Drilling and Installation Guide
Thank you for choosing the Reef Savvy Ghost Overflow. Please note that this is a Do-It-Yourself project and can be installed in either glass or acrylic aquariums. Always keep in mind that working with power tools and glass have inherent dangers, so please be careful and wear gloves, shoes, pants, eye protection, etc… If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at info@reefsavvy.com.
Before you begin, please be sure that you have everything you will need to complete the installation. This includes, but is not limited to:
Aquarium: glass or acrylic; if glass please make sure the panel you are going to drill is NOT TEMPERED! If you are uncertain about this then STOP and contact the manufacturer. If you attempt to drill a tempered panel, it will shatter.
Cordless drill with adjustable clutch. We recommend the use of a cordless drill to avoid electrocution, as water needs to be applied over the hole saw during drilling. The clutch will limit torque transfer to the glass, reducing the chances of cracking the glass. Always set your torque to the lowest level on the drill, patience is a virtue when drilling glass.
62mm hole saw (not included), your hole saw can be a bit bigger (up to 2.5″) if you need it to be, just take this into consideration and how it will affect your drilling template.
Drilling template (included with the Ghost Overflow Kit).
Tape measure, to determine mounting location.
Marker or wax pencil to mark mounting location.
Spring clamps and/or tape to hold the template in place while you drill.
Water source; spray bottle, garden hose, etc…
Correct holesaw. For glass you will need to purchase a diamond coated holesaw, for acrylic you will need a standard holesaw with teeth.
Ghost Overflow Kit.
Drilling and Installing:
1. Determine your desired water level. We find with typical applications within our recommended flow rates the water level in our boxes can raise from ¼” x ½” from the bottom of the slots. Once you have your desired water level determined you can measure and mark how far down the holes will be from the top of the tank using our template.
2. Now locate the drilling template where you have determined you need to drill the holes. You can use duct tape to mount the template, although we do recommend using spring clamps to hold it in place. DO NOT use screw type clamps, these can cause too much localized stress and crack your glass!
3. Make sure to protect the opposite panel and position a bucket or reservoir to catch the plug when it drills through. Also if placing a bucket on the glass, protect the glass from the bucket by placing a piece of paper towel and/or clean cardboard so that the bucket doesn’t scratch the tank.
4. Ideally you will use a cordless drill with an adjustable clutch that can be set very light. This will prevent extra force on the glass should you bind the bit during drilling. It is now time to start drilling!! Pour some water in the template hole to cool and lubricate the holesaw, you will want to keep the bit wet through the whole drilling process. The provided template will keep your holesaw in place.
5. After drilling for a bit you should be able to remove the hole saw from the template and see a groove starting in the glass. Once you see this groove you may want to remove the drilling template; it has served its purpose. Be sure to start both holes before removing the template.
6. Remember to keep the holesaw wet through the process for cooling and lubrication. As you get near to the end of drilling the hole you will see the water start to leak through, this is the sign that you are close. At this point you will want to use very light pressure and patience to minimize chip out on the opposite side. However, some chips are normal and likely happen, so don’t worry about them as the gasket will cover and seal them.
7. Once you drill both holes, clean up the drilling mess and dry the aquarium and proceed to install the boxes.
8. Remove the nuts from the bulkheads, and place the interior box with pre-installed bulkheads and one set of gaskets through the holes from the inside of the aquarium. These gaskets will be between the interior box and aquarium glass. Now place the second set of gaskets on the bulkheads: these gaskets will be between the tank and the external box. Now take the external box and place it on the back of the tank with the bulkheads through it. Take the bulkhead nuts and thread them inside the external box. Hand tighten them; over tightening the bulkheads can cause the gaskets to leak.
The finished installed product should be as follows:
Internal box – gasket – aquarium glass – gasket – external box – bulkhead/nut.
10. Your Ghost Overflow is now ready to be plumbed