Noisy durso drain at sump

Aquavaj

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The tank came already plumbed from the previous owner. Drain is 1.25" using PVC and makes a 90 degree to the left and then another 90 into the hole for the sump. There is no valve installed and the PVC is about 1" under the water level. There is a lot of bubbling and splashing noise at this point. The top of the durso has a hole already drilled and I tried adding some air tubing into the hole but made no difference.
I know the 90 degree bends aren't ideal but don't really want to spend $40+ for a new union to redo the everything. Plus I don't think there's enough room to do 45s anyways. I guess the only thing left to try is to see if I can fit a ball valve after the second 90. There is about 6-7 inches from the elbow to the sump. What do you guys think?
 

Fish Styx

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I'd suggest a Herbie, but if you're averse to adding valvage, take a look into Maggie Muffler / Stockman Standpipe / Hofman Gurgle Buster. Those solutions are all far quieter than standard Durso standpipes.
 

mfinn

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Durso drains don't normally use valves.
I have used durso drains on several tanks in the past and I know about the noise from the water going into the sump. It's pretty common with them. There is no way to eliminate the air and water mixing and causing the noise.
One tip I saw years ago was to extend the drain down near the bottom of the sump and add a pvc tee to the end. ( slip coupling, short piece of pvc, then the tee. Less than $5)
Can't remember if that ever worked.
What I would do now if I had your situation with 2 possible drains is to set up a Herbie system.
It will cost in the $40 range for the extra plumbing and it will quiet down the noise.
You can try all sorts of diy remedies that may or may not work, or just bite the bullet and fix the issue with a proven fix.
 
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Aquavaj

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Durso drains don't normally use valves.
I have used durso drains on several tanks in the past and I know about the noise from the water going into the sump. It's pretty common with them. There is no way to eliminate the air and water mixing and causing the noise.
One tip I saw years ago was to extend the drain down near the bottom of the sump and add a pvc tee to the end. ( slip coupling, short piece of pvc, then the tee. Less than $5)
Can't remember if that ever worked.
What I would do now if I had your situation with 2 possible drains is to set up a Herbie system.
It will cost in the $40 range for the extra plumbing and it will quiet down the noise.
You can try all sorts of diy remedies that may or may not work, or just bite the bullet and fix the issue with a proven fix.
I'll look into lowering it some more with a T to see if it helps. I'll have to look again at the standpipe and see how it's connected to the bulkhead. Everything is nonstandard so I couldn't figure out how to disassemble it all before the tank was set up.
 

Fish Styx

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I'll look into lowering it some more with a T to see if it helps. I'll have to look again at the standpipe and see how it's connected to the bulkhead. Everything is nonstandard so I couldn't figure out how to disassemble it all before the tank was set up.
It should just be a slip fitting.
 

mfinn

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I'll look into lowering it some more with a T to see if it helps. I'll have to look again at the standpipe and see how it's connected to the bulkhead. Everything is nonstandard so I couldn't figure out how to disassemble it all before the tank was set up.
This is really just a bandaid type fix.
I put up with the noise for a long time from durso drains and finally tried a Herbie on one tank and was very happy with the results. Kind of kicked myself for not trying something different.
 
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Aquavaj

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This is really just a bandaid type fix.
I put up with the noise for a long time from durso drains and finally tried a Herbie on one tank and was very happy with the results. Kind of kicked myself for not trying something different.
I did some more digging and apparently on these tanks it's those standpipes molded to the bulkhead type and you just unscrew the bottom half off. So I should be able to cut off the top and cap it with a strainer and then put a valve down below. Might have to extend it a little more below the water line.
 

mfinn

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I did some more digging and apparently on these tanks it's those standpipes molded to the bulkhead type and you just unscrew the bottom half off. So I should be able to cut off the top and cap it with a strainer and then put a valve down below. Might have to extend it a little more below the water line.
One point I want to make is with the Herbie drain, you do have to adjust it to find the sweet spot. It may take several tries.
The gate valve is a important part this. A good quality gate vale ( not ball valve) makes things much easier
 

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