Loud Synergy Reef Overflow

[User]

Update:

So after leaving my negative review on Facebook, they asked me to get ahold of them on their website. I told them this is what had done and received no response but would try it again.

After some emails back and forth, I was able to get my overflow silent running my return at full power. It's not completely silent as I can hear a bit of water entering the overflow in the tank, but it's at a tolerable level. I think with further play with the system I might be able to get it there.

Here's the advice I was given by them:

"Here are some points to start with:

1. Set the flow rate you plan on running and do not change this. This will cause the overflow to lose it's tuning once set.
2. Open the gate valve 100%
3. Set your primary pipe length high enough that 100% of the flow is going down it only and the rear bulkheads (coming thru the tank) are about 90% covered.
4. Cut your secondary pipe slightly higher than the current running water level in the box. Maybe about 1/2" to 1" higher. This again is subject to your flow rate and can be different on many systems.
5. Leave the "U" Pipe off of the secondary drain. It is only needed in high flow situations and you likely will not need it.
6. Slowly close the gate valve until water starts to slowly flow into the secondary drain. This should start to silence the overflow. If you are having to close it more than 25-50% than the secondary pipe may need to be shortened slightly.

This will require some trial and error to get it set, but once set you will not have to ever modify them as long as the flow stays the same. With Variable speed pumps, especially cheaper models the flow can vary sometimes and can cause issues. Not always, but it is possible. We have seen it even with higher end pumps like Ecotech as well."

Had this information been included with the overflow or somewhere on their website I wouldn't have had this issue. Giving someone exact dimensions to cut doesn't help either. Experiencing these kinds of issues while following all directions is frustrating.

I'm happy I finally got some help from them and it sucks that I had to leave a negative review to get their attention. I hope that this helps any other user having this issue. I'm still planning on upgrading my overflow to one from EMS.

Can I ask how far below the top of the box the emergency drain now sits?

Because I did that exactly 8 months ago at their recommendation abd my edrain was 0.5” below the top of the box. I performed a blockage test on the main siphon and neither the secondary or emergency could get a siphon before I flooded my wife’s office. 3 gallons, but still.
You need to test the blockage characteristics of your piping before you are done.

I followed those instructions, performed a test, gained a ticked off wife and when I later stated in the forum that it happened, I was literally called “too stupid to figure it out myself”. That’s a direct quote.

 

[h8edpurdie]

Can I ask how far below the top of the box the emergency drain now sits?

Because I did that exactly 8 months ago at their recommendation abd my edrain was 0.5” below the top of the box. I performed a blockage test on the main siphon and neither the secondary or emergency could get a siphon before I flooded my wife’s office. 3 gallons, but still.
You need to test the blockage characteristics of your piping before you are done.

I followed those instructions, performed a test, gained a ****** off wife and when I later stated in the forum that it happened, I was literally called “too stupid to figure it out myself”. That’s a direct quote.

I'll try to remember to take some measurements and photos tonight and post them showing how it is set up. I'll also run another test to see how it does, but when trying to get this set up I did end up pushing all my water flow through the emergency as the primary and secondary were clogged and it handled well. I think if I can lower the height of this pipe I will for peace of mind.

 

[ca1ore]

One thing you can do to make the emergency 'safer' if it is very close to the top of the rim of the external box is to upsize the piping above the bulkhead. I did this with my MM3600. The emergency is 3" PVC. that way the mouth of the pipe is not a limit to flow, and the level won't rise as much inside the box when engaging the emergency. Think of it as an overflow box inside the overflow box . In fact, if I were designing these things, that's how I'd do the emergency.