass geometry… standard score and snap glass cutting methods will leave you with squared edges to the glass pane… these squared edges will create very small contact patches with the tank walls, just at the pane corners…

I have successfully beveled glass overflow pane edges on my wet saw, and even cut weir teeth directly into the glass sheet being used for the overflow box… however, this is likely outside the scope of the average glass cutter whom is accustomed to replacing broken windows and the like!



(That’s not to say you shouldn’t ask if they can grind the long edges of your glass rectangles to a 45 degree bevel! Just don’t go in expecting it to be something they do on the regular, or have even thought of! [beyond the standard slight corner bevels often seen on well-finished glass])

 

[vcnt]

I considered this… it would honestly be the cleanest, and easiest solution!

Basically just siliconing in a single sheet of glass as the hypotenuse of a triangular overflow box!

Yep. Exactly what I was thinking

however, this is likely outside the scope of the average glass cutter whom is accustomed to replacing broken windows and the like!

Same concern I thought of, but there’s no harm in asking.
I literally have a glass shop right down the block from me.

Thank you !

 

[BeanAnimal]

The problem with a triangle is the lack of space and the tight corners. I am still not sure that I see what is wrong. I have never looked at a marineland overflow. So can't tell what part is water tight and what isn't

If the material is actually ABS, I see no issue patching it. A solvent weld is permanent.

3D FDM printing is out because it is not watertight without a lot of work. More hassle than it is worth.