# BeanAnimal Overflow Help



## marty_5555 (Oct 15, 2014)

I have a BeanAnimal overflow and for the life of me cannot get the syphon started. I have been on all of the threads that say what to do, and it still is not working.

The syphon used to at least start if I fiddled with the hose where it came into the sump. However, the syphon is supposed to start on it's own (so if the power goes out and comes back on it will kick in). I went on the forums and made the changes they suggested: switched my 90 degree elbow for a 45, reduced the length that my hose is under the water in my sump to about 1" from the surface.

Now it won't even start a syphon. The strange thing is that my open channel will create a full syphon no problem, but since I don't have a gate valve on it it just repeatedly empties the overflow, gurgles, fills back up, repeat. 

I'm pretty fed up so if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. I have attached a couple of pictures of my setup: the middle pipe is my syphon with the gate valve (sorry the pics are sideways, I have no idea how to rotate them).
Thanks.


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## BBOSS (Jan 30, 2010)

just saw your post. I intuition tells me the problem is due to air trapped in your main channel. The open channel works because it has the bleed tube on the top of that channel. If you can find a way to bleed the air trapped in your main channel before start, your overflow should work properly.


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## duckhams (Oct 13, 2009)

If it won't start a siphon, and everything else is setup correctly, it's almost defintely because air is getting into the main line. Remove the vinyl tubing and replace it with another 45° elbow and a straight PVC pipe into the sump.

What did you use to glue your PVC together?


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## duckhams (Oct 13, 2009)

If you keep getting trapped air in your main line because of the horizontal run out the back of the overflow box, you could add another air tube right in the center of the connector piece you have and just run it right to the bottom of your 90ˆ inside the overflow box so that it starts the siphon but give you a way to flush the air trapped if needed. It's a bit of a hack, but without redoing your plumbing I don't see an easier method.


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

+1 Elliot is %100 correct. 
if it were me I would re-do all that plumbing and get rid of the horizontal run from the bulkhead.


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## nanoreefwanabe (Nov 4, 2016)

It looks to me like your siphon line gate valve is wide open..try shutting it...then very slowly open it...also turn the elbow on your open channel inside the overflow box so that it is above the inlet of the siphon line...

The horizontal will not effect how the line siphons...I have seen siphon lines go up and over doors and run 25' feet horizontally..


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## marty_5555 (Oct 15, 2014)

Thanks for the replies everyone. I switched the horizontal run on my main line to a 45 degree, but the main difference is that I reduced the length the tube was under the waterline in my sump. I thought the length I had before was fine, but I reduced it to 1/2" below and now it works fine; I guess it wasn't allowing the air to purge.

The problem I'm having now is that for whatever reason the main line slowly, over the course of the week, loses flow so that the level in my overflow box increases. I thinknow it might be because my filter sock becomes clogged, but I'm not sure because if I open the gate more it lowers the level in the overflow box.


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## nanoreefwanabe (Nov 4, 2016)

How big is the box..how big are the lines how big are your bulkheads...


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