gurgle buster users

Yes, 2.5 inches from the end of the standpipe. May be off by a centimeter or a hair.

 

Hate to be the dissenter here, but even if these two Hofer GB's were stamped from the same die at the factory, the inconsistency is the amount of water delivered to each one from the DT--not the minute differences b/w the two devices.

Think of it this way. With a single return pump, single sump, single overflow box and display tank, equilibrium is dictated by the pump. Whatever leaves the sump is exactly and consistently delivered right back to the overflow box.

When you add another of any of the mentioned items above; simple physics and fluid dynamics will dictate a variable. In your case, the variable is the second overflow box.

I've tried to use two overflow boxes; each with its own Hoffer GB. One went to a sump, one went to a fuge, each was a different entity. Somtimes weeks went by when the water level was miraculously maintained at the same level in both the sump and fuge, but inevitably one would get very high while the other got very low. There is no way around this.

It might not seem like it, but IMO you simply have a variation of this theme, in your case it's manifesting itself in your two standpipes (HGBs) instead of your sump or fuge. It is simply not possible to achieve equillibrium with two different overflow boxes. Sorry.

Your frustration shouldn't lie with the HGB's you made. They're working perfectly well, but they are simply not applicable for your scenario.

Good luck.

 

thanks for the info!

so how do people silent their multiple overflows on large tanks?

 

ReefSparky, my experience with 2 Duro stand pipes in a single overflow agrees with your assessment, it is "not possible" to get a balance flow through both of them.

However, by acknowledging this feature of two stand pipes, you can tune one to take the majority of the flow and the second to handle a smaller portion. When doing this, each air vent is adjusted for the flow through that stand pipe. Then it is possible to get a high volume overflow quieted down... At least that is how it is working for me.

The up side of this is that should there be a blockage on either one, the whole system gets noisy and alerts you to the need for some maintenance.

There is yet a third system out there which utilizes a throttled overflow to establish a balanced-siphon and utilizes a second stand pipe as a safety overflow to prevent spills. It has the advantage of introducing less air into the sump (so the sump is quieter) as well as reducing the salt creep around the sump... I'm not using this design... but, it is another system worth reading about...

 

My mistake, all. I should have clarified--the task is almost impossible if using two return pumps with two independant sumps/fuges. This was my predicament. If you have a single overflow with two HGBs, each going to a different sump/fuge, then the return pump in each sump/fuge will make it a nightmare. If you have dual overflows, but they converge into a single sump or fuge, as long as a single return pump flows back to the DT, then it's doable.

For the OP, I think I assumed that each HGB was going to its own return pump. If that's not the case, I misspoke--and grubbs method should alleviate that, much like a Herbie does. One acts as a main siphon, and the other would handle the spillover. However a siphon mustn't allow air lest the siphon be broken, and bubbles would form in the sump in large number. This could cause a new source of gurgling sounds.

All told, the HGB works best when one is used to a single sump or fuge, to a single return pump. In this case, noise can be all but eliminated in the overflow/standpipe section, and if flow isn't to great, noise shouldn't be an issue in the sump either.

If you're going to utilize two overflows in different corners, converging into a single sump with single return pump, it should work just fine.

Sorry if I caused any confusion, folks.

 

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