New Reef Octupus Skimmer Thread (Pacific Coast Imports) - Page 3

nemo g · #51 08/10/2006, 02:10 PM

just a guess, but could the lack of ability to skim dry be due to the fact that these skimmers pull in less air than say the euroreefs?

i came across some numers from er itself and a ro vendor. how accurate do you think the ro numbers are?

water flow/ air intake

er sedra 3500 350ghp/440lph
er sedra 5000 500gph/660lph

ro nw150 630gph/400lph
ro nw200 900gph/600lph

as you can see the euroreefs produce more air with less flow which is also done in a smaller reaction chamber. which should equate to a much more dense foam as the air to water ratio is much larger.

which then begs the question:

is it better to have a:

bigger chamber, more flow, and sucking in less air

or

smaller chamber, less flow, and sucking in more air ?

nemo g · #52 08/10/2006, 02:11 PM

which also brings me back to a much earlier question i asked about using an air pump. if raising the air intake to match the euroreefs is ideal, then why not try to push more air into it?

the answer i was given was that a pump can only take a certain amount of air before it cavitates. however, there seems to be plenty of room for more in regards to the ro pumps, unless they are somehow inferior in this capacity to sedras.

as the numbers show (if accurate) the ocean runner pumps are sucking less air than even their smaller sedra counterparts. other than changing the impeller which would either be impossible, difficult, or just too pricey, why not help it out with a little "push".

remember, the air pump isnt meant to push 50gph of air into the ocean runner, but instead, just help it out to achieve the same numbers put out by euroreef's sedra-impeller combo.

thoughts?

latazyo · #53 08/10/2006, 04:12 PM

is it possible to hook up some sort of compressed air tank to a skimmer, or would it just blow up?

Roland Jacques · #54 08/10/2006, 05:27 PM

pumping air in on the nw 200 had no benifit on 3 test i did. it stoped working ("cavitating") at at the sligtest increase over what it was pulling. pumping air in has better aplication in taller skimmers.

I got dark skimate within a week. unmoded in 10" of water.

Roland Jacques · #55 08/10/2006, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nemo g
just a guess, but could the lack of ability to skim dry be due to the fact that these skimmers pull in less air than say the euroreefs?

i came across some numers from er itself and a ro vendor. how accurate do you think the ro numbers are?

water flow/ air intake

er sedra 3500 350ghp/440lph
er sedra 5000 500gph/660lph

ro nw150 630gph/400lph
ro nw200 900gph/600lph

as you can see the euroreefs produce more air with less flow which is also done in a smaller reaction chamber. which should equate to a much more dense foam as the air to water ratio is much larger.

which then begs the question:

is it better to have a:

bigger chamber, more flow, and sucking in less air

or

smaller chamber, less flow, and sucking in more air ?

ro nw200 900gph/600lph

Quote:

Originally posted by dandy7200
He's holding out on us until his work is done and can measure the results. But one picture couldn't hurt................

Yeah I no. im not posting any more pictures ether

Please clarify is this for the Ocean Runner pumps OR the Octopus pumps IE; OR 3700 or OTP 3000 (their not identical pumps) the OTP3000 is rated less

You are correct in that their is a direct correlation between neck dia., air volume & dryness of the foam. I had no trouble getting fairly dry foam (not supper dry) with the NW-200 "out of the box."

The recirc models (or moded) should do better if you want very dry foam

BLockamon · #56 08/10/2006, 05:37 PM

One think I am sure of is that my RPS-3000 doesn't draw near 600 lpm of air. I'm ordering a new venturi hoping that the new ones run a little better. I'll probably also switch to a pin wheel.

In any case, more air would probably help you skim drier assuming that it didn't come with more turbulence. I know someone on RC used a needlewheel pump to feed a recirc skimmer, adding air from two pumps. He had to set the water level in the skimmer very low to keep from overflowing. That may help with dry skimming as well.

In any case, I'm not all that concerned. I don't really like dry skimming anyway. I personally believe that a medium consistency is the way to go. Do I have hard data to back that up...no. However, both R2K and Deltec (I think) recommend that the skimmer not be set too dry.

koga57 · #57 08/10/2006, 06:42 PM

I am having major issues with the venturi system on the Octopus NW110.

It doesn't "pull" in air all the time and when it does, it doesn't appear to be "full force". If I raise the riser tube on the outside of the skimmer to increase the volume of water within, it quits altogether pulling in air.

Do any of you have any suggestions.

right now, i have the riser tube about 5 inches below the screw on collection cup just to keep a consistent amount of air being pulled into the venturi system.

Please post ideas.

david

BLockamon · #58 08/10/2006, 07:08 PM

koga57, Do you have one of the earlier models with clear lids and an elbow in the body (vs. a T)? If so, you may have one with a bad venturi (there was 1 batch of mis-drilled venturis out there). Take off the venturi and make sure that there isn't a pin-size hole on the inside of the pipe (the hole should be on the face connected to the pump).

Roland Jacques · #59 08/10/2006, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by J4Life
Hey just got my NW-200 for my 75 gallon tank yesterday and wanted to know how to set it up for external use if anyone has done that. I bought mine from www.octopusskimmer.com and the box was beat to crud by fedex. I have little pieces of Styrofoam everywhere.

Here is a link to a thread discussion I had about the NW-200.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=896625

Here is a picture of mine with my little 19 month old daughter for a size comparison as well.

you got one of the early models skimmer you may want to check your venture also. blokmon might know if you can easly change that 90 to a tee.
Thanks again,
Bill

you got one of the early models skimmers, you may want to check your venture also. blokmon might know if you can easly change that 90 to a tee.

koga57 · #60 08/10/2006, 07:42 PM

I do have a clear top on the octopus NW110. You are talking about taking the clear tubing off the pump where it connects and check to make sure the hole is big enough?

p.s. where the water enters the skimmer, there is a "T", not just an elbow. After disconnecting the venturi connection, (where the cap screws on the pump) there is a small hole on the connection. Can I fix this.

Do I close the hole completely, open it more or what???

david
koga57

Roland Jacques · #61 08/10/2006, 07:57 PM

make sure the air holes are not blocked. the clear tube on the venture may be to far down ... blocking the other hole coming from the other angle going into the pump.

koga57 · #62 08/10/2006, 08:01 PM

Here is a photo:

J4Life · #63 08/10/2006, 08:05 PM

Really??? That doesn't seem right since I just bought the thing. I was under the impression that the clear model was the newest revision. Should I send it back and request the newer model?

Also why are you suggesting checking the ventri again?

Thanks,
Bill

koga57 · #64 08/10/2006, 08:45 PM

It is very obvious to me that the "hard" tip of the venturi sticking out of the screw on part to the motor is getting a drip or two of water every few seconds, thus blocking the air momentarily.

Do you suggest super glue around the top where the hard part of the venturi goes into the plastic?

David

geo*SanAnto · #65 08/10/2006, 08:48 PM

does anyone have a direct number or email address to customer service for pacific coast imports?the pump on my rps-100 just burned out!freak accident?has anyone else had this happen?

spongebobby · #66 08/10/2006, 09:42 PM

I would like to order either the RPS-3000 or the DNW-200 (both recirculating) . They say that they are the same but they appear to look different in the pictures I see. Custom Aquatics has the DNW-200 for 384.00 and the RPS-3000 for 519.00. Why the price difference if they are the same. Anyone own either one of these please explain the differences. Thanks

koga57 · #67 08/10/2006, 09:44 PM

Repaired: A man's best friend. SUPERGLUE. There was a small amount of water entering the venturi. A little superglue, a hairdryer and shazaam; She is blow air like she is suppose to.

David

Covey · #68 08/10/2006, 10:27 PM

Nemo G I was going to PM this to you but your inbox is full. It is worth the discussion anyway.

"Rather than muddying up the main reef octopus thread I though I'd pm you. There is such a thing as too much air. There is a correct amount of air to a certain neck diameter. If you pass more than that amount you will produce lighter skim.

The skimmer that I had before the RPS-3000 was a MRC MR-1. I forgot the exact numbers but a beckett can move ~3x more air than the RO. Impressive except it moved so much air thru the same size neck that I could never get much more than green tea colored skim out of it even when trying to skim dry. You just had to keep dailing the air back until you had something managable.

Me and couple of the RO guys had a "freindily" chat with one of the ER reps on here. ER was claiming monster LPM pulled on there new recirc skimmers and claiming that as a reason you shouldn't buy a reef octopus. Well they didn't bring up the fact that ER, Deltec, and H&S all come with air control valves and the user is suppose to dail back the air to get the best perfromance.

Getting monster LPM would be fun to fiddle with but for the most part I think most of us are wasting our time.

longreef · #69 08/10/2006, 10:29 PM

I just received my NW150 today. It came in perfect from Aquacave. I started put in the 20 gallon container with half of the water fill and one gallon of vinegar. Power on the skimmer everythingis workinf perfectly for 2 hrs.. I stopped and clean with regular water and ready to put in my sump. Everything is setup in the sump and then I power the skimmer on, surprisingly, the pump start acting up with little output pressure. I tried to unplug the cord and check all the connection but still no go. Does anyone having this problem? Inputs are appriciated.

Nam,

Roland Jacques · #70 08/10/2006, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spongebobby
I would like to order either the RPS-3000 or the DNW-200 (both recirculating) . They say that they are the same but they appear to look different in the pictures I see. Custom Aquatics has the DNW-200 for 384.00 and the RPS-3000 for 519.00. Why the price difference if they are the same. Anyone own either one of these please explain the differences. Thanks

just go back thru the post, it all their. they are the same skimmers from the same factory. like Mercury and Ford same cars defferent prices.

thier are older and newer versions. pay more if you want. but you are going to get the samething.

Roland Jacques · #71 08/10/2006, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by J4Life
Really??? That doesn't seem right since I just bought the thing. I was under the impression that the clear model was the newest revision. Should I send it back and request the newer model?

Also why are you suggesting checking the ventri again?

Thanks,
Bill

i no what you mean you would think you would get the newest model, i was actualy suprised that you got one, i was told they were out. was yours shiped from Coralvue in La. ? i was told the next shipment due late August.
the 90 on the pump outlet was probably the only thing i would change to a tee. it may be a little tricky.

a few of the older models had a venture issue (easy fix) but if it works ok dont worry about it.

nemo g · #72 08/11/2006, 12:04 AM

thanks covey,

i wonder then if the air that put out by er's "older" design was "too much" then why "improve" the design to pull even more air?

just for numbers sake?

in any case, im sure we would all agree it would be better to have more air and be able to dial it back rather than hit an intake max that is 50% less than the competition.

at least it seems the performance loss isnt any where near the impact onthe wallet for the improvement.

i was rethinking getting the nw200, but that thing is a beast. that pump is massive, and im sure it has to make more noise than the nw150, no?

anyone with hands on experience running both? how different is the noise? mind you, my room is super quiet.

joe healey · #73 08/11/2006, 12:13 AM

longreef, i recieved my 150 today and the pump right out the box showed the same symptoms as you describe. I found that if i blow in the venturi tube it "primes" the pump and then works fine. Another local reefer had the same issue and was sent a new pump from Marinesolutions. I have contacted them to get the problem resolved but have not heard back. Must be an issue with the 150 pumps. kinda disapointing since all the rave reviews here and other boards. that is why I bought mine. Hopefully MS wil come thru on this. will keep the group posted on the pump issue I am having

Roland Jacques · #74 08/11/2006, 12:14 AM

nemo g
revised
i just ran both with the main pump off. and the OTP 2000 is a good bit quieter than the OTP 3000.

my gen-x are much louder than ether.

danskim · #75 08/11/2006, 12:19 AM

My skimmer seems to be breaking in kinda... woohoo!