# Herbie Overflow without Overflow Box



## j3tang (Sep 14, 2010)

I had read about the Herbie overflow over at RC and read through most of it several months ago. I had come across one of the posts (that I can no longer find) in that thread about someone setting it up (very crudely) in a rubbermaid container. What I was mostly interested in was the fact that he mentioned specifically that there is obviously no overflow box so the the 2 drains were just directly in the rubbermaid container.

I also found within that same thread a test setup by a different guy using a 5 gal pail and a saltwater bucket. Obviously no overflow box again.

What I’m getting at is, why the overflow box if it this all works without using one? I get the fact that if you leave a large enough height difference between the two drains you could flood the sump if there is a power outage. But that can be alleviated by adjusting the emergency drain to be not too far higher than the main drain. I’ve given this some thought and I can’t come up with why this wouldn’t work without an overflow box. The overflow box would have a weir/slots to prevent livestock from getting in, but the drains can have strainers for that purpose.

The other thing I was thinking about is, if the above works, then the bulkhead doesn’t necessarily have to be drilled in the bottom of the tank. It could be drilled on the sides/back of the tank, then an elbow pointing upwards would achieve the same results.

Can anyone point out some flaws to help me better understand?


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

aside from the water levels that you mentioned, not all tanks are drilled. those that aren't would use overflows.


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