Glass lip on 150 Gallon tank interfering with overflow

[Boaz1021]

I just finished drilling my tank for an overflow, followed the template, and the interior box hits the glass lip on the inside of the tank. Most tanks I've looked at don't have the lip, so is it safe to cut that piece for some clearance? What is the best way to cut glass that thick that is already on the tank? What should I do here?

 

[Jekyl]

Glass is put around the top as a brace. Could you alter the overflow instead?

 

[JumboShrimp]

This is my Eurobraced 150 by Glass Cages. Like you are saying, the bracing is cut-away where the overflow sits. I hope the photo helps.

 

[Jekyl]

@Joe Glass Cages knows a thing or 2 about cutting glass and building tanks. Take a full tank overhead shot for some reference.

 

[Boaz1021]

@Joe Glass Cages knows a thing or 2 about cutting glass and building tanks. Take a full tank overhead shot for some reference.

Does this picture help? (That is foam board undee the tank so that it wasn't laying directly on the concrete.)

The return doesn't have much a gap at the top to remove enough to fit underneath.

 

[Boaz1021]

This is my Eurobraced 150 by Glass Cages. Like you are saying, the bracing is cut-away where the overflow sits. I hope the photo helps.

Are those (2) 3/4" return holes drilled on the right side of your tank? What are you using for the returns?

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I would customize the overflow box. Ask the company to lower the box by raising the hole cut outs

 

[Boaz1021]

I would customize the overflow box. Ask the company to lower the box by raising the hole cut outs

It's a normal overflow box from Fiji Cube, I don't think they would make a custom box for me.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

It's a normal overflow box from Fiji Cube, I don't think they would make a custom box for me.

It’s just acrylic, doesn’t hurt to ask. If they won’t do it then you can send dimensions to a company like modular marine. They will work with you to get your tank wet. It bites the wallet but it will look cleaner.

 

[JumboShrimp]

By and large, when you buy an overflow it will come with a template. (sometimes you can talk company into sending you one ahead of time, and sometimes you might be able to find it on the Internet… But make sure it’s the current one for the overflow you are buying!)

 

[vtecintegra]

I don't know of any way to cut the brace without removing it first, and wouldn't do it anyway. Would look weird.

Besides building your own overflow, I think a good option will be to get one of these internal boxes and silicon it in place. You loose the removability of the Fiji, but solve the problem pretty cheaply. This is how it use to be done.

 

[Boaz1021]

By and large, when you buy an overflow it will come with a template. (sometimes you can talk company into sending you one ahead of time, and sometimes you might be able to find it on the Internet… But make sure it’s the current one for the overflow you are buying!)

I used the template that came with it, and used the frame on the outside as the straight edge. I guess it didn't account for the glass lip on the inside that is lower than the top of the frame on the outside.

 

[DaneGer21]

I would not cut the eurobracing, it is structural in MOST cases. The tank above that was modified has a center brace that aides in the structural integrity. Since yours does NOT have a center brace, I would NOT cut the eurobracing; but that’s me…

 

[JumboShrimp]

@DaneGer21 makes a good point; my tank was structurally "designed" not to have bracing that interferes with the overflow. Big difference than just removing it from yours, where there is no center brace.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I used the template that came with it, and used the frame on the outside as the straight edge. I guess it didn't account for the glass lip on the inside that is lower than the top of the frame on the outside.

Same thing happened to me. The template did not account for the lid to my overflow and having the box that high left little room for adjusting flow/waterline. Modular marine told me it doesn’t happen that often but after seeing this thread and the responses. I’m thinking it does and we just find a fix, instead of asking for a new box configuration.

 

[Smite]

How far off are we talking about? 1” or so? If that’s the case I’d take a chop saw or table saw to it and cut the difference off the top. If you do that your top cover will still fit. If you don’t have enough weir height left, then cut a horizontal weir slot a bit under the teeth of the weir with a tablesaw.

I saw a local reefer do that to his MD box and thought it was prett genius

 

[Smite]

Yeah I feel like a lot of these boxes are designed for a rimmed tank amd the template accounts for that. My marine depot overflow had the water only 3/8” below my rimless tank so I had to cut my weir teeth completely out.

 

[Boaz1021]

How far off are we talking about? 1” or so? If that’s the case I’d take a chop saw or table saw to it and cut the difference off the top. If you do that your top cover will still fit. If you don’t have enough weir height left, then cut a horizontal weir slot a bit under the teeth of the weir with a tablesaw.

I saw a local reefer do that to his MD box and thought it was prett genius

It is just BAAARREEELLLY too high. Maybe a 1/16th of an inch. I'm thinking I'll just use the diamond hole saw and make the hole a little bigger on the bottom, without going too big so that it won't seal.

I would have preferred to just cut the top layer of glass off, but if that's a no-no, I'll just try shifting the hole down a little and hope that makes it work.

 

[Smite]

It is just BAAARREEELLLY too high. Maybe a 1/16th of an inch. I'm thinking I'll just use the diamond hole saw and make the hole a little bigger on the bottom, without going too big so that it won't seal.

I would have preferred to just cut the top layer of glass off, but if that's a no-no, I'll just try shifting the hole down a little and hope that makes it work.

Don’t do that man. Playing with messing the whole tank up.
If you mess up your overflow you can buy another without a huge bill. Mess up that hole and you’re looking at a tank that leaks

1/16 of an inch? Clamp a piece of heavy grit sandpaper on a work table and slide the weir over it to sand it down evenly. Don’t mess with the tanks structure or that hole you’ll regret it 100%

 

[Onewolf]

I would much rather use a table saw to cut ~1/8 off the top of the inside weir box then dork around with the existing holes in the glass.