# Water level in tank too high



## marty_5555 (Oct 15, 2014)

Hey people,
I have a 50good tank with an overflow box that is siliconed to the tank. The water level in the tank is higher than I would like; only about 3/8th of an inch from the top, and when you factor in surface agitation I am concerned it will overflow on to the floor.

Any tips on how to lower the water level? I have a variable speed return pump but it is currently on its lowest setting. The valve on the plumbing is half closed, but whether it's at that position or fully open only makes a difference in the overflow box water level, not in the actual tank level. The level of the water coming into the overflow box is halfway up the teeth, so I assume filing down the teeth even lower won't do anything. Am I missing something?

Also, the water seems pretty loud going through the piping (not the return, just the drain), it's sounds like a stream. Is there anything I can do to dampen it?
Thanks!


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## 4pokguy (Apr 27, 2011)

File the slots in between the teeth down lower. That will lower the water level in the tank.


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## marty_5555 (Oct 15, 2014)

Even though the level of the water is halfway up the teeth as they already are?


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## ruckuss (Jan 11, 2015)

How big is the return pump?


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

that's a smart question, it sounds like youre pushing too much water for the overflow to keep up...


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## ruckuss (Jan 11, 2015)

That's what I'm thinking, Jeff. Also, is your drain submerged a bit in the sump?


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

It sounds like quite a few problems going on here. I'll give you some info you might not have thought about:

1) Are the teeth low enough?
2) Are the teeth wide enough?
3) is the total length of the overflow equal or more than the flow that you need?
4) If you are confused by #3 then your overflow might be to small
5) Is there any blockage in the teeth?

One of the easiest fixes you can do for this situation would be to break a few of the teeth on the overflow to help bring in more water. I would start with breaking two teeth or so to see how much the water goes down. If this isn't something you want to do then I suggest filing the teeth wider and possibly deeper. It will take some time to do this but it would be worth it in the end.

In the future for your tank you should take into consideration the level of your water. 
One of the biggest mistakes with overflows is that most people tend to make them to small for their tanks and this produces a bottleneck in the flow. There is an equation for the length of overflow out there somewhere but i'm a bit lazy on sunday morning to find it.
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Good Luck!


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*too high*

how about posting pics and some details so we can see whats goin on before u make a disaster of this ...


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## 4pokguy (Apr 27, 2011)

marty_5555 said:


> Even though the level of the water is halfway up the teeth as they already are?


1) We don't know what kind of return pump you currently have, which skimmer you have, and how big your sump is and how it's set up, etc. [factors that will help determine the amount of flow you want going through your sump and display].
2) The gist of it is that your water pump is pumping too much water into your display for your overflow to keep up. Filing the the slots between the teeth down will allow more water to flow through the overflow into the chamber. 
3) Playing with the valves will only change the water level in the chamber, but not the level in the display.
4) Alternatively, if you can also tee off the return line and have some water returned back into the sump as it's also being pumped into the display. 
5) Or, you can just get a smaller return pump to pump water at a slower rate.

I personally think the best option is to file down the slots between the teeth. Drain some of the water out of the way and then go at it with a dremel and vacuum to prevent any debris from falling into the tank


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## marty_5555 (Oct 15, 2014)

Thanks for the replies everyone. Based on what you all are saying and what I have read it think you're right, the teeth are too wide and it is reducing the surface area of the weir to the point it is raising the level in the dt. (My pump is a jaebo, can't remember the model number, but it puts out a thousand gph, although I have it dialed down to the lowest setting). I don't have a dremel, any other ways I can file down/break off some teeth without shattering the box?
Thanks!


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## marty_5555 (Oct 15, 2014)

Sorry, should have wrote I'm running a beananimal 3 drain system, and both drains are submerged in the sump.


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## ruckuss (Jan 11, 2015)

how deep is the water in the overflow? If its too shallow, this can be causing the stream like noise


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## 4pokguy (Apr 27, 2011)

you could always use a hand file and some elbow grease.
if the water level inside the overflow is too low, then you'll have to make the stand pipes longer.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*filing overflow ???*

not to be an ass or anything here but I have never heard of anyone filing down overflow boxes , still have not seen any pics to see what is the issue ..
ever think of a gate valve rather then a ball valve .sorry just trying to prevent a disaster before u end up looking for a new overflow or tank .....
just my 2 cents worth ....


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## nc208082 (Jun 27, 2013)

Tom G is right, I wouldn't file down or break any teeth of the overflow. At least not yet. Your problem sounds like Fesso mentioned you are pumping too much water into the tank that your drains cannot keep up which is why it is so high in the display.
Is your sump located directly under the tank or in a basement/fishroom?
how high is your head height?
what size is your sump?
What size are your drains?

Your easiest two options are either try a smaller pump to see if it can match your drains. or as someone else mentioned tee off your return to cut back amount of water entering the DT.

Pics are a must in these situations.


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## marty_5555 (Oct 15, 2014)

Ok, here are a couple of pics of the overflow (sorry, for whatever reason they upload sideways). Like I said before, it doesn't matter what I fiddle with, the ball valve, the pump output, nothing reduces the level in my tank; the amount of water coming into the box stays constant, and the only levels that fluctuate are the levels in the overflow or the sump. So that's what makes me think everyone is right and I need to cut off some teeth, or file down the gaps to make them deeper.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

marty_5555 said:


> Ok, here are a couple of pics of the overflow (sorry, for whatever reason they upload sideways). Like I said before, it doesn't matter what I fiddle with, the ball valve, the pump output, nothing reduces the level in my tank; the amount of water coming into the box stays constant, and the only levels that fluctuate are the levels in the overflow or the sump. So that's what makes me think everyone is right and I need to cut off some teeth, or file down the gaps to make them deeper.


The water level in your tank is related to the amount of water that can pass through your overflow minus the amount of water that your return pump pumps.

So logically, you can either file down the teeth of the overflow in an attempt to pass more water through the overflow, or you could get a pump with a lower flow.


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