my diy deltec skimmer (lots of pics) - Page 3

spazz · #51 06/29/2005, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by teslo
SPAZZ

As you mount OR pumps on a skimmer.. Do you have any problems if air stay in pump when the pump is switched off.
Is there any possibility to stay enough air in the pump and then when you start pump it pinwheel spin around in air and therefore pump can not suck any water?

You are using OR2700 pumps form Aqua Medic with internal pin wheel impeller?

i turned them on and off a couple of times and all the pumps restarted with no problem. there was a little air in the pumps but it wasent enough to cavate them completely.

H20ENG · #52 06/29/2005, 05:37 PM

I only had that problem when I put a 90 on the outlet, inside the skimmer in hopes of directing the foam down to gain more contact time. It trapped air between the pump and 90. This could be solved by drilling a small hole in it to vent the air.

ejamsrhere · #53 06/30/2005, 12:42 AM

yo spazz... a bit more detail on the venturi please

spazz · #54 06/30/2005, 12:51 AM

sorry i forgot. i have built 2 different tank (1 4'x4'x2' and 1 4'x4'x1') in the last 48 hrs. i have been in the shop 18 hrs a day. i will try and get the pics and a full discription of them tomorrow.

ejamsrhere · #55 06/30/2005, 10:41 AM

Nice. Thanks spazz. I envy you. I wish I could spend days at a time in a workshop.

spazz · #56 07/08/2005, 03:20 PM

sorry i have been so busy lately. here is the pics of the venturie i made for my skimmer. also here is a pic of the keyed flanges igot from the cnc guy. it only took him 2 months to make them. then he didnt cut the oring grove deep enough. so i had to recut them deeper. but after the refitting of the flange its almost ready for the tank.

this is the ventirie i built for my pumps. i bought the fittings (on right) and drilled super small holes down it. then angle cut the end. the washer was sanded off also.

here it is almost ready for the tank.

i cant wait to see the skimming power of this baby.

Lunchbucket · #57 07/08/2005, 03:29 PM

wow buddy that is really looking nice.

hmm interesting venturi's. hope they work good

Lunchbucket

ejamsrhere · #58 07/08/2005, 03:35 PM

So did you just drill a hole for that and let the size of the JG fitting make a reuction in pipe size? Ineresting way of getting it done. Can you measure air intake when you get the beast working? Looks great!

spazz · #59 07/08/2005, 08:14 PM

i tested it a little and im getting too much air right now. the bubbles fill the body right to the bottom of the skimmer. i have to make the inflow and out flow yet but i have to also figure out a way to restrict the in flowing water to the pumps. the venturies take a 1/4" hole on the main pipe. there is no specal way to mount them. think of a carburator on a car. the venturie is made the same way.

spazz · #60 07/21/2005, 12:37 AM

well i finaly got my skimmer up and running yesterday. so far so good. it didnt start to produce smimmate untill the next day but its making up for it.

lunkerbunker · #61 07/21/2005, 12:43 AM

looks good!!! keep the pics coming...

spazz · #62 07/21/2005, 01:07 AM

i forgot to add that these pumps, after 24 hrs, run 94 deg external temp. i mesured them with an infered thermometer. they are very coo running. the loudest thing on the skimmer is the air being sucked into the venturies. i have to make a silencer for them yet.

merlock116 · #63 07/21/2005, 01:11 AM

are you thinking about putting some sort of valve on the venturis to tune in the airflow... maybe incorporate that with the silencer, and perhaps have some room for some filter floss and carbon

merlock116 · #64 07/21/2005, 01:14 AM

might as well put some airflow meters on there too for the heck of it like the ones on barr aquatics skimmers

spazz · #65 07/21/2005, 01:18 AM

im finding that if i leave the air un restricted i get a better head of foam. these pumps rock. you dont need to restrict them to get the smaller bubbles. i have heard that other pumps have to be restricted to get the super small bubbles. im going to leave it alone right now. my tank was running with out a skimmer for 2 weeks. i need to get the nitrates down to 0 before i start messing around with the fine tuning. its working great and i dont want to change anything right now. the little bit on noise it makes is worth what is pulling out of my tank right now.

spazz · #66 07/21/2005, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by merlock116
might as well put some airflow meters on there too for the heck of it like the ones on barr aquatics skimmers

i have been looking for some of them but they are not cheap. i have found them for $35 ea. and i dont want to spend that kind of change on 4 meters right now. if i could find some in the $10-$15 range then it might be worth it. just not right now.

spazz · #67 07/21/2005, 01:43 PM

this is 11 hrs after the last pic.

hsvtoolfool · #68 07/21/2005, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spazz
this is 11 hrs after the last pic.

You removed the wet-neck?

Kimo · #69 07/21/2005, 02:52 PM

Very nice!

Trickman2 · #70 07/21/2005, 03:04 PM

Nice skimmer

spazz · #71 07/21/2005, 03:36 PM

the wet neck was removed because it was not working properly. im planning on putting it back on. this will be a good test to see how well they work. if i run the skimmer for a week or so then reinstall the wet neck with out any other changes to the skimmer it will tell me how much better it works with the wet neck on.
a wetneck is a very touchy item. they have to have the right gap all the way around the top to insure the water flows over the entire tube and not down just one side of the riser tube. im messing around with the gap. its close to being done. but there is a long way to go yet.

GreshamH · #72 07/21/2005, 03:47 PM

Getting the right flow with a wet neck is a tough one as well.

spazz · #73 07/21/2005, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GreshamH
Getting the right flow with a wet neck is a tough one as well.

i agree. too much water and the foam colapses not enough and the riser gets dirty quickly.

DerekW · #74 07/21/2005, 04:59 PM

IS that a narrower neck the tne actual deltec's of similar size would have? It looks a little "pencil-necked" to me.
Having said that, and no criticism implied, your DIY skills are certainly impressive. Have you figured out how much you have into for materials, pumps, etc?

spazz · #75 07/21/2005, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DerekW
IS that a narrower neck the tne actual deltec's of similar size would have? It looks a little "pencil-necked" to me.
Having said that, and no criticism implied, your DIY skills are certainly impressive.

the reason for the smaller riser tube is to test the difference in performance between 3" tubes and 4" tubes of different hights. this riser is 10" tall. if you look at a deltec there riser is shorter than mine. the biggest thing im concerned with is being able to ajust the skimmate to be dry or wet. there are so many skimmers that are touchy. i want this skimmer to be forgiving. this skimmer is very forgiving. if i give the valve a half a turn the water level wont rise very much. it tunes very easy. in a couple of weeks im going to try a 4"x 10" tall riser tube and see if the skimmer is as easy to tune as it is now. this is a giant test i have going. along with the wetneck, it will take a few weeks to see what the end results will be.

Quote:

Originally posted by DerekW
Have you figured out how much you have into for materials, pumps, etc?

with all the redesigning i have done on this skimmer i could have built 2 skimmers. its a work in progress. but it should yeld some good info for people wanting to build there own skimmer. all the do" and donts" of building one. all these skimmer companys dont tell you what dont work. you just see the end results of all there testing. this is to see the difference this item or that item will make on a skimmer.