Overflow and Return?

Hey Everyone,
This morning when I was getting ready to head out the door for work I heard my system making a different noise than normal, the water going into the overflow was louder than normal. I looked at the height in the tank and the water level was on the verge of overflowing. It would have by the time I got home tonight if i did'nt turn the return flow down.

My question is why would this happen?

Backround information: Dont know the flow rate of the overflow but I have 2- 1 1/2" U-tubes with 2- gurgle buster drain pipes to 2- 1" lines to the sump. One of those lines is t'd off and goes to the fuge that is located on the oposite side of the sump. The return is in the middle and the return is a Little Giant 4-mdqx-sc with 1" return pvc this a manifold and a ballvalve to restrict the flow to the tank. (the last ball valve is what I have to turn down to restrict the flow)

Do i have something set up wrong, why would only 3 days after a water change would I have to turn the flow down, does anyone else have issues like this? Is it an issue or is this NORMAL? I'm alright with having to do this, well I would prefer not to but I feel I can never take a vacation or go away on buisness and not have to worry about the tank.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks

Here is a pic of what some of whta I am working with.

 

Is there a valve on the DRAIN line that is tee'd off to the fuge?
Tee's and valves on drains are a no no, if so.

 

There is a t that splits the fuge and the main drain, on the way to the fuge there is a valve. No valve that would inhibit water from the overflow to the main skimmer section. you can see the valve in the pic just after the 45 going to the sump.
I've done my research and that is one of the only ways to split to the fuge. If I am incorrect then please learn me the correct way.

 

look into the drain and see if some snails got into the pipe.

If you can get a plastic flexible stick, you can run it down the drain and see if there's any blockages present.

 

I'm running that same pump on our 100 gal setup, and haven't had any issues in the years it has been up. About the only thing that makes sense is that somehow, it doesn't seem like your overflow is keeping up with your return pump. Was/is your sump low at all?

I know most peeps couple their WC's with cleaning...could your drain(s) be slightly clogged?

 

Attachment doesnt work Sorry.
So this is a quick schematic of the overflow piping, notice the elbow that runs to the fuge is after the T that goes to the skimmer section. this was a setup that I aquired when I bought the overflow. Could this be an issue.

Lionfish:
No I just topped off last night so I know that water height in the sump is not the issue.
what type of overflow do you have, is it drilled? Could the Gurgle buster be inhibiting the flow, i have noticed that the water was a little higher in the overflow almost to the top of the caps. Should I look into an alternative?

thank you.

 

Are you sure your standpipes aren't clogged (maybe a wayward snail)?

When you say Gurgle Buster, are you referring to the Hofer Gurgle Buster or do you have a Durso, Stockman, etc?

Did you clean the pump and maybe it's working better?

Splitting the drain flow shouldn't be an issue, as all of the water ends up in the same sump. What you CAN do is split off some of your return flow back to your sump. This way, your pump can run happily and whatever "excess" flow runs back to the sump instead of overfilling the DT. I use this on most of our setups.

Here's a sketch (it was drawn for someone with a submersible pump, but you get the idea):

 

I see what you are talking about, I wanted to run the fuge with water straight from the dt so it can get the most nutrients. If thats not possible then its not. It is a Hoffer gurgle buster, no blockages, been a pain to dial in but if the water is rising in the overflow box on the back then I seem to think that the water cant exit fast enough. I know the pump is pretty strong and i have always had to dial it back so that I dont overflow the DT. Do you think it could be the standpipes and I need something that will drain faster?

 

It might be...I've never used anything other than DIY Durso-style standpipes, so I can't say for sure.

Did you add vent hole(s) in the cap? I've seen Hofers with vent holes, so I assume they aren't self-venting.

I know with the "Dursos" we use sometimes require multiple vent holes. Generally what I do is try the system out as-made, if it makes noise, or doesn't seem right, I add a vent hole. If it seems close, then I try partially covering it with my finger to see if I need to add a valve. If it still seems "off", I add another hole and repeat the process until I'm happy.

 

I think I'm going to try that, adding another vent hole. Because I know when I plug the hoffer vent hole it sucks really fast but it has a really loud suction sound. If that doesn't work then I think I will try a DIY durso. Do you know where I can find info on a DIY like yours. If it works for you then I would like to try yours. All my plumbing including the standpipes are 1". I really appreciate your help.