|
The more you look at these skimmers, the more you wonder or question the design. There are quite a few significantly different aspects between these skimmers and the ATI BM.
They both use the same pump, but as far as the chamber design, it's completely different. The BM's introduce the air water mix at the bottom of the chamber, into a significantly larger space than the Xtreme skimmers mixing chamber. After going through the bubble plate the air water mix is channeled up the body of the skimmer, almost to the beginning of the neck, via an internal tube.
In the Xtreme's case after the air water mix clears the bubble plate it spreads out and fills the whole chamber. The exiting water in the BM flows down the outside of the inner tube and exits via the riser pipe arrangement. The exiting water on the extreme skimmer flows passed the internal injection chamber via some slotted openings and then exits the body again via a riser pipe arrangement.
At first glance both seam workable designs. We know the BM design works, many skimmers have been tested and have been running for some time now with good results. My only concern with the Xtreme skimmers design would be too much turbulance in the body of the skimmer from the powerful pump and excessive micro bubbles being intrduced to the sump, an annoying problem. However, both these issues are pure conjecture on my part.
The question ATI and the designers of the Xtreme skimmer both had to deal with was how to harness the powerful air water mix in the body of the skimmer in order to reduce turbulance and minimize exiting micro bubbles and at the same time maximize the skimming potential. Those are design problems that if achieved, result in one skimmer being more efficient than the other. I'm guessing it takes a lot of testing and more than a little design ingenuity in order to achieve the best results.
If I was a betting man, Im guessing that ATI did a little more brain storming than the manufacturer in china, however I could be wrong, after all wasn't the US the first to put a man on the moon, ... Oh that's right they stole that technology from the Germans!
|